Perceptions of the Agriculture and Horticulture Career and Technical Education
(CTE) Programs within the Derry Area School District

A Doctoral Capstone Project
Submitted to the School of Graduate Research
Department of Education

In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Education

Casey Long
Pennsylvania Western University - California
August 2023

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Dedication
I dedicate the completion of this capstone project to my children, Nico, Sophia,
and Roman. I thank you so much for showing understanding and patience, as I completed
this capstone project. I hope that this capstone project shows you that you can accomplish
anything that you set your mind to. I love you.

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Acknowledgements
The completion of this capstone project would have never been possible without
the love, support, and sacrifice of my wife and children, who have showed incredible
understanding considering all of the late nights that accompanied this project. I also want
to thank my parents and sister, who have always supported me throughout my life with
unconditional love. A special thank you to Dr. Mary Wolf. Without your sober feedback
on a regular basis, the completion of this project with the amount of detail needed would
have never been possible. I would also like to thank my external chair member, Dr.
Kenneth Bissell. Your friendship and feedback over the course of this project are very
much appreciated. A special thank you also goes to Dr. William Denny, who served as a
special advisor to my project. Thank you, Dr. Denny, for the time you spent proofreading
all of my drafts throughout the course of this capstone project. Lastly and most
importantly, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who makes all things
possible.

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Table of Contents
Capstone Approval………………………………………………………………..……...ii
Dedication …………………………………………………………………………..……iii
Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………….………...iv
List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………viii
List of Figures ……………………………………………………………..……………..ix
Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………..xi
CHAPTER I. Introduction………………………………………………………………....1
Background………………………………………………………………………………..2
Potential Outcomes………………………………………………………………………. 3
Fiscal Implications….…………………………………………………………………….. 4
Research Questions………………………………………………………………………..5
Summary…………………………………………………………………………………..5
CHAPTER II. Review of Literature……………………………………………………….6
Historical Ages of Education……………..………………………………………………. 6
United States History of Agriculture Career and Technology Education (CTE)………..11
Early Agriculture Education…………………………………………..……………...11
Industrial Revolution and Agriculture Education…………………………...……...12
Informational Age of Agricultural Education…...…………………………...……...16
Agricultural Education in the Conceptual Age….…………………………...……...20
The Agriculture CTE Teaching Profession..……………………………………………..21
Best Professional Teacher Characteristics and Qualities in
Agriculture Education…………………………………………............................22

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Effective Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE)……………………...……....23
Teacher Leadership in FFA Club Activities…………..……………………...……....25
Appropriate Professional Development……………………………………...……....26
Student Recruitment…………………….....……………………………………………..32
Summary………………………………………………………………………………… 36
CHAPTER III. Methodology…………………………………………………………….38
Purpose…………………………………………………………………………………...39
Setting & Participants…………………………………………………………………….41
Setting……………………………………..……………………………………...……....41
Participants………………………………..……………………………………...……..42
Research Plan…………………………………………………………………………….45
Research Design, Methods & Data Collection………………………………………….. 48
Research Design…………………………..……………………………………...……..48
Methods…...………………………………..……………………………………...……..49
Data Collection..…………………………..……………………………………...……..55
Fiscal Implications………………………..……………………………………...……..56
Validity….………………………………………………………………………………. 59
Summary…………………………………………………………………………………60
CHAPTER IV. Data Analysis and Review.……………………………………………...61
Data Analysis …………….…………..……..………………….……………..…………62
Results ………………………………………………………………………………… 63
Mixed Methods Data Analysis – Research Question 1…….………………...……..64
Mixed Methods Data Analysis – Research Question 2…….………………...……..72

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Discussion ……………………………………………………………………………….86
Research Question 1………………………...….………………...…………………...88
Research Question 2………………………...….………………...…………………...89
Research Question 3………………………...….………………...…………………...92
Summary ………………………………………………………………………………...92
CHAPTER V. Conclusions and Recommendations……………………......…...…….....94
Conclusions ………………………………………………………………………….......95
Research Question 1………………………...….………………...…………………...95
Research Question 2………………………...….………………...…………………...97
Research Question 3………………………...….………………...………………….102
Overview of Results…………….…………...….………………...………………….103
Limitations ………………………………………………………………………….…. 106
Recommendations for Future Research ………………………………………..……….107
Summary ……………………………………………………………………….……. .. 108
References …………………………………………………………………………….. 111
Appendices …………………………………………………………………………..... 121
Appendix A. Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval Confirmation ……………….122
Appendix B. Eighth Grade Survey……………………………..………………….........123
Appendix C. High School Survey……………………..………………….......................126
Appendix D. Post-Graduate Interview Questions……………………………………….129

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List of Tables
Table 1. Participants in the Study……………………………….……………………….44
Table 2. Data Collection Timeline……………………..………….……………………. 56

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List of Figures
Figure 1. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 1…………………………………… 64
Figure 2. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 2…………………………………….65
Figure 3. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 3……………………………………66
Figure 4. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 4…………………………………… 67
Figure 5. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 5…………………………………… 68
Figure 6. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 6…………………………………… 69
Figure 7. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 7……………………………………70
Figure 8. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 8……………………………………71
Figure 9. Results from 8th Grade Survey Question 9…………………………………… 72
Figure 10. Results from High School Survey Question 1………………………………. 73
Figure 11. Results from High School Survey Question 2………………………………. 73
Figure 12. Results from High School Survey Question 3………………………………. 74
Figure 13. Results from High School Survey Question 4.……………………………… 75
Figure 14. Results from High School Survey Question 5……………………………….76
Figure 15. Results from High School Survey Question 6……………………………….77
Figure 16. Results from High School Survey Question 7……………………………….78
Figure 17. Results from High School Survey Question 8……………………………….79
Figure 18. Results from High School Survey Question 9……………………………….80
Figure 19. Results from High School Survey Question 10……………………..……….81
Figure 20. Results from High School Survey Question 11………………………..…….82
Figure 21. Results from High School Survey Question 12……………………………...82
Figure 22. Results from High School Survey Question 13..…………………………….84

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Figure 23. Results from High School Survey Question 14..…………………………….85

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Abstract
The Derry Area School District is currently the only school district in Westmoreland
County that has both Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs. The Derry Area
School District is a small, rural school district that has seen a declining population in the
geographical area, school district, and in the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
programming. The goal of this action research study is to identify factors that can
increase new Agriculture and Horticulture CTE student enrollment based on the current
district enrollment numbers. The specific design of this research study utilized
quantitative and qualitative, mixed-methods, research techniques to get feedback from
current 8th grade, high school, and post-graduate students regarding the current and
previous perceptions of the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming currently
being offered within the Derry Area School District. Survey results were collected and
analyzed in order to make generalized findings which also parallel best-practice
recommendations currently being seen in the field of Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
education. Findings and recommendations point to a greater emphasis in the development
of in-district communication and marketing efforts as well as a higher level of curriculum
and instruction integration across the science and elementary grade levels within the
school district. These findings and recommendations will hopefully lead to future
sustainability and growth in the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs within the
Derry Area School District.

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CHAPTER I
Introduction

There is a declining enrollment in both the Agriculture and Horticulture Career
and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the Derry Area School District over the
past several years. Besides being a vital part of the Derry Area community, jobs in the
fields of Agriculture and Horticulture are one of the High Priority Occupations (HPOs)
in the state of Pennsylvania. It is important for Derry Area to prevent the loss of
programming in these two fields, and also build up enrollment numbers. Over the past
several years, there has been a decline in student enrollment within both of these CTE
programs.

This study hopes to identify common perceptions among all students attending
the Derry Area School District, as well as recent graduates in hope of driving up the
number of students currently enrolled in both or either of the CTE programs. Increases
in student enrollment ensure the sustainability and future growth of both programming
and staffing within the current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming. The
Derry Area School District Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming also
frequently attracts outside of district tuition students to enroll in the program. Gained
knowledge from this study may lead to needed changes within the program that hopes
to engage students at a greater level.

Background
At the onset of U.S. History, agriculture education was very important on a
universal level and programming was seen thorough most states. As agriculture

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education continued to grow, Pennsylvania was a state that had very strong agriculture
education. As the population continues to decline in Pennsylvania, school staffing and
programming continues to be in jeopardy, largely due to student enrollment declines.
The Derry Area School District is a public-school district in Westmoreland County
that has both declining enrollment and agriculture and horticulture programs. Outside
of standard curricular course offerings, the Derry Area is currently the only school
district in Westmoreland County to offer two Career and Technical Education (CTE)
programs within its brick-and-mortar setting. These CTE programs are Agriculture and
Horticulture. Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming involve three
components including the courses, Future Farmers of America (FFA) membership, and
the completion of a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). The Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programs are very robust and impactful in youth who choose to
enroll in them.
Students are able to take many different CTE courses that follow along tasks
lists, which are both school board and state approved each year in a re-approval
process. The Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs seek to also recruit nontraditional students, such as females, into the program. The Derry Area School District
has had a very positive history in students succeeding at both coursework and at FFA
events. Several Derry Area students have held state officer roles in each of the past
eight decades. These CTE programs also provide students with opportunities to take
part in internships and externships, while also giving them the chance to earn microcredentials and badges for program or task list completion.

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Over the past several years, there has been a decline in student enrollment
within both of these CTE programs. Students at the high school level within the Derry
Area School District have many different scheduling options within a very customized
framework. High School students also have the option to begin several other
vocational course clusters at the Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center
beginning their Freshman year. This study hopes to identify common perceptions
among all students attending the Derry Area School District, as well as recent
graduates in hope of increasing the number of students currently enrolled in both or
either of the CTE programs.
Potential Outcomes
This study hopes to provide both the Agriculture and Horticulture teachers and
administration important information and feedback from student surveys and interviews
that highlight perceptions and feelings of both CTE programs. Surveys will be given to
8th grade students, who are the potential students of the agriculture and horticulture CTE
programs. It is vital to gain an understanding of what these students already know about
the program prior to scheduling season. This will provide the teachers and administration
with data that ties directly to marketing and communication efforts made toward middle
school students.
There is also a survey that will be given out to current high school students,
including those students who are taking Agriculture and Horticulture courses and those
who are not. These surveys are aimed at gaining student perception knowledge as to why
students are not taking these CTE courses, as well as why they are. Student answers
provided in this survey will also hopefully provide answers as to why students are

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dropping and not enrolling in certain agriculture and horticulture courses. Student
feedback on the instructor as well as the courses will be obtained in these surveys as well.
Lastly, interviews will take place with students who have graduated successfully
from the Derry Area Agriculture and Horticulture programming over the past five years.
It is important to gain perception knowledge of these CTE programs from students who
have graduated from them and are either gainfully employed or working toward
employment in some agriculture-based pathway. Teachers and administrators should
understand how the current curriculum and instruction platform is translating into college
and career readiness.
Fiscal Implications
This specific CTE programming-based study is very simple and straightforward in
nature. A Google Suite created survey, through the use of Google Forms, will be created
and administered to middle school and high school students, when consent is obtained
from parents and guardians. There is no associated cost that comes along with these
Google Form surveys that are being used in a majority of this study. These student
surveys are concise in nature and should only take school-aged participants between 5-10
minutes to complete. Recent graduates will also randomly be selected and contacted to
complete an interview, either over the phone or in person. These interviews have prescripted questions. The in-person graduate interviews should last approximately 15
minutes. There is a cost associated with taking the time to create, administer, and analyze
the data associated with this study.

