Progress 04/01/13 to 03/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audiences were graduates of the Agricultural and Extension Education major that earned teacher certification, the administrators that hire these individuals (both formal and non-formal education settings), as well as the local communities that these graduates impact. Teacher educators, agricultural educators (secondary and post-secondary levels) and other career and technical education teachers were additional audiences that were reached through this work. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through this research we have been able to offer professional development to graduates of the program, as well as administrators across Pennsylvania and the nation. These workshops were aimed at helping the graduates of the program to meet the educational needs of their students. Additionally, 2 new agricultural education programs were started in communities in Pennsylvania during this time, due to interactions with administrators/community members. Several examples of these professional development programs are listed below: Foster, D. D., Rice. L., & Dick, A. (2017, November). Leading successful education programs: All ages and all contexts. Pennsylvania Extension New Educator Training. Approximately 40 learners, 3.5 hours. Foster, D. D. (2017, December). #TeachAgChat: Twitter for Professional Development - the WHY and the HOW". National Association of Agricultural Educators National Convention, Nashville, TN. Ewing, J. (2017). 3-part series on Teaching and Learning offered through Philadelphia Extension office. (Write with Confidence, Teach with Confidence, and Assess with Confidence). Additional professional development was offered in conjunction with the Center for Professional Personnel Development at Penn State to ensure that all school-based secondary agricultural education teachers are receiving timely professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated to teacher educators, agricultural education teachers (secondary and post-secondary), as well as other career and technical education teachers. This was accomplished through journal articles, conference proceedings/presentations, and professional development seminars. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The work that has been completed over the past five years has led to several publication and presentation opportunities that impact the continued research efforts, as well as the pragmatic day-to-day work of our teachers and administrators in local schools. Our work has helped us to better understand the type of graduate local communities are looking for when they graduate with a degree in AEE.Additionally, teacher preparation programs across the nation, specifically in agricultural education, have gained knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to preparing quality educators that are able to impact local communities.We were able to work closely with several school administrators to help find the graduate that "fit" well with their community's needs for an agricultural educator. An annual publication, known as the student showcase, has been developed to highlight the graduates of such a program. This output has proven valuable in communicating with local administrators/communities on the types of graduates that are prepared to enter their workforce. Through research presentations at conferences we were able to developpartnerships for research throughout the length of this project. It led to collaboration with researchers atthe University of Minnesota to explore the Supply and Demand of Agricultural Education teacher in the United States. The three-year report (2016 - 2018) was recently released by this team, and it shows a national shortage of quality agricultural educators; thus, indicating the importance of our work. We utilized our research finding across the project to inform our practice in the classroom, as well as in the outreach and Extension that we provide in the form ofprofessional development opportunities for teachers and administrators in Pennsylvania. We utilized a variety of methods to reach these audiences, including face-to-face discussions, webinars, and workshop/laboratory-based instruction. A list of collaborations and teacher/administrator outreach has been listed below for each objective, along with research publications and presentations that were completed through this project. 1. What are the critical indicators used to define a quality teacher and what is the relative influence of teacher quality on student achievement Fleck, J., Threeton, M.D., & Ewing, J.C. (2017). Important Leadership Skills for Career and Technical Education Administrators.Paper presented at the 2017 Association for Career and Technical Education Research Conference in Nashville, TN. Ewing, J. C. & Radhakrishna, R. (2016). Agricultural education pre-service teachers' perceived competence in an advanced agricultural mechanics course. Oral presentation at NACTA Conference, June 24, 2016. University of Hawaii. Foster, D. D., Ewing, J. C., Threeton, M., & Wahid, N. (2016). Are we focusing on the right things? Perceptions of recent graduates. Oral presentation at NACTA Conference, June 22, 2016. University of Hawaii. Rice, L., Wahid, N., Foster, D., Ewing, J. C., & Threeton, M. (2016). Assessing the perceived preparedness and importance of discipline specific items of agriculture teachers in Pennsylvania. Paper presentation at Association for Career and Technical Education Research. Foster, D. D.,Miller Foster, M. J., Rice Sankey, L. L. & Barrick, R. K. (2014). Preparing agricultural educators for the world: Describing global competency in agricultural teacher candidates.Journal of Agricultural Education, 55(1), 51-64. doi: 10.5032/jae.2014.01051 National Supply & Demand Project. Utah State & University of Minnesota Foster, D. D.,Lawver, R. G., & Smith, A. R. (2014).National Agricultural Education Supply and Demand Study, 2014 Executive Summary.Retrieved fromhttp://aaaeonline.org/supply_demand/supplyanddemand.php 2. To what extent does teacher quality vary in the induction phase and how do LEA mentoring and networking initiatives influence teacher quality indicators Foster, D. D., Barrick, R. K., Miller Foster, M. J., & Thoron, A. C. (2015, June). Global Learning in Agriculture: A multilevel collaboration for internationalization of curriculum. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, Athens, GA Falk, J. M., Masser, D. T., Palmer, H. R., &Foster, D. D.(2014, June).What makes an effective coach?: The relationship between coaching behaviors and team performance.North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, Bozeman, MT. Falk, J. M., Masser, D. T., Palmer, H. R., &Foster, D. D.(2014, May).Describing the relationship between coaching behaviors and student performance at the National FFA Parliamentary Procedure Career Development Event.American Association for Agricultural Education, Salt Lake, City, UT. 3. What are the effective instructional strategies and practices used by CTE agricscience teachers to meet the instructional needs and interests of students with various aptitudes Foster, D. D., Masser, D. T., Falk, J. M., & Rice, L. L. (2015). Utilization of advisory councils in Pennsylvania secondary agricultural education programs. Career and Technical Education Research. Threeton, M. D., Ewing, J. C., & Evanoski, D. (2015). Occupational Safety and Health: A View of Current Practices in Agricultural Education. Journal of Career and Technical Education 30, 1: 53-66 Ewing, J. C., Clark, R., & Threeton, M. (2014). Career Development Event Preparation and Experiential Learning Strategies Employed by Pennsylvania Secondary Agricultural Education Teachers. Career and Technical Education Research Journal. 39(1), 36-52 Masser, D., Falk, J., & Foster, D.D. (2014).Level of agricultural education advisory council implementation in Idaho secondary agricultural education programs. Journal of Agricultural Education, 55(3), 116-131. doi: 10.5032/jae.2014.04038 4. What are the most and least effective strategies used to facilitate the interest and achievement in STEM related courses Ewing, J., Foster, D., Miller-Foster, M., & Wetzl, R. (2017). 2017 Blue Ribbon Research Conference for Agricultural Mechanics. Poster presented in Indianapolis, IN. Sankey Rice, L., & Foster, D. D. (2015, May). Cultivating self-directed learning: Early Field Experience Reading Program for Teacher Candidates. American Association for Agricultural Education, San Antonio, TX 5. Why do some students, particularly first generation students, go to college and others don't Urban, E. & Ewing, J. C. (2015). Brazillian undergraduate perceptions of student-student and student-staff relationships in agriculture classes in the US and Brazil. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, Athens, GA 6. What impact and contributions do CTE agricscience/agricultural education programs and graduates of those programs have in local communities Nothing to report. Did not formally get to this objective in the time frame of the project, but have added it to ournew project.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Bechtel, R. E., J. C. Ewing, and R. B. Radhakrishna. Understanding the knowledge and use of experiential learning within Pennsylvania 4-H clubs. Journal of Extension.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Foster, D. D. & Whittington, M.S. (2018). Instructors' Use of the Principles of Teaching and Learning During College Class Sessions. Journal of Agricultural Education, 58(3)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Gorucu, S., Murphy, D., Foster, D. D., Ewing, J., & Hanagriff, R. (2017, December). Technology-based Distractions among Farming Youth Racialized Experiences and Academic Success of Minority Students in Postsecondary Career and Technical Education. Association for Career and Technical Education Research, Nashville, TN.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Ewing, J.C., Foster, D.D., Miller-Foster, M., & Wetzel, R. (2017). Utilizing 360 Video in an Agricultural Mechanics Laboratory. Poster abstract for the Blue Ribbon Presentation for Agricultural Mechanics. Indianapolis, IN.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Taylor, S., Stripling, C. T., Stephens, C. A., Hart, W. E., Falk, J. M. & Foster, D. D. (2017). Advisory councils in Tennessee school-based agricultural education programs. Journal of Agricultural Education, 58(2), 232-251. doi: 10.5032/jae.2017.02232
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience were secondary school-based agricultural education program teachers, administrators in secondary schools, and agricultural teacher educators. Additionally, post-secondary agricultural education students were a target audience for this project, as the findings from the research impact the ways in which they lead programs in local communities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through partnership with the Center for Professional Personnel Development in the past year, several of the professional development programshave encouraged Pennsylvania agricultural education teachers to explore the instructional practices utilized in their classrooms. Many of the activities included in these programs are based on research research in agricultural education. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results are shared at various conferences including the NC-AAAE, AAAE, and NACTA. Additionally, articles published in the CTER Journal reach a wider audience than just agricultural education teacher educators. However, many of these other Career and Technical Education programs can also benefit from these findings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the coming year, we plan to provide even more professional development programs to new and beginning agriculture teachers in the state. These individuals are often the ones that need the most help in determining how best to implement the 3-circle model fully. We will continue to publish journal articles and share our findings at multiple conferences.