Carmelita E. Goossen, F. Richie Roberts, Amanda Kacal, Ashley S. Whiddon, & J. Shane Robinson
Students in secondary education are failing in science and are not prepared adequately for college. This deficit has led to the use of innovative teaching methods, including inquiry-based instruction. Inquiry-based instruction has gained popularity because of its realistic and problem- based strategy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of inquiry-based instruction, compared to lecture, on the content knowledge and motivation for completing a science-based laboratory activity of pre-service agricultural education teachers (N = 41) at Oklahoma State University. Students were assigned randomly to either an inquiry group or lecture group in the completely randomized 2×2 design. A biofuels unit…
Bodie Carroll, John Rayfield, & Tim Murphy
The purpose of this study was to determine the self-efficacy of early-career agricultural science teachers from Texas, in the three domains of agricultural education: classroom instruction, FFA, and supervised agricultural experience (SAE). This descriptive study was conducted using a random sample of first, second, and third year agricultural science teachers. A response rate of 50.6% was achieved (N=168, n=85). The respondents completed an online survey using the Qualtrics™ system. The survey included 49 likert scale…
Sarahi Morales & M. Todd Brashears
Future agricultural professionals and scientists will be required to have broader perspectives and apply their technical knowledge to keep pace with global trends. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare United States (U.S.) and Latin American (L.A.) students’ knowledge of international agricultural issues. A modified version of the International Agricultural Awareness and Understanding instrument by Wingenbach et al. (2003) and Hurst (2013) was used. Findings in this study were similar to previous studies indicating a continuing lack of knowledge regarding international agricultural issues among undergraduate students.
Despite an overall increase in students’ scores…
Erica B. Thieman, William A. Bird, Stacy K. Vincent, & Robert Terry, Jr.
The purpose of this descriptive-correlation study was to describe and identify the differences between high performers and low performers among participants in the Missouri FFA Livestock Evaluation Career Development Event. The variables of interest included: marital status of parents, Free/reduced lunch status, Individual Education Plan (IEP) status, academic grade level, cumulative grade point average, and previous Career Development Event (CDE) experience as factors related to the individual’s performance. Characteristics investigated in this study were determined from a review of related literature on student achievement. This research detected differences…
Catherine W. Shoulders & Jarred D. Wyatt
The need for STEM literacy among undergraduates has fueled the exploration of innovative teaching methods in the higher education setting. Socioscientific issues (SSI)-based instruction is an instructional model that has yielded positive results in a variety of settings, including agricultural education. However, the multiple variables contributing to the impact of classroom instruction on student outcomes merits further investigation into the effectiveness of SSI-based instruction at the undergraduate level. This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of SSI-based instruction on undergraduate students’ knowledge of solar energy…