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Research Questions
There are three research questions that frame the basis of this study:
1. What is the perception among 8th Grade students of the Agriculture/Horticulture
CTE Programs within the Derry Area School District?
2. What is the perception among all Derry Area High School students of the
Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs?
3. What is the perception among students who recently graduated within the past 5
years from the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the Derry Area
School District?
Summary
Chapter I introduces the topic of Agriculture and Horticulture Career and
Technical Education (CTE) within the Derry Area School District. Peer reviewed
journals, conference recordings, and agriculture and horticulture education books are
reviewed and highlighted in the Literature Review in Chapter II. Chapter III will explain
the methodology used in the study, which includes student perception surveys that will be
completed by current 8th grade and high school students. Interviews will be conducted
with recently graduated students, who are randomly selected for this study. A data
analysis and finding product will be highlighted and presented in Chapter IV of this
study. Lastly, final conclusions and recommendations for future studies and research are
discussed and highlighted in Chapter V.

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CHAPTER II
Review of Literature
The following literature review will focus on reviewing aspects that have a direct
impact on the creation and evolution of agriculture education. Historical Ages of
Education will be reviewed in order to highlight major happenings within the field of
education throughout American History. Additionally, this section will also highlight
history of Career and Technical Education (CTE), which involves agriculture education.
Lastly, the agriculture education profession as well as student recruitment will be
examined, as a comprehensive overview and aspects of a successful Agriculture CTE
program will be reviewed and established.
Historical Ages of Education
There are four main educational time periods recognized by historians. These
educational time periods are the Agricultural Age of Education, Industrial Age of
Education, Information Age of Education, and the Conceptual Age of Education. Each
one of this particular time periods is distinctly categorized by how teachers taught and
how students learned.
For hundreds of years, humanity lived in the Agricultural Age of Education. In
the Agricultural Age of Education, people were moving out of a hunting and gathering
society and moved into more of a domesticated lifestyle (Glatthorn et al., 2019).
Teaching and learning experiences were focuses on cultivating the land and planting and
harvesting crops. This teaching and learning process during the Agricultural Age of
Education led to consistency in human lifestyle. Due to this consistency along with the

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increased nutritional benefit from domestication, human cities were born, and the
populations began to expand exponentially (Glatthorn et al., 2019).
Even today in the current society within the United States of America, these same
foundations found in the Agricultural Age of Education are still present. People lived in
proximity to one another, and their land was very important, as it was a primary source
for food. A person’s wealth was largely determined by the amount of land that they
owned and the crops that they produced and sold. Life schedules, during this Agricultural
Age of Education, were largely determined by the planting and harvesting seasons, as this
is where much of the teaching and learning took place (Glatthorn et al., 2019).
The next historical period noted for educational reform is the Industrial Age of
Education. This particular time period is noted for educational model shifts that including
focuses on technological innovations and the onset of technological advancements. Some
of these first innovations included the use of steam engines. Glatthorn et al. (2019) said
that manufacturing processes experienced major upgrades and improvements, as
specialized goods, that at one time could not be produced very quickly, could now be
created on more of a mass scale with the incorporation of new technology. In addition,
steam power could be used in both boat and train technology, and goods that were created
could now be moved greater distances for added commerce from a labor and industry
standpoint.
The use of technology for the mass production of good required more workers in
the city-type settings. This was a time where re-tooling and re-educating the workforce
was also a predominant factor in the education world at this time. Not only were farms
seen throughout the landscape, but also the rise of factories and factory workers were

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highlighted in this age of education. Throughout the Industrial Age of Education,
technology seemed to boom, as product standardization and mass production only
intensified. There were also new forms of transportation that were created and introduced
into society in this age such as the automobile, cars, trucks, and planes.
This time period highlighted a time where mankind seemed to have a handle on
the power of nature, rather than in the previous centuries and decades, how nature
appeared to have a handle on mankind and society. Technological inventions and
scientific discoveries were predominant during this age of education (Glatthorn et al.,
2019). Human reliance on the land started to take a backseat to standardization and
factory mass production practices that were made available due the educational
improvements of science and technology. This specific historical period is marked
complete, as the onset of World War II began. This particular era would begin a push for
advances in the fields of math and science that would change the world as it was known
in a tremendous way.
The next era of education, which is known as the Information Age of Education,
is categorized by the urgent need for technological advances due to the United States of
America fighting in World War II. This was the largest war that the world has every seen.
The two previous ages of education, the Agricultural and Industrial Ages, spanned
several hundred years leading up to World War II. Due to the Serviceman’s Readjustment
Act of 1944 (also popularly known as the G.I. Bill), the United States of American saw
many more people going to college or partaking in more post-secondary studies in
multiple field of education (Glatthorn et al., 2019). This led to the evolution and
explosion in the number of white-collared workers as well.

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With the increase in specialized post-secondary education, more inventions were
created and popularized during this age of education. Technologies like computers,
televisions, satellites, and nuclear energies were highlighted within this age. Like the
Industrial Age of Education, the Information Age focused on the manufacturing and
production of goods, which largely represented and highlighted the power within one’s
nation. The creation of computers set the stage for the innovations such as cell phones,
cable televisions and services, the world-wide web, and fax machines (Glatthorn et al.,
2019). This age of education is also commonly known as the Informational Age due to
the amount of information that became available for everyone in the world in a moment’s
notice.
The final and current era of education is known as the Conceptual Age of
Education. This particular era or age in education is known for creativity and empathy in
human society, largely experienced in developed countries (Glatthorn et al., 2019). The
Conceptual Age of Education is characterized by highly creative, skilled workers who are
constantly creating and revolutionizing multiple labor fields. As the Industrial Age
focused on product creation and the Information Age focused on data, the Conceptual
Age is focused on harnessing both products and data in efforts to continually redefine the
process of how we create and communicate products for consumers, as American society
is very empathetic in its societal approach.
The Conceptual Age is considered to be an extension and improvement of the
Information Age. In the Conceptual Age, there is an access to technology and data that
can be achieved within seconds, largely due to improvements to the internet and
computer infrastructure systems (Glatthorn et al., 2019). The Conceptual Age is also

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seeing technology improvements and upgrades changing and quantifying at a very quick
pace. There is also a focus on distribution and marketing methods that seem to take
precedent over the production process, which was the focus of the Industrial and
Information Ages. Additionally, there also is a focus on self-education versus the
institutional focus during the Conceptual Age as well, largely due to the availability to
educational and collaborative resources on computers and the internet that is updated
within minutes and seconds.
In reviewing the ages of education, the modernizing of educational systems has
largely been promoted by the upgrade and use of technology. The Agricultural Age of
education focuses on the cultivation of land and the harvesting of crops. The Industrial
Age of education focused on providing workers with skills to work in factories, with the
onset of manufacturing products as being a focal point of this era. Then came the
Informational Age, where data, inventions, and discoveries were commonly seen and
quantified, as the focus on math and science became prevalent in American society.
Lastly, the twenty-first century built off of and enhanced the Industrial Age data
processes, where information and technology rapidly has been enhanced and is the main
active driver of the world’s multi-faceted economy.
The educational process in all of these ages of education has been throttled
forward by the use of technology in the classroom, as education is now at the finger tip of
a handheld device. Post-secondary lectures can now be watched on a moment’s notice.
Even though the Agricultural Age of education ended during the rise of factories and
mass production, agricultural education is still vital to the way of American life today.

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Further evolution with the use of technology is vital in the improvement of agricultural
teaching and learning today.
United States History of Agriculture Career and Technology Education (CTE)
Early Agriculture Education
In primitive societies during the Agricultural Age leading up to the Industrial Age
of Education, discoveries were very rare and innovation progress was very slow. As the
few discoveries and inventions were found or created, it became imperative to share these
with the other people in society. During the Agricultural Age of Education, much of the
vocational education focused on safety and security and the creation of weapons, for both
hunting and defensive purposes. Innovation during this time period was slow and the
manipulation of inventions and creations was not easy. It usually took much work to get
the inventions or creations to work. Educational delivery was usually assigned to elders,
and the topics of instruction typically focused on fishing, hunting, and fighting.
Eventually during the Agricultural Age of Education, domestication led to the
creation of farms, where crops were seeded and harvested and livestock was raised.
Colonial farming was very prevalent in America during the 1700s (Lemon, 1987). Keep
in mind, during the Colonial Period in American history, no form of free and public
education existed. The focus on the American agricultural education system was “every
man to himself” and techniques and equipment were rarely shared with one another.
American agricultural education was very isolated and not a collaborative effort
whatsoever.
Most of the first schools in American history were controlled by religious groups
and focused on religion, which seemed to cater to the higher tiers of society (Glatthorn et

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al., 2019). Parents, who were living in poverty, did not send their children to school for
an education in Colonial American society, but rather, these parents would indenture their
children to an employer or master. In return, the employer or master agreed to provide
training to the poverty-stricken child (Hawkins et al., 1967). The Colonial education
system was based around this plan for many professions including industries like
agriculture, commerce, shipping, and medicine to name a few. This apprenticeship
system of education in America was used in America up to around the 1830 time period
(Lemon, 1987)
Industrial Revolution and Agriculture Education
During the turn of the nineteenth century, the War of 1812 had a drastic impact on
commerce and economic needs within the American society at this time. Leading up to
the War of 1812, which was fought between America and England, America was starting
to see the onset of an industrial revolution (Lemon, 1987). There was a rise in the
creation of factories among the landscape in American cities. The textile industry, which
was directly tied to cotton farming, was one of the first industries to have factories, as
mercantilism in American society tried model society norms and expectations looked like
in England at this time. Francis Cabot Lowell, an American business developer from
Massachusetts, was instrumental in starting the Industrial Revolution in America during
the early 1800s, by starting agricultural mills (Rosenberg, 2011). Textile manufacturing
became a big industry because of Lowell’s efforts, as cotton production in the south was
sent to cities in Massachusetts where the manufacturing process to create spindles of yarn
was used to make clothes.

