Guidance Counselors’ Perceptions of Agriscience Courses
Keywords:
School-Based Agricultural Education, Agriscience, Guidance Counselors, Science Credit, STEM Integration, Secondary EducationAbstract
This study examined the perceptions of high school guidance counselors in Nebraska in regard to the science present in high school agriscience courses. An understanding of guidance counselors’ perceptions of science incorporated into high school agriscience courses will help agriscience instructors successfully highlight the significance of science in their courses to improve perceptions of the science that is taught in agriscience courses. Interviews were conducted with 10 guidance counselors in Nebraska. The following themes emerged from the study: (a) Science Credit for Agriscience Courses, (b) Superficial Knowledge of Agriscience Courses, (c) Real World Connections, (d) Reasons for Student Placement in Agriscience Courses, (e) Lack of High School Agriscience Experience, and (f) Agricultural Connections. Findings indicated that guidance counselors see real world applications in agriscience courses, but specific connections to science principles need to be highlighted for the agriscience courses to count as science credit. Additionally, agricultural educators who depend on sustained enrollment in agriscience courses, and for agriscience students who wish to receive science credit for those courses, it is imperative that agriscience instructors inform guidance counselors of the science taught through agriscience courses.
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