Food Practices and Professional Development Needs in Food Science Among Tennessee Preservice Agriculture Teachers
Keywords:
Food Science, Preservice Agriculture Teachers, Professional Development Needs, Dietary Practices, Borich Model, Mean Weighted Discrepancy Score (MWDS), Teacher Preparation ProgramsAbstract
Teacher beliefs and practices shape instruction; therefore, this study analyzed Tennessee agriculture preservice teachers’ (PSTs) food practices and perceptions of food science topics to identify professional development needs. A researcher-developed survey aligned to Tennessee AFNR Food Science standards was distributed to PSTs across five AFNR teacher-preparation programs. Participants reported food practices and rated topic importance and perceived teaching ability. PD needs were estimated using Borich’s mean weighted discrepancy score (MWDS). Over half reported at least one allergy/intolerance, with dairy the most common; nearly half reported avoiding milk. Overall, those without restrictive food practices indicated a greater need for professional development, but when differentiated by dairy restrictions, those reporting dairy restrictions indicated greater need for professional development. Further research is needed to determine the reasoning behind food practices of PSTs and any specific links between food practices and addressing related food science topics in the secondary classroom.
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