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At this time in the early to mid-1800s, there were many spin-off trades created
largely due to the evolution of new booming factory jobs (Hawkins et al., 1967). This
created issues with the apprentice educational program that had existed in the colonies up
to this time period. In 1820, evening schooling opportunities called “institutes” became
available for students and workers interested in factory and farming mechanics (Hawkins,
et al., 1967). Moving into the 1850s, there were mechanic institutes popping up in major
cities all over the Colonial American landscape.
Discovery and innovation constantly drove the need for advanced training
regarding use and maintenance. The innovation, new devices, and new machines required
new and advanced trainings that were not readily available, both from curriculum and
instruction perspectives throughout the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s (Ogden, 1990).
The instruction and training aspects could not keep up with the rapid creation of new
inventions and machines. In the beginning of the 1900s, this lack of technical knowledge
and training began to change. In 1905, Massachusetts Governor Williams Douglas
established a commission to study the state of technical education and conduct a needs
assessment, which became known as the “Douglas Commission” (Hawkins et al., 1967).
The Douglas Commission conclusions were aimed at the education of the youth,
which the hope would be to provide solutions to negative issues that were being seen in
emerging industrial society and workplace.
The Commission found that most children, between ages fourteen to sixteen years
of age, were either working or idle in their educational pursuits, fourteen years of
age would be the perfect age to provide technical training to a child headed into
labor an industry, sixteen to eighteen year old students who completed appropriate

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technical training programs are hired in higher level trades, the lack of formal
educational training leads to higher cost of production in the factory or in the
fields, and that woman need to enter the industrial field for self-support. (Hawkins
et al., 1967)
Another commission conducted by Douglas in 1906 called for the establishment
of schools that would house the teaching and learning of agriculture and industry (Ogden,
1990). From this second commission report, the United States Department of Education
drew conclusions such as the fact that states conducting technical education should
receive state aid, technical schools were not the same as public schools, and that technical
schools were to create tradesmen (Hawkins et al., 1967).
By 1911, only five out of 48 states created formal vocational education schools
for students between the ages of fourteen and eighteen years of age (Hawkins et al.,
1967). Most states focused their technical education on training that involved agriculture
or industrial training. A major issue in early state legislation surrounding early technical
education in the United States was the lack of funding (Ogden, 1990). On July, 1912, the
National Education Association (NEA) urged the United States government to consider
an increase in funding aimed at technical education, where courses of study and
professional teaching qualifications in the trades, such as agriculture, should be
determined (Hawkins et al., 1951).
Also, in 1912 the National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education
provided a description of course and topics to be taught in agricultural education were
determined (Hawkins et al., 1967). In 1913, a bill was passed in Pennsylvania industrial
and agricultural vocational educational schools were created (Hawkins et al., 1967). By

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1916, Pennsylvania was one of the only states in the United States to have compulsory
education laws that included students who were sixteen to eighteen years old (Hawkins et
al., 1967).
In the early 1900s, the demand to find trade teachers, such as in the field of
agriculture, greatly exceeded the supply (Ogden, 1990). With the adoption of the SmithLever Act in 1914, extension agricultural education and demonstration was offered to the
local farmer. This Act also mandated that the federal government would match every
dollar that the state was spending on this form of extension education. In 1916, President
Woodrow Wilson also stressed the importance of vocational preparedness due to the
United States participation in World War I (Smith, 1999).
In 1918, the National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education changed
its name to the National Society for Vocational Education (Hawkins et al., 1951). At this
time, there was a push by the National Society for Vocational Education to advocate for
changes in the amount of funding that states were receiving from the federal government.
Federal funding took the shape of dollars and also land grants. From the land grants,
many of the state college and universities that still stand today were created. These
colleges and universities were created in order to train agricultural and industrial
teachers.
The Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 created the U.S. Federal Board for Vocational
Education with the purposes of promoting education across the nation in agriculture and
industry (Smith, 1999). The President of the United States sat on this board, which
oversaw funding for vocational education in all of the states. At the same time, the state
boards were also being created to guide vocational education. By 1937, 36 states did

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indeed have state board for vocational education (Waggoner, 1976). One of the main
tasks of state board for vocational education was to provide teachers in the schools to
provide the needed technical training. During a 1947-1948 census, it was recorded that
from a national perspective there were 157 supervisors for agriculture education and 162
trained agriculture teachers (Hawkins et al., 1967).
By the mid-1930s, the student teaching experience in agriculture education was
more defined in nature and was comprised of four years of formal college education,
which was culminated in a field practicum experience (Hawkins et al., 1967). The field
practicum experience was during the fifth year of college for the student teaching
candidate and was a very hands-on experience. Once hired, professional development
was a component that would eventually build to summer-based workshops that would
usually last one week long in nature (Hawkins et al., 1967). Early in-service training
experiences in the 1930s and 1940s typically involved school administration and state
supervisors of the agricultural industry. In the early 1920s and 1930s, Pennsylvania
became one of the states to have a traveling supervisor in agricultural education, who
would come on the educational site and provide additional education and provide
feedback the professional educators (Waggoner, 1976).
Informational Age of Agricultural Education
Agricultural education took quite a shift in the 1940s, with the onslaught and
chaotic nature of the status of the United States during World War II. The focus of all
vocational education became that of national defense, even for the industry of agriculture.
Agricultural education focused on the production and sustainability of food for the troops
oversees (Wolf & Connors, 2009). During this particular time period, many of the

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traditional agricultural education and Future Farmers of America (FFA) club activity
within agricultural education shifted into doing everything that was necessary to support
all war efforts on the home front. This meant the absence of extension-type activities.
These activities usually included showing prized animals at community fairs and
attending state-level conventions (Wolf & Connors, 2009).
Once World War II had finished and the United States had emerged as victor in
the war, the rural agricultural landscape was in peril in the homeland United States. Many
of the farm families lost many family members during World War II. However, it was the
Future Farmers of America (FFA) club that helped to increase enrollment over this very
difficult time period for the American society (Hoover et al., 2007). The FFA was a
school-based club, whose membership was only intended for those students who were
enrolled in agricultural education. Led by the onslaught of the Green Revolution
occurring in the United States, many states began to open up agriculture education
enrollment to students who were not considered “farm boys,” meaning those students
who lived in less rural areas (Martin & Kitchel, 2020).
The Green Revolution was an era in the mid-1900s where agriculture education
focuses on harnessing the power of technology and science in order to mass produce
many crops, which made the United States of America a global leader. Crop yields
increased dramatically during the Green Revolution largely due to how agricultural
education had shifted to focusing on irrigation techniques, fertilizer application, and
pesticide improvements (Tilman, 1998). Plant genetic modification techniques were also
reviewed in classroom soil labs, which were then applied to the professional farming
landscape as well.

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The Green Revolution led to many new job fields and careers in agriculture
(Tilman, 1998). Teachers during this time period in American history began to participate
in some of the first job fairs and also modified their curricula to meet the needs of new
career fields in agriculture such as: forestry, agribusiness, and horticulture (Martin &
Kitchel, 2020). In the 1950s and 1960s, agriculture teachers began to survey
communities, as they were looking how to modify their curriculum to meet the needs of
the workforce and industry in agriculture. These are some of the first examples of the
Occupational Advisory Committees (OAC) that Career and Technical Education (CTE)
programs have to organize today (Martin & Kitchel, 2020). These advisory councils’
relationships allowed school teachers and students to tap into the constantly updated
knowledge that the professional farmers were utilizing as practitioners within the field of
agriculture.
One of the capstone activities within the agricultural education field, the
Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), that started in the early 1900s was modified
and improved during the Green Revolution (Camp, 2000). The SAE capstone project for
all agricultural students was meant to be a hands-on application and production project
that would take many documented hours to complete under the supervision of the
agriculture CTE teacher. During these SAE experiences, students were placed to work on
farms, where these experiences greatly benefited from the classroom teachers’
relationships with the members of the local farming business and industry (Martin &
Kitchel, 2020).
The Vocational Education Act (VEA) of 1963 looked to build upon the
progressive curricula changes occurring in the field of agriculture education, which were

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spurred on by the Green Revolution. The VEA looked to reinforce, with the use of
federal funds, CTE-based education that was being delivered with the goal of supporting
teacher and student career-based education efforts (Martin & Kitchel, 2020). The goal of
the VEA, which is now commonly known as the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education
Act, was to get more students gainfully employed in the American society.
The VEA aimed to revolutionize the courses and curricula that were offered at the
time in agricultural CTE schools across the nation to match the skills in the
agriculture and agribusiness industries that were present in American society at
this time. (Mobley, 1964)
In the 1970s, agriculture education started to focus on certain career pathways and
curricula was re-drafted to align properly. Animal science, plant science, farm mechanics,
and environmental protection were four subgroup fields that were focused on in
agriculture CTE classrooms in America. Also, FFA organizations began to organize more
closely and host state and national competitions (Connors et al., 2010). These
competitions and collaborative events helped to increase more enrollment and attention
on the courses and career fields in agriculture education in America.
Scientific coordination and invention into the classrooms of agriculture education
programs were a continued theme in the late 1970s into the 1980s. A national report title,
“A Nation at Risk”, published in 1983 highlighted the need for continued science
educational concepts to be taught in agricultural courses within all existing CTE
programs (The National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983).The National
Commission on Excellence in Education (1983) also said that many of the top
agricultural instructors stressed the importance of the SAE home-based projects, as these

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culminating program projects were important hands-on experiences on local farms and at
agribusinesses.
American education in the 1990s, saw a shift from a math and science focus to
more of a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) focus. This
presented agriculture education with an opportunity to increase its project-based focus
within many of its courses into the fold of the entire school operations. Agriculture
education in the 1990s was also highlighted by the increased in government funding
ushered in from Perkins Acts of 1984, 1990, 1996, and 1998.
Agricultural Education in the Conceptual Age
The Perkins Acts, especially in the 1990s, focused on growing the United States
as a technical education leader on the world stage, as the United States was just coming
out of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The major focuses of these Perkins Acts,
which were tied to major federal funds, was to tie academic curriculum the technical
education, create articulation agreements with post-secondary schools, and to align CTE
curriculum with the knowledge and skills needed in the associated industries of study
(Wilcox, 1991). The World Wide Web was also a topic of discussion and instruction in
many agriculture CTE classrooms in the 1990s, as agriculture education began to tie the
early internet into research and technical writing (Wright et al., 2019).
American agriculture education in the 2000s still sees production education as a
focus, but also has seen an increase in several other fields within the agriculture and
horticulture CTE program realms. These areas have a focus on agribusiness, as there are
many corporate and government industries that have bought or have taken control of
many agricultural sectors and small farms within the United States (Wright et al., 2019).

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Mass production methods and increased technology has led to a decrease in individual
farmers and an increase in corporate farmers and farms. Drone and genetic technologies
continue to increase within agricultural classrooms, as there are well over 100 approved
programs offered within many states across our nation (Hafeez et al, 2022).
Many agricultural teachers are adopting the Curriculum for Agricultural Science
Education (CASE) standards and programs, which are nationally-approved and state
recognized programs and standards for plant and animal sciences (Ulmer et al., 2013).
This cutting-edge curriculum will continue to keep educators abreast with the emerging
technologies, curriculum substance, and pedagogical methods available. These
curriculum advancements in the 21st century are also being met with the increase in postsecondary dual-enrollments and college partnership opportunities, where students are
able to work with colleges and extension groups in order to gain workforce and careerreadiness skills (Chumbley & Laurenz, 2015).
The Agriculture CTE Teaching Profession
The agricultural education CTE model focuses around three main areas with the
goal of pushing graduates to additional education at the post-secondary level or to
employment. Classroom instruction, the SAE project, and FFA membership are the three
main pillars of agricultural education in the United States today (Rose et al., 2016). With
that being said, not all agricultural learning environments are the same. This section will
explore the best teacher characteristics and qualities that exist in agriculture education
today, teacher leadership in clubs and activities, as well as the trends in professional
development for agriculture education teachers.

