The purpose of this study was to determine students' perceived confidence in mechanics skills increases through exploration and enlargement of the college education experience. This paper describes the relationship between West Virginia University first-semester agricultural education pre-service teachers' perception of their confidence in…

Purpose: We sought to determine the perceived importance and development of agricultural students' employability skills, and the factors and experiences that influence their development. Design/Methodology/Approach: We used a cross-sectional survey research design and conducted a census of Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life…

Preparing students for career success is a common goal across higher education. Yet, despite this longstanding goal, many recent graduates, including graduates from agricultural communications and journalism degree programs, are ill-prepared for career success. Thus, we surveyed agricultural communications and journalism employers (n = 45) to…

A priority of agricultural teacher education programs is to develop technically competent, prepared school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers. SBAE teachers should be knowledgeable in various agricultural subject matter, such as agricultural mechanics. Using Roberts and Ball's (2009) Content-based Model for Teaching Agriculture as the…

The United States economy is requiring employees to have knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Researchers have identified agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) education as a context in which STEM concepts can be formally taught and highlighted. Additionally, researchers have identified where,…

State crop scouting competitions (CSCs) promote agriculture by introducing youths in Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska to various agricultural disciplines while focusing on integrated pest management (IPM). High school students compete as teams to address crop management issues at various stations. Each station is led by university representatives. Two…

Contests that take place within the rural milieu have tended to be ignored. Yet a wide range of contests are associated with the rural/agricultural lifestyle. In New Zealand, for example, there are contests which judge specialised agricultural skills such as shearing, fencing, wood chopping or pruning, as well as those which assess assorted skills…