Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research

The manuscripts in Volume 50, Issue 1 (2000) of the Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research (JSAER) reflect a profession actively navigating technological transformation, accountability pressures, and curricular evolution, with a rich set of studies spanning FFA enrollment and engagement, Internet adoption, distance education, block scheduling, agricultural literacy, and land-grant history.

FFA Status, Enrollment, and Teacher–Administrator Relations

• FFA Status of Traditional and Non-Traditional Agricultural Education Enrollees in Oklahoma: A quantitative study of 393 Oklahoma junior and senior agriscience students finds that traditional enrollees are more likely to be rural males with higher FFA activity involvement, while non-traditional enrollees are more urban, equally male and female, and more than half report no FFA activity involvement, with neither group maintaining strong SAE participation, recommending that enrollment point be considered when designing FFA and SAE programming.
• Administrator Satisfaction with First-Year Agriculture Teachers: A study of public school administrators who hired first-year Oklahoma State University agriculture graduates finds that administrators are generally satisfied with overall teacher performance but identify areas for improvement including student behavior management, adjusting instruction based on monitoring, lesson closure, meaningful SAE programming, and community involvement, recommending targeted refinements in teacher preparation.
• Administrator Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Agricultural Science Teachers in Texas: A study of Texas high school administrators and agriscience teachers finds that administrator perceptions are significantly shaped by the level of communication initiated by agriculture teachers, recommending that agriscience teachers take a proactive role in regularly communicating program activities and FFA events to their building administrators.
• Problems Faced by Beginning Agricultural Teachers Preparing for CDEs and LDEs: A descriptive survey of beginning Texas agriscience teachers finds that chapter conducting is rated highest in importance and competence among leadership development events, while agricultural issues forum is rated lowest, and that livestock judging is the most popular career development event, with forestry and cotton classing least familiar depending on geographic background, recommending preservice training matched to regional program needs.

Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

• Agricultural Mechanics Course Requirements in Agriculture Teacher Education Programs: A national assessment of 46 agriculture teacher education programs finds that approximately two three-credit-hour courses in agricultural mechanics are typically required for certification, that course content reflects traditional subject matter, and that instructors generally have both agricultural education and mechanics expertise, recommending that programs consider expanding content toward more physical science-based approaches to meet changing industry needs.
• Impact of a Professional Development Workshop on Teaching Agricultural Communications and Leadership: A study of a secondary agricultural communications and leadership course in Oklahoma finds that teachers who attended a summer professional development workshop devoted significantly more days to communication theory, while non-attendees focused more on public speaking and parliamentary procedure, demonstrating that targeted workshops can meaningfully shape content emphasis in new course offerings.
• How Secondary Agricultural Education Teachers Describe Their Work: A Q-method study of 23 California agriscience teachers examines how teachers perceive their job responsibilities in terms of actual and ideal work, providing qualitative insight into the diverse and complex nature of agricultural teaching beyond classroom instruction to include FFA, SAE, and community leadership roles.
• Part-Time Farming Activities of Georgia Young Farmer Teachers: A descriptive correlational study finds that over half of Georgia Young Farmer teachers engage in part-time farming, that supervisors and chapter presidents whose teachers farm report a positive effect on working relationships, and that chapter presidents broadly support part-time farming while supervisors are more divided, recommending increased dialogue among teachers, presidents, and supervisors about expectations.

Internet and Technology Adoption

• Use of the Internet in Georgia Agricultural Education Programs: A descriptive study of 56 Georgia agriculture program head teachers finds that only 37% report using the Internet, with the school library as the most available access point and FFA information as the most common use, while most teachers acknowledge the Internet's potential and desire more training and equipment, recommending improved preservice and inservice Internet training for Georgia agriculture educators.
• Pennsylvania Secondary Agriculture Teachers' Perceptions of and Use of the Internet: A survey of 205 Pennsylvania agriculture teachers finds that factors discouraging Internet use are not significantly related to actual use, while comfort with computers, willingness to invest time, administrative support, and access are the most important encouraging factors, recommending school funding for Internet access, inservice training, and access to technology mentors.
• Texas Agriscience Teachers' Attitudes Toward and Stage of Adoption of the Internet: A correlational study finds that Texas agriscience teachers hold highly favorable attitudes toward all forms of information technology and perceive themselves in advanced stages of internet adoption, with computer anxiety, perceived importance, and home access strongly correlated with attitudes and adoption levels, concluding the Internet has reached critical mass in this population.
• Agriculture Students' Academic Achievement, Computer Anxiety, and Learning Styles: A study of 45 Mississippi State University agriculture students finds that paper-and-pencil quiz takers score significantly higher than electronic exam takers, that field-independent learners achieve higher quiz scores, and that no significant relationships exist between achievement and computer attitudes, anxiety, or gender, recommending early identification of field-dependent learners for additional computing support.