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Best Professional Teacher Characteristics and Qualities in Agricultural Education
Agriculture education has shifted from a production-based model into more of a
consumption-based model moving into the 21st century. This has forced a change with
regard to teacher pedagogical and strategies in order to foster student learning and
maintain and grow student enrollment (Parr et al., 2007). Agricultural teachers have
largely used their own experiences, research, and informal inquiries in order to develop
and grow as educators (Dyer et al., 2003).
Although agriculture education teaching programs vary from state to state
regarding college program accreditation and licensure procedures. Dyer and Myers
(2004) said that most colleges and states require at least 130 semester hours of work (pp.
45-46). Typically, agriculture teaching candidates spend over 40 hours in both general
studies and technical agriculture education courses and also over 30 hours in professional
education courses (Dyer & Myers, 2004). This diverse and demanding college
preparation programming highlights the types of curriculum and instruction expertise that
agriculture educators need to possess.
The best agriculture educators are able to provide aligned curriculum to their
students that is recommended by the Occupational Advisory Committees (OACs) and
deemed as best practice for its specific labor and industry fields. Young (1990) says that
effective teachers have the ability to plan and teach lessons, monitor student learning, and
conduct interesting and focused lessons (pp. 1-2). The alignment of the planned and
taught curriculum also shows the following components within teacher instructional
pedagogy during lesson delivery: higher-order thinking skills, engaged learnings,
authentic connections, and technology usage (Young, 1990). This student learning

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framework is critical in our classrooms, which are functioning within the conceptual or
digital age of education.
McClain and Horner (1988) said that certain personality types are more successful
in classrooms than those teachers with personalities that are extreme or cannot be clearly
defined on the Myers-Briggs scale (pp. 2-3). Agriculture teachers are not rated on either
of the extreme sides of the Myers-Briggs personality scale (McClain & Horner, 1988).
McClain and Horner (1988) also stated that, “the majority of agriculture teachers are
introverted, sensing, thinking, and use judgement in making decisions” (pp. 1-2).
Miller et al. (1989) identified five essential qualities of an effective agriculture
teacher: productive and authentic teaching behaviors, organized and structured classroom
management, positive interpersonal relationships, conducting professional relationships,
and personality characteristics such as having a sense of humor (p. 1). Additionally,
according to Foster and Finley (1995) the top agriculture teachers share common
characteristics such as being strong in interpersonal relationships, adept at conflict
resolution, accepted by co-workers, demonstrated leadership and resolution, possess good
human relation skills, and demonstrated good professional etiquette (p.2).
Effective Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE)
One of the hallmarks to an agricultural CTE student graduating from their
perspective programming is the completion of a Supervised Agricultural Experience
(SAE). The SAE allows for time, application, and evaluation of theory and skills learned
in the classroom to be put to work in a project-based learning experience (Haddad &
Marx, 2018). SAE projects can last the entire length of a student’s high school career or
just a semester, depending on the student’s organization within the given hours needed to

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complete the SAE project, which is aligned to the student’s career pathway and career
cluster within the agriculture field (Haddad & Marx, 2018). Haddad and Marx (2018)
also said that the SAE project is a student-led, instructor-supervised work-based learning
experience (p. 160).
Effectively run SAE programs will expose students to careers in their desired field
in agriculture in an immersive fashion. A recent study by agricultural professors at Texas
A&M University found that SAE projects in the state of Pennsylvania generated nearly
$1.5 million in revenue (Hanagriff, 2016). This points to the importance of the SAE
project, where students have real power in harnessing and applying their newly acquired
skills in these field experiences. Critical or higher-level thinking, accountability, time
management, and soft skills are focus areas that a productive agriculture teacher will
infuse into this project-based experience.
The soft-skills teaching component has come increasingly more in demand among
subjects taught and reinforced during the SAE. In this digital or conceptual age of
education, it has become increasingly important that students can express themselves and
also build relationships through dialogue with co-workers and customers. Teachers
during the SAE experience also focus on highlighting the sense of ownership and pride
that the students should have in their specific projects (Haddad & Marx, 2018).
Factors that play into having a successful SAE project are available facilities,
teacher encouragement, and frequent assistance from the agriculture teacher. These
factors are vital to the participation and success of the student during the SAE process
(Lewis et al., 2012). Also, lack of student problem-solving skills as well as the lack of
content and skill knowledge in the desired field area where the SAE is being conducted

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can also play detrimental to the SAE project. This ties back to the importance of teacher
curriculum and instructional components in the classroom/theory part of the agricultural
education model (Lewis et al., 2012).
Teacher Leadership in FFA Club and Activities
The Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter clubs are vital to the success of
agriculture education in American schools. FFA is a student-led organization that focuses
on leadership opportunities that look to build self-esteem, self-efficacy, and teamwork
skills within the members of the group (Rose et al., 2016). FFA also provides a sense of
belonging to the students in the school who are part of the agriculture CTE programming.
Without joining FFA, agriculture education students are not enjoying the full benefits of
being in an agriculture CTE program (Rose et al., 2016).
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, all human beings approach
phases in life where the sense of belonging is of the utmost importance (Maslow, 1943).
By gaining a position or spot on a team or group like FFA, students gain a feeling of love
and respect, which are vital in the student’s development of their sense of self. Within
this group and group activities, it has also been found and established that those FFA
chapters or clubs that attend state and national events have higher student enrollments
and greater sustainability within those enrollments (Rose et al., 2016). This points to the
fact that it is vital that the agriculture CTE educator has the skillset and knowledge to
become a very effective FFA advisor, which is part of the agriculture education model.
There are differences to leadership styles and capacities of agriculture education
teachers who are also FFA advisors. There is also a direct correlation between years of
experience and an agriculture education teacher’s self-efficacy in leadership (Nowak et

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al., 2019). Nowak et al. (2019) suggest that the most popular and effective leadership
style that fosters student and club engagement is transformational leadership, which is a
leadership style that causes changes to individual and systems that are positive in nature
(p. 63). FFA chapters need a teacher/advisor who fosters creativity, brings energy, instills
pride, and exhibits an extremely high level of ethical responsibility (Nowak, 2019).
The instructor who articulates a vision that is inspiring, communicates optimism
about future goals, provides a meaning for the task at hand, and gives individual
consideration to the student’s needs in the area of self-development will be more
likely to build a successful FFA program. (Nowak et al, 2019, p. 62)
Lundry et al. (2015) suggests that a good agriculture teacher is also able to
harness the promotion, participation, and growth of Career Development Events (CDEs),
which take place within the FFA framework and competitions (p. 52). Lundry et al.
(2015) also points out that agriculture teachers need to be able to build relationships
which foster professional development opportunities with state leaders, professional
organization, and other agriculture educator colleagues to make sure that CDEs are
continuing to help build career-related skills. This will continue to foster self-efficacy
within agriculture students as they approach their anticipated careers.
Appropriate Professional Development
As previously established, being an agriculture CTE instructor can be a very
difficult profession within education. An agriculture CTE teacher needs to be able to
provide meaningful and engaging classroom instruction, supervise SAE projects that also
include important CDE opportunities, and also advise the FFA chapter club. There are
also the unseen responsibilities such as working with FFA and alumni booster groups as

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well, which take up much time. Joerger and Boettcher (2000) stated in their work on
early agriculture teachers the following teaching responsibilities as vital in their
pedagogical approach and success level:
•

classroom management and discipline

•

working with mainstreamed students

•

determining appropriate expectations for all students

•

dealing with stress

•

handling angry parents

•

keeping up with paperwork

•

grading and evaluating student work

•

handling student conflict

•

pacing lessons

•

varying teaching methods

•

dealing with students of varying abilities

•

feeling inadequate as a teacher. (pp. 60-61)

If the agriculture education model experience is to improve, it is vital to provide strategic
and meaningful professional development in order to grow the capacity of the agriculture
instructor.
Roberts et al. (2020) suggested that there are four main areas of professional
development among educators of all years of experience that need to be prioritized
moving forward in the 21st century in agriculture education (p. 137). These professional
development focus areas are: 1) providing industry-based certifications to students, 2)
teaching diverse students, 3) SAE work-based projects, and 4) student motivation

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strategies (p. 137). Until recently, agricultural education professional development and
learning tended to focus on teachers that were in the early career induction phases of their
career. Most of these professional development topics tended to focus on classroom
management, student behaviors, student accommodations and modifications, and other
building operational items.
Within the classroom component of the agriculture education model, it is also
imperative that agriculture teachers teach and incorporate science curriculum items into
classroom instruction, as the push to post-secondary is not only vocational in nature.
Neeson (1992) states, “the development of teacher in-service programs is the next step
for implementing the revised agriculture science curricula. Information is needed to
identify the technical areas, which teachers feel that they need assistance in” (p.113).
Thompson and Balschweid (2000) found that teachers in their study, “felt that students
would be better prepared in science after completing a course in agriculture education
that integrated science, and students would learn more about agriculture when science
concepts are an integral part of their instruction” (p. 78). It is important for agriculture
teachers to teach both biological and physical sciences as this research highlights.
In-service workshops for agriculture teachers must also incorporate components
of labor and industry. It is vital for agriculture teachers to have knowledge of the local
labor markets in order to facilitate more career learning experiences in the classroom.
This will also strengthen the SAE process, as more students will have a wider array of
projects to choose from. Workshops and business and industry tours must have
components of biological and physical sciences as they pertain to agriculture fields
(Thompson & Balschweid, 2000). This added value learning increases the degree to

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which students understand the applicational components of their science curricula
material.
Binkley et al. (2011) found that teaching critical thinking, higher order thinking
skills, problem solving, and collaboration were significantly important pedagogical areas
that agriculture teachers need to constantly refine (pp. 17-18). Agriculture teachers also
need to seek to teach about important and authentic subject areas in order to sustain
student engagement. Davis and Jayaratne (2015) also found that “food scarcity” in a
global economy is a very important area that agriculture teachers need to grasp and
understand (p. 54). This understanding should then be used to develop lesson plans that
involve relevant and engaging material. Strategic professional development is continually
needed to booster these instructional areas within the classroom model of the agriculture
education system.
Davis and Jayaratne (2015) found that agriculture teachers also need to continual
learning and training with the latest agricultural technology and advancements.
“Teaching students with cutting edge agricultural technology will enable students to
comprehend technology early in their career and prepare for the task” (Davis and
Jayaratne, 2015, p. 54). Teachers also must understand and model these usages of
technology to their students for student self-efficacy purposes in future learning
experiences such as the SAE and CDE projects.
Touchstone (2015) highlighted the importance of professional development needs
for agriculture teachers in all phases of their careers in the areas of communication,
marketing, stakeholder engagement, and administrator collaboration (p. 179). All of these
mentioned professional development areas are needed in order to grow student

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enrollment numbers, which is directly tied to program sustainability, growth, or decline.
This also ties back to the agriculture teacher personality traits, interpersonal skills, and
capacity in order to grow the agriculture program.
Agriculture education has many classroom components for instructional purposes
located in the mechanics lab. This is another area of professional development need,
specially for early career agriculture educators. Dyer and Andreasen (1999) said that
early agriculture teachers were not thoroughly trained in safety, and that veteran
agriculture teachers were not safe enough. Additionally, early agriculture educators have
an overall lower capacity, in come cases, to provide laboratory or mechanics lab
instruction. McKim and Saucier (2011) found that, “unless secondary agriculture teachers
are competent in agricultural mechanics laboratory management, it is unlikely that they
are capable of safely and effectively guiding agricultural students in the development of
practical, hands-on skills” (p. 76).
Communication and marketing are very important in order for agriculture CTE
teachers to sustain and grow the agriculture education programs. With this being said, it
is vital for any agriculture CTE program to develop programming within the home school
district’s elementary school. Within the scope of the three-pronged agriculture education
model, it can be quite challenging to find the time to accomplish and build these
elementary school partnerships. However, this partnership can be quite rewarding, as
future agriculture CTE enrollment is tied to these young stakeholder engagement
strategies. Burrows et al. (2020) advocates that governments at all levels should be doing
their part to make sure that all Americans are agriculturally literate, and that educating

