The purposes of this study were to determine changes in teaching efficacy of student teachers over the course of the student teaching semester and to determine if similar trends occur at different institutions. The population of interest for this study was agricultural science student teachers at Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, andOklahomaStateUniversity. The accessible sample of the population was student teachers during the Spring 2005 at Tarleton, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech Universities and the Fall 2005 semester at Texas A&M and Oklahoma State Universities (n = 99). Using the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale instrument (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management, and overall teaching efficacy were measured: 1) the first day of the 4-week on-campus portion of the student teaching semester; 2) the last day of the 4-week on-campus block; 3) the middle of the 11-week student teaching experience; and 4) the final day of the student teaching experience. It was concluded that overall teaching efficacy changed. Student teachers had "Quite a Bit" of teaching efficacy at the beginning of the semester, which increased slightly 4-weeks later, then decreased to its lowest level at the middle of the 11-week student teaching experience, and then increased to its highest levels at the end of the experience.

The purpose of this study was to determine if relationships exist between teaching efficacy and personality type of student teachers. The population of interest was all agricultural science student teachers at TexasA&MUniversity. The sampling frame included all student teachers during the spring and fall semesters of 2005 (n= 72). Teaching efficacy was measured using the long form of the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) Form M was used to assess personality type. The typical student teacher was a 22 year old white female who had enrolled in agricultural science courses in high school and who was currently completing an undergraduate degree. Student teachers exhibited "Quite a Bit" of teaching efficacy throughout the student teaching semester. Student teachers were more extroverted (E), sensing (S), feeling (F), and judging (J). The two most commonly observed personality types were ESFJ and ENFP. Personality type of student teachers is negligibly related to teaching efficacy. Efficacy in instructional strategies is negatively related with sensing (S) and efficacy in classroom management is positively related to judging (J).

The purpose of this study was to determine barriers, roles, and information source preferences for teaching agricultural biotechnology topics.Agricultural science teachers were described primarily as 37 year-old males who had taught for 12 years, had bachelor's degrees, and had lived or worked on a farm or ranch. Equipment was perceived as the only major barrier to teaching biotechnology. Administration acceptance and community support were considered minor barriers. Teachers acknowledged responsibilities for educating consumers, farmers, and students about biotechnology and involving students in biotechnology-related SAE projects. Teachers disagreed that it was their role to develop instructional materials and lesson plans on biotechnology. Workshops, video tapes, and the Internet constituted teachers' preferred biotechnology information sources. No significant relationships were found between years of teaching experience (teachers with 15 or more years and teachers with less than 15 years of teaching experience) and perceived barriers, beliefs, or information sources. Similarities between teachers allows for new strategies to be shared among all teachers, without a need for tailoring materials to specific teacher age groups.

The purpose of this study was to explore agricultural science teachers' knowledge levels and attitudes toward biotechnology topics. The average agricultural science teacher in this study was a 37-year-old male who had taught for 12 years. He had a bachelor's degree and had lived or worked on a farm or ranch. He had not attended biotechnology-related workshops or classes since he graduated from college. Agricultural science teachers in the current study had some knowledge of biotechnology. However, great variation existed between specific topics. Teachers were most knowledgeable about animal reproduction and least knowledgeable about electrophoresis and bioremediation. Significant relationships were found between teachers' self-perceived knowledge levels of specific biotechnology topics and the likelihood that the topic was taught in the classroom. Agricultural science teachers had favorable attitudes toward biotechnology. A low positive relationship existed between agricultural science teachers' knowledge and attitudes toward biotechnology. When comparing teachers based on experience (those with less than 15 years versus those with 15 or more years) results indicated no differences in knowledge and attitudes.

