Factors Related to the Intent of Agricultural Educators To Adopt Integrated Agricultural Biotechnology Curriculum.

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15

Agricultural Education; Agriculture; Biotechnology; Educational Strategies; Higher Education; Research Projects; Science Curriculum; Secondary Education; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Competencies; Vocational Education

Recent legislation encourages the integration of academic content in agricultural education. In North Carolina, high school agricultural education programs can now choose to offer a state adopted integrated biotechnology curriculum. Empirical evidence was needed to identify and describe factors related to the intent of agricultural educators to adopt this curriculum in order to assist teachers during this transition. North Carolina agricultural educators were randomly surveyed to determine their self-perceived level of knowledge, actual level of knowledge, and perceived importance of integrated science competencies in the new North Carolina "Biotechnology and Agriscience Research" course. This descriptive and correctional study also describes how agricultural educators perceived the course in fulfilling program needs, perceived barriers to teaching the course, and the likelihood of agricultural educators adopting the course. Exploratory research was conducted to identify factors that best predicted the intent of agricultural educators to adopt the course. The agricultural educators in the study accurately perceived that they lack the knowledge to teach the Biotechnology and Agriscience Research course. The majority of the educators had not participated in training related to biotechnology and therefore were ill-prepared to teach concepts related to this emerging technology. The educators supported the importance of teaching biotechnology and recognized the benefits of integrated curriculum in agricultural education. They also perceived that the exterior factors of funding, equipment an teacher knowledge are the largest barriers to adopting an integrated science curriculum. The Biotechnology and Agriscience Research course has the necessary support of agricultural educators to propose its continued inclusion in the North Carolina Workforce Development program of studies. Teachers who were most likely to adopt the Biotechnology and Agriscience Research course had fewer years of teaching experience, had attended some biotechnology training and perceived integrated biotechnology curriculum will fulfill their agricultural education program needs. (Contains 18 references, 5 tables, and 1 figure.) (Author/DDR)

2002

ED459995