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the youth about agriculture is an important aspect about shaping the youth’s perception
about the importance of agriculture (p. 359)
The National Research Council (1988) said in its publication Understanding
Agriculture – New Directions for Education that all Americans should be exposed to
agriculture education despite what their career choice is moving through their schooling
experience. Since the shift to large scale agriculture production completed in a precision
and automated manner, elementary teachers find themselves less competent from a selfefficacy standpoint when considering incorporating agriculture education into their
science lesson planning (Burrows et al., 2020). The Burrows et al. (2020) study
highlights that most elementary teachers are still in the awareness stage of agriculture
education and not close to the lesson deliver position (p. 366).
Burrows et al. (2020) suggests that agriculture teachers need professional
development and training time in order to foster relationships with elementary educators
for marketing purposes. Agriculture teachers should try to prioritize and schedule time to
meet with elementary teachers and administrators in order to share agricultural resources
and programs with them. (Burrow et al., 2020). It would be beneficial for agriculture
teachers to lead professional development with elementary teachers, who are seeking to
integrate agriculture education into their themes or units throughout the school year. This
will help to increase both the elementary teacher self-efficacy and the amount of
agriculture education resources that they have, which were deemed as two deficiency
areas by Knobloch et al. (2007).
Lastly, any professional development considered by school administrators and
agriculture teacher-leaders needs to be multi-faceted and geared towards agriculture

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teachers at varying career points. Smalley and Smith (2017) found that early educators
needed professional development in survival skills such as: classroom management,
supporting FFA groups, and preparing students for CDE events (p. 306).
Steffy and Wolfe (2001) found that agriculture teachers in the mid-levels of their
career needed professional development surrounding the need for creating a balance
between life and work demands and also developing communication and marketing
strategies for agriculture teachers used to engage community stakeholders (p. 307).
Smalley and Smith (2018) also found that the more experienced and veteran agriculture
teachers can benefit from state and national conference in order to reinvigorate their
careers by learning new pedagogical strategies and collaborating with other agriculture
CTE educators. Veteran teacher should also focus their professional development
learning in development program assessment strategies with their students, OAC, and
other community stakeholders in order to continue to improve the agriculture CTE
programming.
Student Recruitment
In earlier times in American history, especially during the Agriculture and
Industrial Ages of Education, most Americans had some sort of involvement in their own
agricultural production at home. Over time and also due to increases in technology during
the Informational Age of Education, less people were needed to take part in the
agricultural process, as Americans shifted more towards a consumption approach to
agriculture. This paradigm shift has had a direct impact on the number of students
enrolled in agricultural CTE education classes across the United States.

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Myers et al. (2003) found that agriculture education enrollment at the secondary
level reached its peak in the 1970s, and then America saw a 60% reduction in enrollment
in the 1980s. Thompson and Russell (1993) found that the major influences that led to a
student to enroll in an agriculture CTE course were the characteristics of the course,
enhancement of personal identity, interest in the agriculture field, practical application of
information to a future career field, encouragement from significant others, and other
circumstantial reasons. This research points to the fact that effective communication is
required between students and their support systems in order to increase the likelihood
that successful recruitment is completed.
Sutphin and Newsom-Stewart (1995) found that differences between minority
groups when making agriculture CTE programming enrollment decisions. “Minority
groups are less likely to enroll in agriculture CTE education programs due to viewing
agriculture as less of a career choice, negative perceptions of FFA, and negative
perceptions of the agriculture community in general” (Myers et al., 2003, p. 95). Males
were more likely to enroll in agriculture education courses due to peer pressure, whereas
females were more likely to enroll in agriculture CTE courses for life and teamwork
skills (Sutphin and Newsom-Stewart, 1995). According to Dyer et al. (2003):
The major obstacle to successful recruiting of students into agriculture programs
are those associated with scheduling difficulties, guidance counselor support,
competition from other programs or activities, image of agriculture, access to
students, administrative support, and teachers having time to recruit. (p. 94)
There have been many studies that have researched the effectiveness of various
recruitment strategies of agriculture CTE teachers. Many agriculture teachers use the

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strategic creation and deployment of FFA activities. Myers et al. (2003) also found that
agriculture teacher summer visits with prospective students and their families to be the
top recruitment strategy in order to enroll new agriculture CTE students. This points to
the fact that summer hours should not be used just to complete SAE projects, but they
should also be used to meet with prospective students and their family supports in order
to educate them on the opportunities in agriculture education.
Myers et al. (2003) also found that multimedia marketing and presentations are
most effective in display to elementary and middle school-aged students. These education
presentations help to break the negative stigma that some have towards agriculture and its
associated activities. There is no one-size-fits all marketing and enrollment strategy for
agriculture teachers to boost student enrollment. Myers et al. (2003) did find that the best
enrollment marketing strategies involve targeting the strategies that teachers with higher
numbers of enrollment are using. This involves professional learning and collaboration
with these skilled agriculture teachers who have been successful in the recruitment and
retention of agriculture students.
Myers et al. (2003) highlighted feeder school contact as the number one method
to recruit potential students into the secondary CTE programs. Direct teacher
communication and informational letters home were also deemed as very appropriate
recruiting strategies between agriculture CTE teachers and prospective students and their
families (Myers et al., 2003). Myers et al. (2003) also found that successful recruiting
involved the use of FFA activities such as dances, banquets, socials, and fundraisers to
boost agriculture CTE enrollment efforts.

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Myers et al. (2003) found that having a very strong agriscience curriculum was
effective in recruiting students. This strategy involves the perception that the students and
the staff have on the agriculture program from an educational value standpoint. Any
agriculture program that can offer enhanced communication skills and while also offering
a science credit could significantly shift student and community perception regarding the
educational value of the agriculture CTE programming.
Myers et al. (2003) said that agriculture CTE programs can also benefit from a
recruiting standpoint by utilizing and highlighting their special interest groups and
individuals, usually from the labor and industry fields. This is where the relationship that
the agriculture teachers with the local and regional businesses becomes very important. It
is a very effective recruitment strategy to have parents and community stakeholder events
where these industry experts share experience and highlight the importance of the various
programs within the district’s agriculture education system. It is vital for agriculture
education teachers to recruit these same labor and industry experts to serve as members
on the OAC panel, so that all agriculture CTE programs continue on a positive path of
evolution where industry best practices are adopted and reinforced.
Maintaining appropriate enrollments are very important when determining the
sustainability and growth of agriculture education both at the secondary and postsecondary levels (Myers et al., 2003). “Teacher educators need to integrate sessions on
developing and integrating student recruitment plans into the program planning courses
in the preservice teacher curriculum” (Myers et al., 2003, p. 102). Agriculture programs
should also continue to update their programs to reflect career and industry standards as
well as improve the science-related component in all of their courses.

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Dyer et al (2003) advocates that the inability for teachers at the secondary level to
attract talented students will lead to less and less college enrollment in agriculture fields,
which will in turn lead to less competent professionals working on the farm and in the
agribusiness industries. This impact could lead to less and less technological
improvements within the field of agriculture, as previously seen in the Industrial and
Green Revolutions in America. The National Research Council (2009) said,
Ultimately there is a fundamental need to feed a growing world population.
Addressing world hunger creates an imperative to provide healthful food
worldwide. But the uneven availability of food, the difficulties growing and
transporting food, and the unpredictable nature of both humanitarian crisis and
natural disasters will further challenge the agricultural sector. (p. 15)
This highlights the need for the rise of agriculture educators who will answer the call for
agricultural innovation, as the need for the next agricultural revolution is just over the
horizon.
Summary
In conclusion, it is vital to understand the roots of education throughout American
History. The Ages of Education reviewed in this section highlight the role that
technology played on impacting the evolution of education and student learning. The
history of CTE was then reviewed in this section. The need for advanced learning on an
expeditious time schedule due to the rise of factories, commercial farms, and involvement
in war spurned the creation of the first vocational schools. These vocational schools then
evolved and grew as funding for CTE became more targeted and accessible in nature.
Lastly, the agriculture profession section highlighted the important qualities,

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

characteristics, and values that an effective agriculture teacher embodies and exemplifies
in an effort to recruit students and grow their agricultural programs in a sustainable
manner.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

CHAPTER III
Methodology
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming is very relevant and important to
be included in schools today, where many students continue to want to thrive from a
hands-on educational experience. Agriculture has been a topic of study in American
schools since the infancy of the establishment of the United States. The need for
advances in agriculture education was driven from the rise of industries and industrial
needs that arose. Additionally, early career and technical education was driven by the
onset of wars and the need for weapons and enough food to sustain American life. As the
urban cities began to continue to rise and develop, the American population did as well.
This forced a keen focus and developed spending plan from both state and federal
governments on agriculture education at the high school and college levels.
The delivery of agriculture education also has continued to evolve over the course
of American history. Agriculture education offered a hybrid learning structure including
classroom theory and field experience application. Wilcox (1991) said that government
financial support was to tie academic curriculum, technical education, create articulation
agreements with post-secondary schools, and to align CTE studies with identified
industrial workforce standards. Advancements in educational technology and teacher
preparation programming has led to positive impacts in both teacher pedagogical capacity
and student engagement. Agriculture and horticulture teaching and learning has
continued to re-develop itself over the past few decades, largely due to the constant
improvements of educational technology. These new technological advancements in the
classroom has led to greater degrees of student enrollment and participation.

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This mixed methods action research study aims to examine current student
perceptions of the agriculture and horticulture programming currently being offered
within the Derry Area School District. This study will be mixed-methods in nature, where
surveys and interviews will be conducted. Caruth (2013) said:
Mixed methods research is a valid alternative to quantitative and qualitative
research. Mixed methods research offers real insight into the subject being studies
as well as capturing important research data that may have only been captured
using only a singular research method. Mixed methods research also generates
more knowledge and questions of whatever subject is being investigated as well.
(p. 4)
The study will include three categories of identified participants. The first group of
participants are 8th grade students, who will be given a Google survey to complete. This
group of participants are the possible future agriculture and horticulture students.
The second group of participants are 9th to 12th grade high school students, who
will also be given a Google survey to complete. These students are the current recruiting
targets of the agriculture and horticulture programming. The last group of participants are
recent graduates, within the past five years, of agriculture and horticulture programming.
These students will complete a phone or in-person interview.
Purpose
This action research study seeks to explore and highlight student perceptions of
the agriculture and horticulture programs that are currently being offered within the Derry
Area School District. It is important to be noted that a study of this nature has never been
conducted within the Derry Area School District in previous years. Over the years, the

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Derry Area School Board of Directors has made a significant investment into agriculture
and horticulture educational programming. It is important for the district to understand if
the present and future students understand, have knowledge of, and intend to utilize
current agriculture and horticulture programming offered within the Derry Area School
District.
Also, the study seeks to identify student knowledge of agriculture or horticulture
careers as well as why or why not these students are participating within the agriculture
or horticulture programs. This mixed methods study will examine perceptions of recent
Derry Area School District graduates that are agriculture and horticulture program
completers through the use of phone and in-person interviews.
Lastly, this research study seeks to understand driving factors that influence
students to enrollment or push them away from enrollment. Myers et. al (2003) said that
agriculture education enrollment at the secondary education level peaked in the 1970s.
This study also looks to identify sustainability factors that currently exist in the program,
which are actively keeping students within the program and pushing them to program
completion. This study also seeks to provide an understanding to the student knowledge
of career opportunities within the agriculture and horticulture field.
In order to facilitate and guide this specific research plan, the following three
questions were developed and examined:
1. What is the perception among 8th Grade students of the Agriculture/Horticulture

CTE Programs within the Derry Area School District?
2. What is the perception among all Derry Area High School students of the

Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs?