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Research related to the 3-circle model of agricultural education (classroom/laboratory instruction,FFA, and Supervised Agricultural Experience) was conducted. Additionally, research related to safety in agricultural education laboratories was explored. Our teacher education program explored safety of students in the school-based agricultural education setting, as well as on-farm type employment. A major focus of Career and Technical Education is to prepare students to be safe in the work environment. Several of the studies have informed the instuction of not only our own faculty, but also other teacher education programs across the nation. Additionally, secondary teachers can utilize the findings to enhance their own teaching.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Ewing, J.C., Threeton, M., & Evanoski, D. (in press). An examination of safety and health practices in agricultural mechanics education. Career and Technical Education Research Journal.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Cahill, M., Foster, D.D., & Ewing, J.C. (2017). A Comparison of Youth Perceptions Regarding Entrepreneurship in Pennsylvania and Nicaragua. Paper presented at the North Central American Association for Agricultural Education.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Gorucu, S., Murhphy, D., Foster, D., Hanagriff, R. & Ewing, J.C. (under review). A manuscript titled Technology-based Distractions among Farming Youth. Submitted to Journal of Agromedicine.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Cahill, M., Foster, D., Ewing, J.C., & Azzara, D. (2017). A comparison of youth perceptions regarding entreprenurship in Pennsylvania and Nicaragua. Poster presented at annual conference of Association for Career and Technical Education Conference.
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during this timeframe was mainly teacher educators in agricultural education from across the United States. This was accomplished by publishing articles in journals that are read by these professionals. Additionally, multiple paper presentations were made throughout the year. Publication and presentations were also made to post-secondary educators in agriculture through professional affliation with the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two recent programs related to the technology in the classroom have included a workshop for secondary agricultural education teachers to explore how to utilize the Agricultural Experience tracker. The first workshop focused on learning the basics of the program to better help their high school students develop quality record keeping skills. The second workshop was more focused on taking those records and applying for degree advancement and proficiency awards. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The findings from our research has been disseminated to post-secondary educators, teacher education faculty, and secondary teachers of agriculture. The research not only informs our practice in preparing better teachers, but also the practice of those agriculture teachers currently teaching in secondary, and post-secondary,schools. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The focus of the next reporting period will be on strategies for effective teaching. Our plan is to continue looking at technology use to see how it can enhance the learning environment for our students. Additionally, exploration has begun on laboratory saftey practices of our secondary teachers in their various laboratory settings. It is planned to help develop best practices for these teachers in several of the laboratory areas; especially agricultural mechanics.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The projet impacts teacher preparation units across the nation. Our research is presented at multiple conferences. Two of our conferences focus on teacher educators in agricultural education. However, our findings also reach other college of agriculture faculty through our involvement in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture organization. Here, faculty members that may not have been trained in educational strategies/pedagogy are able to participate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to help advance their own teaching knowledge and skills. Our major accomplishments this year in regards to the goals were related to objectives #1 and #3. We examined what students percieved as quality teaching and learning environments, as well as what the need is for agricultural education teachers across the United States. Additionally, we examined explored teachers' ability to utilize technology in the classroom setting. Strategies were then implemented to better prepare pre-service candidates in their use of technology.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Urban, E. & Ewing, J. C. (2015). Brazillian undergraduate perceptions of student-student and student-staff relationships in agriculture classes in the US and Brazil. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, Athens, GA.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Foster, D. D., Masser, D. T., Falk, J. M., & Rice, L. L. (in press). Utilization of advisory councils in Pennsylvania secondary agricultural education programs. Career and Technical Education Research.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Masser, D., Falk, J, & Foster, D. D., (2014). Level of agricultural education advisory council implementation in Idaho secondary agricultural education programs. Journal of Agricultural Education, 55(3), 116-131. doi: 10.5032/jae.2014.04038
