Vol. 73 No. 01 (2023)

The manuscripts in Volume 73, Issue 1 (2023) of the Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research (JSAER) focus on advancing agricultural education through strengthened teacher preparation and support, curriculum alignment, adaptive Extension programming, and a broadened commitment to equity and inclusion across the profession.

Teacher Preparation, Effectiveness, and Needs

• Teacher Needs in Oklahoma: A quantitative study using the Conceptual Model of Support for SBAE Teachers finds that 36 of 42 measured items reflect a need among Oklahoma agricultural educators, with program management, work-life balance, and SAE development among the most persistent concerns, calling for purposeful and individualized professional development.
• Teaching Effectiveness and Human Capital: An exploratory study using the ETI-SBAE instrument finds that SBAE teachers attending the 2020 NAAE conference scored a mean of 81.54 out of 104 on overall effectiveness, with work-life balance and SAE supervision identified as the greatest areas of concern, and female teachers rating themselves more effective than male counterparts.
• Preservice Teacher Readiness for Low-SES Students: A qualitative case study of eight first-year Nebraska agriculture teachers finds that while teachers felt generally prepared to work with students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, teacher preparation programs should incorporate coursework and early field experiences specifically designed to build confidence and relationship skills with this population.
• Preservice Teachers and the AET: A study of 42 preservice teachers at Oklahoma State University tracks self-perceived and actual ability to use the Agricultural Experience Tracker across a 16-week semester, finding growth across all areas but persistently low performance in financial applications, signaling a need for targeted professional development upon entry into the field.

Curriculum Standards and Instructional Approaches

• Animal Science Standards Alignment: A content analysis comparing South Carolina SBAE animal science standards to national AFNR standards finds that only 31% of state standards were written at or above the Applying level, compared to 95% of AFNR standards, revealing a significant rigor gap and calling for higher-order instructional planning in preservice and in-service training.
• Cognitive Style and Flipped Classrooms: A quantitative study at Louisiana State University examines whether cognitive style influences content knowledge gains in a flipped introductory agricultural mechanics course, finding no significant differences between student groups and recommending that educators employ diverse learning strategies to meet the needs of varied learners.
• Experiential Learning in Animal Science: A quasi-experimental study at the University of Georgia finds that replacing weekly study sessions with experiential learning activities did not produce significant performance differences in an introductory animal science course, suggesting that experiential approaches may not uniformly benefit students learning foundational content and that further research is warranted.
• Revisiting Teaching "In" and "About" Agriculture: A philosophical perspective examines the historical divergence between agricultural education's workforce preparation and agricultural literacy missions, proposing a conceptual framework for K-12 agricultural education that attempts to bridge gaps in career readiness and public agricultural understanding.

Professional Development and Science Efficacy

• Science Efficacy and Professional Development: A quantitative case study assesses teachers' personal science teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy before and after a 12-month inquiry-based professional development program in genetics, muscle biology, microbiology, and nutrition, finding positive gains on both measures that were not statistically significant, while affirming the program's potential as a tool for building science confidence in agricultural educators.
• Technical Professional Development Needs: A multi-state study of agricultural educators in six southeastern states finds that plant science and animal systems are the greatest areas of technical professional development need, while notable differences emerge by gender and years of experience, with newer teachers expressing greater need in animal science and rural teachers showing stronger interest in natural resources.

Extension Education and COVID-19 Adaptation

• Extension Responses to the Pandemic: A mixed-methods study of Clemson Extension agents and advisory committee members explores how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped programming and outreach, concluding that adaptability is the critical competency for Extension professionals navigating future disruptions and recommending that findings serve as a framework for future crisis response.
• 4-H Virtual Programming Effectiveness: A qualitative study of South Carolina 4-H families during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that most families were satisfied with their agent's communication and level of engagement during the transition to virtual programming, with results underscoring the importance of establishing best practices for online 4-H delivery.

Equity, Diversity, and International Perspectives

• Distinguished Lecture — Everyday People in Agriculture: Dr. Chastity Warren English's 2023 Distinguished Lecture calls on the agricultural education profession to confront barriers of fear, exclusion, and underrepresentation by centering the voices and experiences of diverse students and professionals, drawing on her work at an 1890 land-grant institution and challenging colleagues to become the change agents the field needs.
• Women Agricultural Entrepreneurs in Botswana: A qualitative study of eight women in production agriculture in Botswana surfaces seven themes — including networking, leadership, family structure, and cultural context — that shaped their journeys, offering a framework for women seeking agricultural leadership in international settings where traditional cultural hierarchies have historically limited their participation.