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3. What is the perception among students who recently graduated within the past

five years from the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the Derry Area
School District?
As previously stated, a study of this nature has never been completed over the
history of agriculture and horticulture programming within the Derry Area School
District. Dyer et al. (2003) said that agriculture teachers largely have used their own
experiences, research, and informal inquiries to develop and grow as educators. This
element can also be the cause for little to no growth in agriculture programming if the
culture and climate of the existing program is not investigated.
The new information gained from this study will allow the school district and
program teachers to develop new recruiting efforts and align curriculum to student
interest inventories within the industry standard framework system. The ultimate goal of
this research study is to see agriculture and horticulture student enrollment numbers
continue to climb.
Setting and Participants
Setting
This specific, mixed methods action research study was conducted in a school
district that has approximately 1,800 students and 130 staff members in southwestern
Pennsylvania. The district is comprised of two main complexes. The elementary complex
is a pre-kindergarten through grade 5, which boasts a student population of nearly 700
students. The secondary complex includes grades grade 6 through 12 and also has a
student population of nearly 1,100 students. The secondary complex also contains a subcomplex, which is the agriculture and horticulture complex. The Derry Area School

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District is the only school district in Westmoreland County that teaches agriculture
education of any kind, let alone having two CTE programs, which are Agriculture and
Horticulture.
Participants
The Derry Area School District also has a student population that is nearly 50.3%
socio-economically disadvantaged and on the free and reduced lunch program.
Additionally, nearly 19% of the student population in grades K-12 are identified as
special education students. The Derry Area School District also sees nearly 27% of the
current high school population attending career and technical education either at the
Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center or the current Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programs being offered within the school district. Within this career
and technical education breakdown, nearly 41% of the Derry Area School District career
and technical education students attend agriculture or horticulture programming within
the district. Of all students graduating from Derry Area High School, nearly 40% move
directly into the workforce or trades.
Career and technical programming offers students within the Derry Area School
District hands-on application opportunities not seen in conventional classrooms. From a
Future Ready Pennsylvania Index scoring perspective, the Derry Area School District
significantly out-performs other school districts in the state of Pennsylvania. Nearly 96%
of Derry Area High School graduates have scored as proficient or advanced on IndustryBased Learning standards, which is nearly 70% higher than the state average. This
positive scoring disparity for the district is due to the number of students scoring
proficient or advanced on the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute test in

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

the respective CTE course area, attaining industry-recognized credentials, or completing
work-based learning experiences with local employers.
All current students participating in this study are volunteers and have overgone
appropriate and established consent process procedures prior to the completion of any
surveys. Action study participants and associated parents or guardians have the option to
discontinue the completion of the survey at any moment in the process or have their
results destroyed. Additionally, post-graduate participants will also sign off on the
interview coversheet and also be given a copy of all initial established questions to be
asked over the course of the interview.
There are currently 158 8th grade future Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
students available to complete the Google survey. Additionally, there are nearly 580 high
school students who are available to complete the Google survey, who are either
currently enrolled within the Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programming or in regular
education pathway course. Lastly, the action research plan aims to randomly interview
five students over the previous five years of graduating classes starting with the
Graduating Class of 2018. In total, this survey hopes to gain future, present, and past
student perceptions of the Derry Area School District Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
programming in order to enhance both programs and increase student enrollment.

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Table 1
Participants in the Study
Student Group
Identified

Current Regular
Education or CTE
Students (High
School Surveys
Only)
N/A

Number of
Possible Current
or Former
Student
Participants
155 Students

Regular Education

455 Students

High School Students

CTE Students

145 Students

Student Graduates –
Class of 2018
Student Graduates –
Class of 2019
Student Graduates –
Class of 2020
Student Graduates –
Class of 2021
Student Graduates –
Class of 2022

N/A

5 Former
Students
5 Former
Students
5 Former
Students
5 Former
Students
5 Former
Students

Middle School
Students
High School Students

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

Note. This information for the study was assembled by the researcher.
All study participants, as previously stated, have been well-informed of the
survey, been provided with survey questions, and have had appropriate consent forms
completed if applicable. Additionally, Google survey results can be automatically shared
with the study participant if requested by the student or parent. It is also important to note
that the Google survey information shared by the study participant is completed
anonymously, as no email or computer specific information will be shared or associated
with this study.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Research Plan
The Derry Area School District Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs are
available to all current high school students and to high school students of neighboring
school districts without these specific CTE programs. Both CTE programs have a
professional staff that includes two Agriculture Education certified teachers and one aide
position. Both programs have held student enrollments of 80-100 students over the past
three years. Students who aim to be course completers for each of these programs must at
least take two courses per school year. Both CTE programs are four-year programs and
require a minimum of 1,320 hours of vocational instruction, as per Act 6 in the
Pennsylvania School Code (Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2017). Additionally,
both CTE programs go through a yearly re-approval process through the Pennsylvania
Department of Education, where educator credentials, courses, equipment, safety, and
college cooperative agreements are reviewed and approved.
Currently, the Derry Area School District Agriculture CTE program consists of
eight courses including Vet Science, Large Animal Production Science, Small Animal
Science, CASE: Natural Resource and Ecology, Ag Mechanics Lab, Power Equipment
and Repair, Introduction to Ag Production and Mechanics, and Career and Leadership.
The Horticulture CTE program consists of seven courses including Introduction to
Horticulture, Greenhouse Production, Floral Design, CASE: Plant Science, CASE:
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, Introduction to Ag Production and Mechanics,
and Career and Leadership. Student must also participate in membership activities with
the Derry Area FFA organization as well as complete an SAE project concentrated on
their CTE program as well as their specific post-graduation career plan.

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Typically, most agriculture and horticulture, high school-level CTE programs
never take the time or have the time to survey students to find out their interest
inventories or allow for student feedback time. Additionally, students at the high school
level are rarely afforded the opportunity to provide teachers with feedback on the
teaching and learning structures in place in the classroom. This research study sets to
utilize quantitative and qualitative data of past, present, and future Derry Area School
District students in order to identify common areas when improvements could be made
which could then drive up student enrollment.
Foster and Finley (1995) said that interpersonal relationships, good human skills,
and leadership are vital characteristics of an effective agriculture educator. Therefore, it is
vital to obtain a student perspective on how these teachers are performing and growing
the career and technical programming. These deficiency areas, with regard to program
assessment, are magnified when looking at the need for curriculum improvement and
student enrollment growth in these programs.
There is also a lack of current research in the area of growing Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programming as well as student perceptions with regard to this type of
vocational programming. The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced the Pennsylvania
Department of Education (PDE) to place a greater emphasis on school districts to focus
on learning loss and improving educational outcomes for historically underperforming
and underrepresented subgroups, which could have resulted in a lack of focus in
researching CTE enrollment concerns within the Derry Area School District.
Most studies highlighted in the literature review process are from the 1990 and
2000 era. Education, as well as CTE programming, has experienced much change due to

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

the emergence of new technology and career fields. In agriculture, there is a major shift
to expanding agribusiness opportunities, as government and private corporations have
taken over small farms (Wright et al., 2019). Additionally, precision agriculture is being
used in order to mass produce crops due to food scarcity issues plaguing the world
(Hareez et al, 2022).
The literature review research also highlighted concerns on the lack of teacher
professional development time and capacity growth issues due to time constraints of the
agriculture and horticulture teachers’ operational management responsibilities. Classroom
instruction, SAE project, and FFA membership are the three main pillars of agriculture
education in the United States (Rose et. al, 2016). This creates significant time issues
with regard to agriculture and horticulture teachers’ responsibilities in managing not only
multiple courses in the curriculum, but also overseeing the FFA and Supervised
Agricultural Experiences.
There are also Career Developmental Experiences that these same agricultural and
horticulture teachers oversee as well within the FFA structure. Rose et al. (2016) found
that those FFA chapters or clubs that attend state and national events have higher student
enrollments and greater sustainability within those enrollments. These factors go hand-inhand with student enrollment growth as well as the condition of the teacher-leadership of
the agriculture and horticulture programs.
Agriculture teachers also need to be open and eager to learn new instruction
pedagogical techniques with regard to the emerging technologies available within the
fields of agriculture and horticulture. Jayaratne (2015) argued:

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Agriculture teachers need to continually and intentionally learn and train with the
latest in agricultural technology and advancements. Teaching students with the
latest agricultural technology tools and resources will enable students to
comprehend and utilize technology earlier in their career preparation. (p. 7-8)
This specific research plan meets the need of the research problem regarding the
need to gain student perceptions regarding the future direction of the Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programs within the Derry Area School District. This research plan
seeks to highlight student perceptions from the perspective of future, present, and former
agriculture and horticulture students. These perceptions and perspectives are vitally
important to the school district, whose aim is to improve the dynamic programming being
offered within the CTE structure.
This survey and interview data will also look to provide a basis for curricula
modification and teacher professional development focus areas, as well as being reviewed
with the Occupational Advisory Committee (OAC). It is important for the OAC
community members to understand how students feel about both agriculture and
horticulture education, as well as their career and workforce knowledge level currently
within the field of agriculture.
Research Design, Methods, and Data Collection
Research Design
A mixed methods research design was selected and utilized for this specific
educational study. Mixed methods research was established around the year 2000, in
order to fit the needs of any potential research project that would benefit from both
quantitative and qualitative research aspects (Venkatesh et. al, 2013). Even though the

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

mixing of research methods is relatively new, research is showing that the use of both
quantitative and qualitative research methods in one study can complement one another
and result in the creation of more research questions for future studies (Creswell, 2012).
In order to correctly utilize mixed methodologies, a research should have a
comprehensive understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Mixed methods research is much more time-consuming, detailed, extensive, and could
possible require the need of a team to complete (Creswell, 2012). According to
Venkatesh et al (2013), there are seven purposes for a mixed methods research study,
which are:
1. Complementarity
2. Completeness
3. Developmental
4. Expansion
5. Corroboration or Confirmation
6. Compensation
7. Diversity
Mixed methods research seeks to provide researchers with opportunities to quantify
variables and to explain, inform, and validate their findings (Caruth, 2013).
Methods
The researcher selected a mixed methods educational research study due to the
depth of understanding that could be taken from past, present, and future agriculture and
horticulture CTE students within the Derry Area School District. The researcher used a
quantitative Google surveys for both the 8th grade student survey as well as the high

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

school student survey, which includes both open-ended and closed ended questions. In
addition, the researcher utilized a qualitative, semi-structured interview for graduates
from the Derry Area School District Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs.
This research plan was achieved in three different mixed-methods phases. During
the first phase of the research plan, data was gathered in form of Google surveys sent
electronically to current 470 8th grade students of the 2022-2023 school year. These
students completed the surveys during the early morning activity period, as to limit the
impact of taking away teacher instructional time. The questions included in the Google
survey were both descriptive and closed-ended and open-ended in nature. The survey
took students approximately ten minutes to complete during this activity period.
The second phase of this research plan included 600 high school students
completing the quantitative Google survey during period 1, while career and technology
students completed this survey during the early morning homeroom period to ensure the
highest level of survey completion for those students who had prior parental or guardian
consent completed. The data collected will then be disaggregated based on whether or not
that student attended either career and technology classes or not. The survey took high
school students not longer than ten minutes to complete.
The third phase of this research plan was for the researcher to conduct qualitative
interviews with Derry Area School District students who graduated within the past five
years. A list of graduates was collected and sent through a simple random selection
process, where five graduates from each of the last graduating classes starting at 2018
were selected for participation purposes.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