Distance Education

• Student Satisfaction and Interaction in a Distance Education Course: A mixed-methods case study of an interactive compressed video animal genetics course delivered to five northeastern land-grant universities finds that students are satisfied with the course and with interaction opportunities, with face-to-face contact with site facilitators as the most enjoyable interaction type, recommending advanced organizers, more time for Q&A, and resolution of technology failures.
• Barriers to Interaction in Distance Education: A companion qualitative case study of the same ICV course identifies ten barriers to student interaction — including social concerns, technical limitations, camera shyness, lack of non-verbal cues, and the mute button — with all ten serving as dissatisfiers, recommending web-based course alternatives in light of the limited interaction observed in ICV delivery.
• Comparison of Primary vs. Supplementary Web Delivery in an Agricultural Communication Course: An experimental study comparing fully web-based and supplementary web-based delivery of an undergraduate agricultural communication writing course at Mississippi State finds no significant differences in student achievement or attitudes, recommending continued investigation with larger samples before drawing firm conclusions about web delivery effectiveness.
• Student Perceptions of Case-Based Instruction via the World Wide Web: A study of 35 Penn State and Rutgers students in a web-delivered turfgrass course finds generally favorable perceptions of web-based delivery, with Rutgers students reporting frustration over firewall-related download delays, recommending equitable access speeds and assessment of student computer comfort before web-based course delivery.
• Use of Distance Learning to Teach a Multidisciplinary Course on Phytochemicals: A formative and summative evaluation of a Texas A&M graduate course delivered by videoconference to 10 sites finds that access to national expert presenters and the relevance of research applications are the most valued components, recommending this model for future multidisciplinary distance courses that could not otherwise bring together geographically dispersed expertise.
• Cognitive Innovativeness as a Predictor of Student Attitudes Toward Technology Delivery: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior, a University of Florida study finds that students high in cognitive innovativeness hold more positive attitudes toward online courses, with attitude being the strongest predictor of intent for internal innovators and attitude plus norms predicting intent for external innovators, recommending that course designers consider student innovativeness profiles when planning technology-delivered instruction.

Curriculum, Science, and Agricultural Literacy

• Assessment of Student Agricultural Literacy Using the Food and Fiber Systems Framework: A quasi-experimental study using the FFSL Framework in two treatment schools (Montana and Oklahoma) and one control (Nebraska) finds significant knowledge gains in three grade groupings and three thematic areas — Understanding Agriculture, History/Culture/Geography, and Science and Environment — for the treatment group but not the control, concluding the FFSL Framework can effectively infuse agricultural literacy into core academic subjects.
• Effects of Openness Level in Agriscience Experiments on Achievement and Science Process Skills: An experimental study of nine Illinois teachers using BSAA and PSAA agriscience courses finds that students in the traditional prescriptive lab format score significantly higher on achievement tests and science process skills than those in the more open, investigative format, with females outperforming males only in the control group, recommending further research before widespread adoption of open inquiry approaches in agriscience contexts.
• Higher-Order vs. Lower-Order Thinking in Block vs. Traditional Scheduling: A study of 666 Texas animal science students across 45 schools finds no significant difference in higher-order or lower-order thinking achievement between traditional and block-scheduled students, while FFA membership length and teacher tenure significantly predict achievement for both thinking levels, recommending that scheduling decisions not be made solely on the basis of anticipated cognitive gains.
• Professional Development Workshop on Agricultural Communications and Leadership: A study finds that attendance at a targeted summer workshop significantly influences how much time teachers devote to specific content areas within a new agricultural communications and leadership course, reinforcing the importance of professional development in successfully implementing curricular innovations.

Leadership and Extension

• Evaluation of the Florida Leadership Program for Agriculture and Natural Resources: A qualitative interview study of program alumni, spouses, and business associates finds that networking, increased leadership skills, broader agricultural perspectives, issue-identification abilities, and appreciation for diversity are the primary program benefits, concluding the program is effectively equipping agricultural and natural resource leaders for current and future roles.
• Leadership Styles of Florida County Extension Directors: A study of Florida county extension directors using the Leadership Profiles Index finds that CEDs score near the 50th percentile across four of five leadership practices and that significant gender differences exist in four practices, recommending leadership-specific inservice training and preparation for new directors that goes beyond traditional management skills.
• Self-Perceived Leadership Skills of Students in a Leadership Programs in Agriculture Course: A descriptive study of 58 Clemson University agriculture students finds they perceive themselves as possessing strong leadership skills and participate in a range of organizations, with departmental club participation showing a significant positive relationship with leadership skill, recommending expanded opportunities for community and departmental involvement.
• Framework to Identify Inservice Training Needs of Extension Agents: A study of Clemson University Extension agents and specialists develops a structured framework for matching agent-identified training needs with specialist offerings, finding a good overall match and recommending this model as a practical approach for aligning professional development with the actual needs of county Extension personnel.
• Macro and Micro Level Challenges to Program Evaluation and Accountability: A conceptual analysis identifies five macro-level and six micro-level challenges to Extension program evaluation and accountability, proposing a three-component framework — accountability information, customer satisfaction, and generic evaluation instruments — and recommending communication, teamwork, and distance education as strategies to build evaluation capacity among county staff.

4-H and Livestock Programs

• Benefits of Competitive Livestock Exhibition for Texas 4-H Members: A qualitative study at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo identifies six major benefit themes for youth participants — social relations, character development, family bonds, competitive spirit, exposure to new cultures, and financial support for education — recommending that the Texas 4-H program continue to use competitive livestock shows as a core educational vehicle.

Historical Studies

• Congressional District Agricultural Schools as Secondary-Level Land-Grants: A historical study of congressional district agricultural schools in Alabama, Georgia, and Virginia documents how these institutions conducted extension activities, agricultural instruction, and research years before the Smith-Lever and Smith-Hughes Acts, establishing important precedents for cooperative extension and secondary agricultural education that predate their federal legislative foundations.

Critical Thinking

• Dimensions of Critical Thinking: A conceptual paper synthesizes the literature on critical thinking to develop a working definition and accessible framework for college of agriculture faculty, proposing instructional strategies for developing critical thinking in agricultural disciplines and recommending that faculty prioritize teaching thinking skills alongside content knowledge.