Expectations placed on School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) teachers are wide and varied as they fill an array of roles and responsibilities. Tasks associated with teaching SBAE can be inferred from literature related to the needs, challenges, and characteristics of these teachers. As an integral component of SBAE, classroom and laboratory…

Considerations around teacher attrition, supply and demand, and retention are incomplete without including teacher mobility. The problem, as it currently stands, finds SBAE ill-equipped, at the professional level, to support mobile teachers. Providing support, however, starts with understanding the population; in this case, mobile teachers. The…

Effective teaching encapsulates professional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal knowledge. Likewise, dispositions influence educators' understanding of when and how to utilize knowledge and skills, especially in the context of their particular classrooms. While dispositions are a crucial piece of educator preparation program accreditation, neither…

This longitudinal qualitative phenomenological case study seeks to understand beginning agriculture teachers' experiences and how their attitudes toward teaching evolve over time. The research included visits to the teachers' facilities, monthly interviews, reflection exercises, and focus groups. Initial coding included magnitude and in vivo…

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…

The accountability movement has created tensions among key actors at institutions of higher education in the U.S. in recent years. As such, a need existed to examine the lived experiences that influenced faculty (n =6) in the College of Agriculture (COA) at [State] University as they engaged in various forms of assessment to evaluate student…

Teacher shortages in agricultural education are one reason for an increase in alternatively certified teachers, with 22.8% of new hires in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) being alternative licensure route completers in 2018. While prior research in SBAE has provided insight into the needs of alternatively certified teachers, we do not…

This study aimed to understand how agriscience teachers' lived experiences during an international experience influenced their perspective changes on globally competent teaching one year later. Using a phenomenological approach, four themes emerged -- (1) personal growth, (2) intellectual growth, (3) professional growth, and (4) advocacy growth.…

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…

Alternative certification is often seen by policymakers and local school districts as the answer to the teacher shortage problem. Yet, little is known about the experiences of alternatively certified teachers in agricultural education. This case study sought to explore the experiences of alternatively certified agriculture teachers through a…

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…

School-Based Agricultural Education teachers faced a unique challenge during the COVD-19 pandemic as they continually tackled state and local health mandate decisions while teaching technical skills in a variety of settings, advising FFA chapters, and supervising work-based learning experiences. These challenges could influence teacher motivation…

Dr. Tracy Kitchel presented the 2020 AAAE Distinguished Lecture as an online presentation that included break-out room discussions during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) hosted virtually in May 2021. The 2020 Annual Meeting of AAAE moved to a virtual format and was modified shortly after the…

Agricultural educators can have a profound impact on student's lives and are often aware of their students' life experiences outside of the classroom. Students often treat their agricultural educator as a mentor, which increases their likeliness of confiding in them when facing hardships, such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). An ACE is…

Studies show beginning agriculture teachers have different experiences than their seasoned colleagues, but how are their experiences different? This phenomenological collective case study tells the story of traditionally certified beginning agriculture teachers throughout their first three years of teaching. The study began with eight teachers in…