This plan segment of the study took place in the form a phone call or in-person
interview. Student graduate participates completed a signature survey summary sheet and
were provided with a list of the scripted interview questions that were asked. Participants
were told that they could quit at any moment of the interview process if they chose to or
felt uncomfortable answering various questions. The questions asked during this phase of
the data collection process were descriptive and open-ended in nature. The phone or inperson interviews lasted between 20 minutes to one hour in length.
For the 8th grade student survey, the researcher used a nine-question quantitative
survey, which utilized both open-ended and closed-ended survey questions. Bryman
(2001) argues that the quantitative research approach is the research that places emphasis
on numbers and figures in the collection and analysis of the data. The initial questions
sought to establish how many years the student attended the Derry Area School District
as well as discover if the student knew about the agriculture and horticulture
programming that operates within the school district. The 8th grade student survey then
asked potential, future agriculture or horticulture students about the career pathway that
they planned to enroll in next year once they start their high school experience.
The survey asked the 8th grade student if they plan on enrolling in the agriculture
and horticulture courses offered within the Derry Area School District. There are then
two follow-up questions, which are open-ended in nature, looking to find out why or why
not the 8th grade students planned to enroll in agriculture or horticulture programs within
the school district. The 8th grade survey ended by asking an open-ended question about
factors that would persuade students to enroll into agriculture or horticulture CTE courses

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

as well as asking students if they are aware of careers in the field of agriculture and
horticulture at both the local and national level.
The researcher looked to understand what resources or knowledge were lacking in
both the agriculture and horticulture CTE programs as well as identify other lacking
curriculum elements from the K-8 framework regarding the education of students on
agriculture careers. The goal is that data collection from this survey will help both the
researcher, administration, and agriculture and horticulture teachers understand reasons
why or why not students are choosing to enroll in the CTE programming as well as
student knowledge of the field of agriculture and adjoined future career fields. It is
important to be noted that the researcher obtained guidance from lead professors and
educational researchers at Penn State University when building this 8th grade survey, as
the Derry Area School District has close partnerships with the university.
The second quantitative survey used in this study was administered to the high
school students who currently attend the Derry Area School District, including both
agriculture and non-agriculture students. This 14-question survey included both openended and closed-ended questions. The first several quantitative survey questions
established the grade level of the student and also highlighted if they were currently an
agriculture or horticulture student. If a student answered that they currently were a
student within the agriculture or horticulture CTE programs, the researcher then included
a survey question that looked for how many years the student was in the agriculture or
horticulture CTE programs.
The high school survey then went on to ask students if they have taken agriculture
or horticulture courses as electives or if they are taking the courses as part of their future

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

career plan, where they would likely be in these courses to be classified as CTE course
completers. Next, the researcher asked the high school students if they were ever enrolled
in any agriculture or horticulture CTE courses and then decided to drop them. The
researcher then provided an open-ended question that enables students to identify reasons
why they ultimately decided to drop the agriculture or horticulture CTE course.
Next, the researcher followed up with several consecutive questions aimed at
current agriculture or horticulture students. These open-ended questions asked the
agriculture or horticulture CTE students what they liked about their current courses as
well as what they did not like about their courses. The researcher then asked the
agriculture or horticulture student to rate their current level of satisfaction from the
instruction that they receive in their respective programs as well as an open-ended
explanation to their previous response.
The high school survey then shifted to ask all high school student if they were
aware of careers within the agriculture industry, as well as a follow-up, open-ended
question as to where in their high school studies that they acquired this knowledge. The
high school survey ended by asking all non-agriculture or horticulture CTE students what
would persuade them to enroll in CTE courses in an open-ended question format. The
final question of the high school survey asked agriculture students what their prospective
career is going to be within the agriculture industry upon graduation from the Derry Area
School District.
The goal of the high school survey is to understand the knowledge level as well as
the perception of students within Derry Area High School, in hopes to both sustain
current student enrollment as well as grow the program. The survey also looks to identify

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

student seriousness in finishing CTE programming once they are enrolled. Additionally,
the high school survey looks to highlight reasons why students are dropping out of both
CTE programs, as well as identify common factors that are both liked and not liked by
the current agriculture and horticulture CTE students.
The high school survey also focused on gaining a student perspective on the level
of instruction and career education that they are currently obtaining within the agriculture
or horticulture CTE programming. The final pieces of data that the researcher was hoping
to gain from students is what additional features could be added to the agriculture or
horticulture CTE programs that would prompt them to enroll. Once again, it is important
to note that the researcher obtained guidance from professors and researchers from Penn
State University when building this survey, as the university is in a close partnership with
the Derry Area School District.
The last research method used in this research study framework was the execution
of semi-structured interviews with recent agriculture or horticulture CTE students from
the Derry Area School District. Berg and Howard (2012) said that qualitative research
contains all necessary instruments that can evoke recall, which aids in problem solving.
With this last research method, the researcher obtained a list of students who graduated
from both agriculture or horticulture programs over the past five previous years. The
researcher then conducted a simple random selection process to identify five participants
from each of the previous five graduating classes, which would total a hopeful 25 recent
graduate participants.
The post graduate semi-structured interview included ten questions. The first
several questions asked for the amount of time they spent in the program as well if they

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

completed the CTE program prior to graduation while they were a student at Derry Area
High School. The next semi-structured question asked if the graduate is currently
working as well as then asking what type of post-graduate education that they received, if
any.
Next, the researcher asked what the agriculture or horticulture CTE graduate liked
or did not like about their CTE respective program while they were a student at Derry
Area. The researcher followed up with the graduate, and asked them to rate how they
liked the instruction that they received, as well as providing suggestions to what could be
improved within the agriculture and horticulture CTE programs to increase student
enrollment numbers in the years to come. It is important to note that these semistructured interview questions were built with the assistance of professors and researchers
at Penn State University. The ultimate goal of the post-graduate interviews is to highlight
important feedback from students who have graduated from the agriculture and
horticulture CTE programs and are hopefully working in those respective fields. It would
also be a benefit to take back this interview data to the OAC that supports both
agriculture and horticulture programs at Derry Area High School.
Data Collection
Approval to launch this study was given by the Institutional Review Board of
PennWest University on October 4, 2022 and expires on October 3, 2023. The email
showing approval can be found in Appendix A. Appendix B provided a disclosure to
participants and parents/guardians regarding consent for the participation in the 8th grade
student survey, as well the list of the survey questions. Appendix C provided a disclosure
to participants and parents/guardians regarding consent for the participation in the high

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

school survey, as well the list of the survey questions. Appendix D provided a disclosure
to participants regarding consent for the participation in the post-graduate, semistructured interview, as well the list of the interview questions.
A research timeline was created by the researcher at the beginning of the research
project. This timetable is listed below in Table 2, where the researcher highlighted
anticipated versus actual collection dates of research data that needed to be collected for
this study. Any discrepancy in date typically dealt with waiting on consent forms to be
signed and aligning the survey implementation date with multiple building principals and
teachers, which at times could bring about scheduling difficulties.
Table 2
Data Collection Timeline
Anticipated Date
Collection Date
March – April 2023
March – April 2023
March – April 2023

Data Item to be Collected
8th Grade Student Surveys
on Google Form
High School Student
Surveys on Google Form
Post-Graduate Student
Interviews

Actual Data Collection
Date
March – April 2023
March – April 2023
April 2023

Note. Data was collected by the researcher of this study between March and April of
2023.
Fiscal Implications
This research study followed a mixed-methods model to examine the three
selected research questions. First, a Google survey was contemplated and selected due to
not only the nature of ease and familiarity by the students completing it, but also the
financial implication of the program. Google Suite is a free platform that the researcher

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

previously had. Therefore, there was no financial impact from utilizing the Google survey
system for both the 8th grade and high school-level surveys.
For the qualitative interview questions, the researcher did create a $250.00 budget
to account for former Derry Area School District graduates meeting the researcher for an
in-person interview. If all 25 post-graduate participants participate in the study and wish
to meet in person, the researcher budgeted a modest ten dollars for a coffee or light lunch
meeting.
No general or art supplies were needed for these particular quantitative or
qualitative surveys or interviews. Additionally, moving the 8th grade and high school
surveys to the Google Suite platform eliminated the need for the cost of a printer, ink, and
paper supplies. Lastly, incentives were considered for Derry Area post-graduate
participates. Ultimately, the researcher chose not to use incentives due to the close-knit
nature of the school district, as most participants intrinsically wished to participate in the
study to genuinely provide input that would aid to the improvement of both the
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs.
Validity
The principles underlying naturalistic and qualitative research are based on the
fact that validity is a matter of trustworthiness, utility, and dependability that the
researcher places into it (Zohrabi, 2013).
Validity is based on whether the research is believable and true and whether it is
evaluating what it is supposed to evaluate. Validity is an essential criterion for
evaluating the quality and acceptability of the research. The quality of the

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

instruments selected to collect data is crucial. Conclusions are drawn from the
research data that is collected. (p. 2-3)
It is also vital that all content validity, internal validity, and external validity are all used
when assessing the quality and believability of all data collected during the duration of
the research project.
Content validity is very important to assess during the data collection process.
This type of validity makes sure that all questions being asked, both quantitative and
qualitative are appropriate and geared toward the mixed methods study problems
identified (Zohrabi, 2013). Unclear and obscure questions should be considered for
review and revision, as well as complex items to be reworded. Content validity makes
sure that skills and behaviors are adequately measured (Zohrabi, 2013).
Internal validity focuses on the researcher’s ability to make sure what is being
measured is actually supposed to be measured in the first place. Merriam and Tisdell
(2015) suggest that a researcher may apply different methods to make sure that internal
validity is established, which include triangulation and researcher bias. It is very
important for the researcher to apply triangulation to all data collection, which involves
the collection of multiple types of research. Additionally, the researcher needs to also
make sure that their bias is kept in check throughout the study. The researcher should
stick to rules and ethics throughout the duration of the study (Zohrabi, 2013).
External validity is also a crucial element that a researcher needs to focus on
during the data collection process. External validity is concerned with the applicability of
the research findings with other subjects or in other studies (Zohrabi, 2013). The ability
of the data that is collected in the research study to be generalizable is a crucial in the