The purpose of this research was to determine if the interaction of a NSF Graduate Fellow in the classroom affected middle school students' science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) beliefs or interests. The study utilized a pre-test/post-test design and data were collected from a local voluntary population (N = 1145). The survey instrument consisted of Likert scaled questions and open-ended responses. STEM belief and interest scales were summated to determine an overall belief and/or interest for each subject. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were performed on the summated scales. Overall, middle school students' STEM beliefs and interests were less positive on the post-test than on the pre-test, the notable exception being interests in technology which increased. Multivariate analysis indicated that NSF Fellow and grade level, not teacher, affected the rate at which students' STEM beliefs and interests changed. This study indicated that NSF Fellows affected the rate at which middle school students' STEM beliefs and interests changed, but did not indicate if that influence was positive or negative when accounting for grade level.

It has long been accepted that student learning is inherently related to the type of instruction students receive. Therefore, an important item for consideration by any teacher is how his/her teaching style affects the learner. Some instructional methods are particularly focused on the learner (i.e. learner-centered approaches), while others focus more on the teacher. In agricultural education, the experiential learning model is a natural fit for teachers looking to incorporate a learner-centered approach into the classroom. History of Experiential Learning The first concepts of experiential learning were developed in the early 20th century by the renowned educational philosopher John Dewey. Since that time, Dewey's ideas have been molded and refined. In 1984, David Kolb proposed the Experiential Learning Model for adult education, a four step cycle. The four steps are: 1. Concrete experience, 2. Observations and reflection, 3. Formation of abstract concepts and generalization, and 4. Testing implications of new concepts in new situations. Kolb suggests that learning is a cyclical process, which is not complete without the learner participating in all four steps. Kolb's model was adopted/ adapted by the National 4-H program as a framework for youth development programming. The 4-H adaptation breaks Kolb's four-step cycle into five, placing greater emphasis on the separate actions of sharing and processing (see Figure 1). Neglecting the process of reflection as a major activity has been a criticism of Kolb's original model (Smith, 2005). As agricultural education is closely aligned with the youth development mission of 4-H, suggestions for incorporating experiential learning into the classroom are offered. Why Use Experiential Learning? At the mention of experiential learning, some of the first things that come to mind are the difficulties associated with incorporating it into the classroom. Often the experiential learning approach results in a less orderly classroom. This can cause discomfort for teachers who may be used to maintaining a more structured classroom environment. Too, the preparation time for experiential experiences is greater than for traditional lecture/ discussion lessons; similarly, the processing time for students is longer. This results in more time being spent on less material. Teachers also must engage more patience with students' explorations and take a facilitator role rather than a teacher role. While these aspects of experiential learning may take some effort to get used to, the benefits are extraordinary. Allowing students to explore new experiences engages multiple senses which can help increase retention. Multiple teaching methods are integrated and the focus of lessons becomes child-centered rather than subject matter centered. Students will build confidence and competence during their explorations and become engaged with the subject matter through activities that are both fun and educational. Keeping students engaged and interested will also decrease discipline problems once routines have been established for engaging in the concrete experiences. Applying the Experiential Learning Model to Agricultural Education The benefits of experiential learning are attractive, and there are many ways that teachers can incorporate them into established agricultural education programs. When incorporating experiential learning opportunities into the scope and sequence of an agricultural education course, it is important to keep in mind that just allowing students to experience something does not qualify. The experience must be followed up with sharing, processing, generalization, and application. The experiential learning model can be applied to existing units of instruction with a little modification. Many units begin with basic vocabulary and introductory principles and end with some sort of culminating activity prior to an exam. …

