Agricultural Education uses a combination of classroom and laboratory instruction, experiential learning, and leadership education to prepare students for jobs in industry. With the recent promotion of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) as an option for educational programs, this technology allows teachers to…

One of the tools middle school SBAE teachers can use to deliver the total program is research-based SAEs, for which students can receive recognition through the FFA Agriscience Fair. This study examined why middle school SBAE teachers implemented the FFA Agriscience Fair into their programs. This study built on previous literature in this area,…

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States for all workers, and even more so for young workers. In the U.S., legislation prescribes training for youth under the age of 16 working in hazardous situations in production agriculture. Virtual Reality (VR) technology has become an increasingly popular means of deploying…

Planning theories suggest a stepwise structure for organizing programs; evaluate current status with a needs assessment, identify strengths, weaknesses or gaps, use tools such as a logic model to plan, then implement and evaluate programming (Kettner et al., 2017). The National Agriculture in the Classroom organization and its state affiliates…

Agriculturalists can be divided into broad ideological camps with differing value sets. While many different groups exist, there are two primary ideological groups: (1) conventional or agrarian populists and (2) nonconventional or neo-agrarians. Agricultural education students' values about agriculture shape how they will work in their future…

This study sought to describe agriculture and natural resources (ANR) opinion leaders' ethical orientations by illuminating how they determine what is right/wrong or good/bad when making decisions that impact the ANR industry. ANR leaders' ethical perspectives impact decisions regarding complex critical issues and influence others' behavior. We…

The purpose of this collective instrumental case study was to understand the motivational factors that support families' decisions to exhibit livestock. The expectancy value theory served as the theoretical lens, and a review of literature led to four issues to be explored. Four typical family cases were identified, and interviews were conducted.…

Agriculture is a significant contributor to the global economy and critical for future food and fibre production. To maximise the industry efficiencies and improve sustainability, a knowledgeable workforce is essential. Today's school-aged youth will be the next generation agriculture workforce. However, there is concern that today's youth are…

Through the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp became a federally legal crop in the United States for the first time in nearly a half century. Farmers from across the country became interested in the potential of the crop and land-grant universities and other institutions of higher education were challenged with the task of closing an expansive…

As interest in local food development and urban agriculture increases, the Cooperative Extension Service is challenged to serve local and urban food communities in Arkansas. Urban farmers in Arkansas have differing motivations for operation than those in production agriculture, so understanding agricultural county agents' perceptions of urban…

Current models of best practice in science education advocate for students to learn science by engaging in applied contexts that integrate the various science disciplines. Permaculture offers one such integrated context for elementary science. Although permaculture is relatively new in PK-12 education, the broader practice of school gardening has…

Teaching with inquiry-based learning (IBL) can be used to increase high school students' science proficiency levels. Teachers must also be equipped and prepared to teach inquiry-based learning concepts. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how prolonged professional development (PD) about IBL impacts science and agriscience teachers' intent to…

YouTube has existed since 2005. Since that time, many marketing professionals have used the site to combine sight, sound, motion, and emotion to appeal to a target audience. USDA-regulated and producer-funded agricultural research and promotion, or checkoff programs, are no different, and many have used YouTube's platform to reach consumers. This…

Measuring the factors affecting the implementation process are critical steps for understanding how, why, and under what circumstances integrated STEM curriculum innovations work. The overarching goal of this National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project was to design, field-test, implement, and evaluate contextualized integrated STEM learning…

This study examines Black doctoral women's experiences with gendered racial microaggressions in agricultural science departments at Historically White Institutions. Gendered racial microaggressions are subtle everyday expressions of oppression due to one's race and gender, and have been used to subordinate Black women in society. Further, they…