Agriculture teachers need knowledge and skills in a range of agricultural mechanics topics, such as metal fabrication and power mechanics. Teacher professional development (PD) is one method for improving teacher competence. Both Sorensen et al. (2014) and Yopp et al. (2020) reported differences in teachers' PD needs based on years of teaching…

School-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers have an obligation to teach students about agriculture and prepare them for agricultural careers. Yet, considering the vast number of sectors within the agricultural industry, this task can be daunting. One way teachers can accomplish this mission is through preparing their students to…

Educators face countless challenges in the 21st Century, reflecting consequences such as rapid changes in population, sociocultural dynamics, technology, and education. Among these challenges are the integration of emerging technologies, diversity and inclusion, and continuous professional development to stay ahead. To understand the current…

Beginning and small-scale growers face significant challenges to maintain their economic sustainability, including maintaining a sufficient level of income. Despite this growing problem, there is little information currently available on what kind of education and/or skills beginning farmers need in order to make their operations profitable. The…

Agricultural education teacher preparation programs constantly attempt to keep pace with 21st-century agriculture and provide relevant pedagogical and content training for pre-service teachers. The National Research Council urged land-grant universities to focus on the needs and demands of students. This study aimed to identify Iowa State…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the uptake of education and training by Irish dairy farmers and how they perceive their training needs to be evolving as their farm business grows and they become employers. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative survey was conducted with 315 dairy farmers, who were randomly selected based on…

School-based agricultural education (SBAE), like many other subject areas, suffers from a critical teacher shortage. Many states have chosen to combat this shortage by offering temporary emergency teaching certifications with minimal qualifications and no requirements for professional development. Retention is also needed to stem the flow of…

Retaining quality SBAE teachers is key to the success and growth of the agricultural industry. Given the connection between SBAE teacher perceived competence and professional commitment (Palmer, 2020; Rada, 2023), it is vital to explore the perceptions of competence of teachers concerning their classroom. Using a Borich needs assessment model, the…

Teacher attrition is a historic problem that is now an educational crisis. School-based agricultural education (SBAE) is not exempt from this crisis, with teacher shortages dating back to the passing of the Smith-Hughes Act. For the past three decades, researchers have studied this phenomenon to better understand the needs of SBAE teachers to…

This study aimed to describe school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers' perceived Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and individualized professional development needs by licensure type. A series of survey questions were used to describe the sample of SBAE teachers, their PCK, sources of knowledge, and professional development needs.…

English Language Learners (ELLs) are one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States. However, teachers, including school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers, report being underprepared to teach ELLs. Skills needed to teach ELLs were identified and categorized using Coady et al.'s model for preparing effective teachers…

Although previous research in agricultural education has described the needs of SBAE teachers in regard to teaching students with special needs, the reported findings have been overwhelmingly quantitative in nature and have over-relied on females' perspectives. As such, the purpose of this case study was to explore the experiences and professional…

Teacher educators face the perpetual challenge of providing pre-service teachers with the most pertinent pedagogical and content-related knowledge and skills to ensure their success in the field of education. Using a modified version of a Borich needs assessment instrument, we assessed the agricultural education training needs of agricultural…

Each year, the number of students with a documented disability in public schools in the U.S. has increased. However, school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers continue to identify a lack of confidence when teaching students with exceptionalities. This lack of confidence has been exacerbated by a lack of professional development regarding…

Based on the research by Reid in 1997, the needs of the County Extension Agents in the agriculture/natural resources/forestry, family consumer sciences, and youth programs were addressed. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) has since expanded their educational efforts into fourteen program-specific areas. Along with expanding the…