Delivery, often associated with hot pizza and big brown trucks, all about getting a product, usually in a box, where it needs to be, on time. Successful delivery requires no knowledge of the contents of the box, just speed and proper directions. Is this the principle behind education? If it were, that would mean a teacher's primary job would be to hand ideas to students at the proper time and the students would have the responsibility of determining what to do with the information. If teachers are delivery personnel, they don't have the responsibility of showing students how to use the information that conveyed. When viewed in this light, it not difficult to discern the answer to the question, is teaching about delivery or facilitation? At the high school level, the teacher's purpose to help students apply knowledge in practical ways. This definitely requires taking the information outside the box. To facilitate means to make something simple and easy to use. For teachers, this means taking information, explaining it, looking at it from many different directions, and then proving that it useful in real-life situations. There are several necessary components to being a good facilitator. In order for teachers to facilitate and improve learning by students, a three-step process should be followed. The Teacher The first and most important detail for the teacher to be comfortably knowledgeable about the wide range of topics generally covered in a comprehensive agriculture program. Those planning to become high school agriculture instructors should utilize their college electives to study as many areas as possible including mechanics, business, and scientific research methods. It a common mistake to choose a comfort zone and fill elective slots with one area of classes such as animal science or horticulture. For all teachers, and especially graduates who have not gained the recommended spectrum of experience, it necessary to take advantage of new learning opportunities while in the teaching profession. Summer teacher institutes and workshops are excellent opportunities for keeping up to date with new technology and exploring unfamiliar topics. With an extensive scope of knowledge, teachers are confident in the classroom and more likely to incite interest among students. A teacher's personal knowledge the first step to improving student learning but the second step rests with the individual student. The Students It must be clear to students what role they have to play in their own learning. While the teacher has to do more than deliver the information, the student has to do more than just sign for it at the door. Responsibilities for the student include being in class on time and prepared every day. Assignments must be completed to the best of the student's ability and if there a problem, it the student's responsibility to make it known and seek out help. By making these expectations clear at the beginning of the school year and reiterating them from time to time, students will be aware of what their responsibilities are. A good way to establish this with a student contract explained and signed at the beginning of the year and kept on file in the agriculture department. The Classroom After arming oneself with broad knowledge and making it clear what expected of the student, a teacher can continue to facilitate learning by doing some fine-tuning within the program. There are several things the teacher can do to make learning subject matter easier for students in the classroom. The following list by no means comprehensive, but offers some suggestions for improving student learning. Tip 1: Simplify. As you prepare lesson plans look at the broad principles each unit includes. …

The purpose of this study was to describe middle school students' attitudinal changes towards careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) after year-long classroom interaction with an NSF Graduate Fellow. The study utilized a mixed methods design of both content analysis and constant comparative analysis for matched pre/post student responses (N = 1066) to the open-ended question "Do you think you could become a scientist/technologist/engineer/ or mathematician like your (NSF) Resident (similar STEM area)? Why?" Initial content analysis placed student responses into one of seven response categories: remained negative; remained positive; remained uncertain; positive to negative; positive to uncertain; negative/uncertain to positive; and negative to uncertain. Five major themes emerged from constant comparative analysis of response categories explaining why students envisioned themselves becoming STEM professionals: subject area; interests and goal; self-efficacy; work ethic and learning ability; and NSF Fellow. These five themes were consistent across all response categories. The major theme throughout student responses to becoming STEM professionals was students' self-efficacy for a particular subject. From interaction with the NSF Fellow, the students developed a positive belief in their abilities and indicated increased willingness to persevere and work toward educational goals in that subject.

The purpose of this study was to explore agricultural science teachers' knowledge levels and attitudes toward biotechnology topics. The average agricultural science teacher in this study was a 37 year old male who had taught for 12 years. He had a bachelor's degree and had lived or worked on a farm or ranch. He had not attended biotechnology-related workshops or classes since he graduated from college. Agricultural science teachers in the current study had some knowledge of biotechnology. However, great variation existed between specific topics. Teachers were most knowledgeable about animal reproduction and least knowledgeable about electrophoresis and bioremediation. Significant relationships were found between teachers' self- perceived knowledge levels of specific biotechnology topics and the likelihood that the topic was taught in the classroom. Agricultural science teachers had favorable attitudes toward biotechnology. A weak relationship existed between agricultural science teachers' knowledge and attitudes toward biotechnology. When comparing teachers based on experience (those with less than 15 years versus those with 15 or more years) results indicated no differences in knowledge or attitudes.