Vol. 63 No. 01 (2013)

The manuscripts in Volume 63, Issue 1 (2013) of the Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research (JSAER) address preparing agricultural educators and students for a globally interconnected world, strengthening science integration across the curriculum, and improving instructional quality and graduate advising within agricultural education programs.

Global Awareness and International Education

• Undergraduate Attitudes and Faculty Travel Abroad via RLOs: A quantitative pre/post study at the University of Florida examines whether reusable learning objects (RLOs) created from faculty travel abroad experiences in Ecuador can shift undergraduate attitudes toward a foreign country, finding preliminary evidence that exposure to RLOs using a foreign country as subject-matter context can positively influence student attitudes, suggesting a scalable model for internationalizing undergraduate curricula without requiring direct student travel.
• Student Perceptions of International Educational Experiences: A descriptive study of 316 undergraduates finds that while 75% aspire to study abroad before graduation, 84% had not done so at the time of the study, with overall life experience and global career competitiveness cited as top motivators and weather and country destination as the most important selection factors, recommending that institutions address financial and logistical barriers to make international experiences more accessible.
• Competencies for Entry-Level International Development Agents: A quantitative survey of AIAEE educator members identifies nine competency constructs for entry-level international development agents, with program planning and evaluation, cultural diversity, and work habits ranked as most important, recommending that land-grant universities and Extension programs intentionally design curricula to develop these competencies in students pursuing international agricultural careers.

Science Integration and Curriculum Alignment

• Science Concepts in Preservice Teacher Coursework: A case study at the University of Florida maps the science coursework completed by 59 preservice agricultural education teachers against AFNR Career Cluster Standards, finding strong coverage of life science and science as inquiry but very limited exposure to physical science and earth and space science, recommending curricular adjustments particularly for programs that enroll large numbers of community college transfer students.
• FFA, SAE, and Science Achievement: A quantitative study in Georgia finds that FFA activity level and SAE participation did not hold statistically significant relationships with students' scores on the Georgia High School Graduation Test in science for either regular or special education agricultural education concentrators, while affirming that both components remain integral to reinforcing academic concepts and recommending continued inclusion in comprehensive program models.
• Alabama Teachers' Perceptions of Contextualized Learning: A quantitative study of 161 Alabama agricultural educators finds that the large majority agree that integrating mathematics and reading comprehension into agricultural instruction is important, but identifies insufficient funding, lack of appropriate workshops, and inadequate equipment as significant barriers to science integration, recommending targeted professional development and resource support to advance contextualized learning statewide.

Teacher Preparation and Instructional Practice

• Agricultural Education Teachers' Instructional Planning Practices: A quantitative study of early-career agriculture teachers participating in the National Association for Agricultural Education's Turn the Key program finds wide variation in planning practices, lesson plan formats, use of professional curriculum resources, and time dedicated to planning — with teachers reporting considerably less planning time than in prior studies — recommending that teacher preparation programs expose preservice teachers to a variety of instructional planning approaches and that further large-scale research be conducted on planning trends.

Graduate Education and Program Relevance

• Communication Qualities of Graduate Advisors: A quantitative study of graduate students in agricultural leadership, education, extension, and communications departments identifies availability, honesty, and field expertise as hallmarks of high-quality advisors, while difficulty in reaching advisors, lack of encouragement, and limited knowledge are associated with low-quality advising, recommending that graduate programs intentionally cultivate open communication and mentoring practices between faculty and students.
• Distinguished Lecture — A Relevant Program: Dr. Tim Murphy's Distinguished Lecture challenges agricultural leadership, education, and communications programs to remain relevant in an era of intense scrutiny of higher education costs and outcomes, calling on faculty to demonstrate the value of social science research to solving complex global agricultural problems and to align program offerings with the workforce and societal needs of a rapidly changing world.