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Foster, D. D., Miller Foster, M. J., Rice Sankey, L. L. & Barrick, R. K. (2014). Preparing agricultural educators for the world: Describing global competency in agricultural teacher candidates. Journal of Agricultural Education, 55(1), 51-64. doi: 10.5032/jae.2014.01051
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Miller Foster, M. J., Foster, D. D., & Wahid, N. A. (2015, August). Developing globally competent agricultural educators through contextually-relevant immersion experiences. World Technical Vocational Education and Training Conference, Sarawak, Malaysia
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Foster, D. D., Barrick, R. K., Miller Foster, M. J., & Thoron, A. C. (2015, June). Global Learning in Agriculture: A multilevel collaboration for internationalization of curriculum. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, Athens, GA
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Sankey Rice, L., & Foster, D. D. (2015, May). Cultivating self-directed learning: Early Field Experience Reading Program for Teacher Candidates. American Association for Agricultural Education, San Antonio, TX
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Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences for this research project include high school agricultural education teachers which fall under the umbrella of career and technical education. Additionally, pre-service students in agricultural and extension education are part of the target audience. High school agricultural educaiton students, involved in the FFA, would also be of interest to several of the studies that are part of this project. The Bureau of Career and Technical Education for Pennsylvania, as well as the PA FFA Association would be an important target audience when conducting studies/sharing results of the project. Finally, administrators of the schools that hire our graduates would be a target audience for this project when sharing results. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Training has been provided to the graduate and undergraduate students that are part of the project. They are learning important skills in research. Addtionally, teacher training has been provided through the project using the Envirothon curriculum, as a basis for improving the preparation of students for Career Development Events in the state. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated at two main levels; teacher education/preparation and in-service teacher seminars. The teacher educators are interested in the results so that they can share what is currently being done in preparing students for competitions. They can then use this information to better prepare future teachers in their Career and Technical Student Organizations courses at the university. In-service teachers can use this information to better prepare their own teams. They can determine how to best prepare in regards to timing of the events, how to prepare for events, and in what context to prepare their students. Specifically, they can use the Envirothon curriculum to prepare their students for the state competition. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? In the next reporting period, we plan to more closely examine teacher quality in terms of preparation and teaching strategies. Also, we will examine the perceptions of teachers, students, and administrators in regards to the impact of a quality teacher and agricultural education program in their school system. Another aspect that will be examined more closely in the next reporting period will be the impact of a quality program on local communities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
One major accomplishment of this past year has been focused on what is occurring in programs in terms of instructional strategies, including advising of student organizations, and preparing those students for competitive events. The results of the study can be shared with teacher educators that are preparing teachers of agriculture. This information can then be used to better prepare the teachers to be successful in preparing their own high school students. Another accomplishment was in terms of sharing a curricula that could help teachers better prepare students for one such event; The PA Envirothon. Teachers could use this information, which was developed as part of a graduate student's thesis, to better prepare their students for the competition.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Ewing, J. C., Clark, R., & Threeton, M. (2014). Career Development Event Preparation and Experiential Learning Strategies Employed by Pennsylvania Secondary Agricultural Education Teachers. CTER journal.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Radhakrishna, R., Foley, C., Ingram, P.D., Ewing, J.C. (2013). Effectiveness of the 4-H Program as Perceived by Parents of 4-H Participants. Journal of Extension [On-line], 51(4). Article 4RIB8 Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2013august/rb8.php
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Richard, E.D., Walter, R.A. & Yoder, E.P. (2013). The effect of capstone cooperative education experiences and related factors on career and technical education (CTE) secondary student summative assessment scores. Career and Technical Education Research, 38 (1), pp. 19-37. DOI: 10.5328/cter38.1.19 pp
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Spokus, D.M & Yoder, E.P. (2014, November). Quality of work life identifies significant job and organizational factors influencing older workers. Annual Scientific Meeting, American Gerontology Society. Washington, D.C.
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