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

data collection process. The data collection process is effective when the researcher can
take data into the findings process to produce broad generalizations to wider populations
and subjects.
The data collection tools for this specific research study on the agriculture and
horticulture CTE programs within the Derry Area School District were thoughtfully
designed and researched prior to implementation. The researcher reached out to one of
the top agriculture colleges in the nation, Penn State University, for guidance when
creating the qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. The researcher also
consulted with agriculture and horticulture teachers within the school district, as well as
the guidance counseling department when deciding the methodology of questions asked,
both in the student surveys and interviews.
The researcher looked to establish triangulation in the data collection process by
the utilization of quantitative student surveys and qualitative interviews with postgraduates. The researcher looked at perception data from all 8th grade, possible future
Agriculture CTE students as well as both high school Agriculture CTE students and nonAgriculture CTE students. The researcher then gathered perception data from postgraduates, through simply random selection, who graduated within the past five school
years, as Agriculture or Horticulture CTE completers. This style of data collection
provided by data and methodology triangulation for this study. Additionally, the threat of
researcher bias was taken out of this study by utilization of multiple parties, both internal
and external, when building the data collection methods.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Summary
This chapter highlighted the methodology selected in this mixed-methods
research study, which focused on highlighted past, present, and future Derry Area School
District students’ perceptions of the Agriculture and Horticulture programs. This specific
study has been developed to make sure that all the data collected during this study was
done ethically and with full validity and reliability. Triangulation was established with
the data collected during this study, as multiple subjects over multiples years were
selected for this study. Fiscal implications for this study were also addressed, as they
were very minimal due the data collection methods selected. Chapter IV will move on to
examine the results of the data collection process.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

CHAPTER IV
Data Analysis and Review
In this chapter, the data analysis and results of the research is presented, as it is
aligned to the three main research questions which were established throughout the
research. The results and findings from both the qualitative and quantitative research in
this mixed methods study include data from current students who attend both Derry Area
Middle School and Derry Area High School. In order to address the three research
questions established in this study, a quantitative survey which included several
qualitative, open-ended questions were created and completed by current 8th grade and
high school students within the Derry Area School District. Additionally, a qualitative
interview question script was established for Agriculture and Horticulture CTE postgraduate students. The ultimate purpose of this study is to examine reasons why student
enrollment could be dropping within the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs and
to also find ways in increase student enrollment within these same programs.
This chapter will have a keen focus on the data which was collected from both the
qualitative and quantitative surveys and interviews. The process which was used to
collect the data from current students and graduates for this study will be provided at the
beginning of this chapter. The quantitative data collected in this study was in form of a
Google Form survey, which was distributed to both current 8th grade and high school
students in order to provide solutions to the first two research questions. These same
Google Form surveys also included several open-ended, qualitative response questions
for student to provide individual feedback and deepening conversation.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

The post-graduate interview format could not be completed due to lack of
responses from this targeted group. The researcher called 25 randomly selected
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE post-graduate students two to three times each, with no
response or the phone numbers were disconnected from the older school information
system. Due to the inability to contact this specific group, the third research question,
which focuses on the perceptions of Agriculture and Horticulture CTE post-graduates
could not be addressed. The results from the data collection will be displayed in a
narrative form with several tables and figures used to highlight the data. This chapter will
then conclude with a discussion and summary. The discussion section will allow for
additional explanation and expansion of the data collected from this research study. The
summary section will provide an overall conclusion of this chapter as well as provide a
preview for Chapter V.
Data Analysis
This particular research study utilized a mixed methods research design as
previously established throughout this study. First, a quantitative Google Form survey
which included qualitative open-ended response questions was sent to current 8th grade
students during the 2022-2023 school year. This survey was administered at a specific
time in the school year where students have just concluded scheduling conversations with
both their families and guidance counselor teams that focus on the academic and
workforce pathways that the students will follow at the high school level. Roughly 130
8th grade students completed and provided answers to the quantitate and qualitative openended questions.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

The second quantitative survey, which also included qualitative open-ended
questions, was administered to 308 current high school students, which also include
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students. The third qualitative survey interview
questions were directed towards Agriculture and Horticulture CTE post-graduate
students. The third research question could not be achieved due to the inability of the
researcher to establish contact with Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students. Reasons
for the inability to establish communication with this group included both failure of the
post-graduates to call the researcher back and also disconnected phone lines based on
phone numbers registered in the school information system.
The essential research questions that were analyzed using these surveys were:
1. What is the perception among 8th Grade students of the Agriculture/Horticulture
CTE Programs within the Derry Area School District?
2. What is the perception among all Derry Area High School students of the
Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs?
3. What is the perception among students who recently graduated within the past 5
years from the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the Derry Area
School District?
Results
The results from the mixed methods Google Form surveys will be included in the
figures shown below, which address essential research questions one and two. Each
figure will include a narrative below it that will aim to explain the data resulting from the
specific survey question, whether quantitative or qualitative.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Mixed Methods Data Analysis – Research Question 1
The first survey question for this research study asks, “What is the perception
among 8th Grade students of the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the Derry
Area School District?” Figures 1-9 provide data that includes the current 8th grader
perception and knowledge of Agriculture and Horticulture programming at Derry Area
High School.
Figure 1 highlights the amount of years that current 8th grade students have
attended the Derry Area School District.
Figure 1
Years that 8th Grade Student Attended Derry Area

It appears that 42.3% of 8th graders who completed the survey have attended the Derry
Area School District for eight years. Additionally, 30% of 8th graders who completed the
survey have attended the Derry Area School District for nine years included
Kindergarten, as reviewed in the open-ended data notes. The remaining 36 students or
27.7% of 8th grade students who are attributed in Figure 1 have attended the Derry Area
School District for less than seven years.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 2 shows if the 8th grade students have learned about Agriculture or
Horticulture educational topics or programs in prior grades within the Derry Area School
District.
Figure 2
Learned About Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programming in Prior Grades

There were 43.1% of 8th grade students who participated in this survey responded that
they did learn about Agriculture or Horticulture topics or programs. There were also
56.9% of 8th grade students responded that they did not learn about Agriculture or
Horticulture topics or programs while being students within the Derry Area School
District.
Figure 3 shows the results from 13 recorded answers for the open-ended question
which asked 8th grade students where they learned about Agriculture or Horticulture
topics or programs.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 3
Open-Ended Question – Students Who Learned About Agriculture/Horticulture Programs
in Prior Grades

The researcher created two categories of responses based on the data collected from
students for this question, which were either Internal Tours or Elementary Ag Days.
Internal Tours are when the 8th grades visit the Agriculture complex prior to 8th grade
scheduling to see the CTE courses and visit the complex. Elementary Ag Days represent
a special event where Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students go down to the
elementary level to conduct a week of educational experience for the elementary learners,
which are filled with many fun and engaging events. Of the students who responded to
this question, 46.2% of these students said that they learned about Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programs from the 8th grade internal tour while 53.8% of students said
that they learned about these same programs from the Elementary Ag Days.
Figure 4 highlights 8th grader responses for their anticipated career pathway of
interest when they begin courses at Derry Area High School.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 4
Career Pathways of Interest in the High School

There were 19.2% of 8th graders wish to pursue to Arts and Communication pathway.
Additionally, 21.5% of 8th graders plan to pursue the Business, Finance, and
Informational Technology pathway. Also, 21.5% of 8th graders plan to pursue the
Engineering and Industrial Technology pathway. In addition, 19.2% of 8th graders plan to
pursue the Human Services pathway. Lastly, 18.5% of 8th graders plan to pursue the
Science and Health pathway.
Figure 5 shows the percentage of students planning to attend the Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programming once they start courses at Derry Area High School.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 5
8th Grade Students Planning to Enroll in Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs

There were 65.4% or 85 8th graders responded that they are not planning to enroll in
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming for the 2023-2024 school year.
Additionally, 34.6% or 45 8th graders responded that they are planning to enroll in
Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programming for the 2023-2024 school year.
Figure 6 shows open-ended responses which were completed by 8th grade students
who responded that they plan to enroll in Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs for
the 2023-2024 school year.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 6
Open-Ended Question – Reasons Why 8th Grade Student Plans to Enroll in
Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs

Student responses were grouped into four main categories created by the researcher after
reviewing and coding response types. Fifty percent or 16 of the 8th grade students
responded that they plan to enroll due to Animal Science interest or courses. Also, 36.7%
or 11 of the 8th grade students responded that they plan to enroll due to being attracted or
engaged with the Horticulture CTE program. Lastly, 15.6% or five of the 8th grade
students responded that they plan to enroll due to the perceived fun that it would be to
take Agriculture or Horticulture CTE courses.
Figure 7 shows reasons why 8th grade students are not planning to enroll in
Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs at Derry Area High School.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 7
Open-Ended Question – Reasons Why 8th Grade Student Plans Not to Enroll in
Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs

The researcher created four main categories that data was organized into based on the
type of response. There were 68.5% or 89 of the 8th graders responded that they simply
do not have interest in the fields of agriculture or horticulture. Also, 7.7% or 10 of the 8th
graders responded that they plan to enroll in a different academic pathway which is nonCTE. Eight or 6.2% of the 8th graders responded that they plan to enroll at the Eastern
Westmoreland Career and Technology Center (EWCTC) once they start their high school
careers. One or 0.8% of 8th grader responded that they have experienced parent pressure
to not enroll in Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programming. Lastly, 16.9% or 22 of the
8th graders responded in a very unclear manner which could not be considered acceptable
or attributable.
Figure 8 shows data which reflects 8th grader responses for what factors would
drive them to enroll in the Agriculture and Horticulture programs offered within the
Derry Area School District.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 8
Opened-Ended Question – Types of Courses or Programming That Would Persuade 8th
Grade Student to Consider Enrolling in Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programming

The researcher created four main categories that responses were codes and grouped into
based on the type of response. There were 46.3% or 25 of the 8th graders responded that
they wish that there was scientific, hands-on application of the learning within the
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs. Additionally, 29.6% or 16 of the 8th graders
said that they wish that there were more horticulture courses offered within the
programming. Nine or 16.7% of the 8th graders responded that they wish there were more
animal or animal science-type courses or programming offered. Lastly, 7.4% or four of
the 8th graders responded that they wish there was more mechanic or mechanicsapplication based courses offered at the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE complex.
Figure 9 shows the 8th graders’ awareness of the job market with the field of
Agriculture and Horticulture both locally and nationally.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 9
8th Grade Student Awareness of the Local and National Agriculture/Horticulture Job
Market

There were 67.7% or 88 of the 8th graders said that they are aware of the agriculture and
horticulture job markets both locally and nationally. Also, 32.3% or 42 of the 8th graders
responded that they are not aware of the agriculture or horticulture job market both
locally and nationally.
Mixed Methods Data Analysis – Research Question 2
The second survey question for this research study asks, “What is the perception
among all Derry Area High School students of the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE
Programs?” Figures 10-23 provide data that includes the current high school student
perceptions and knowledge of Agriculture and Horticulture programming currently being
offered within their educational building.
Out of the 308 high school survey respondents, Figure 10 highlights grade level
breakdown of these particular students.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 10
High School Student Current Grade Level

There were 24.7% or 76 of the survey respondents are 9th graders. Also, 21.4% or 66 of
the survey respondents are 10th graders. Lastly, 28.6% or 88 of the survey respondents are
11th graders. 25.3% or 78 of the survey respondents are 12th graders.
Figure 11 shows the number of current high school students enrolled within the
Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs.
Figure 11
High School Students Who are Currently Enrolled in Agriculture/Horticulture Programs

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

There were 77.3% or 238 of the students who completed the survey indicated that they
are not currently enrolled within Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs. Seventy or
22.7% of the students who completed their survey responded that they are currently
students within the Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs.
Figure 12 shows the total years that current students, who identified themselves
as agriculture or horticulture students, have been enrolled in either Agriculture or
Horticulture courses at Derry Area High School.
Figure 12
Current Agriculture/Horticulture Students – Total Years in Agriculture/Horticulture
Program

There were 67% or 72 of the high school students identified themselves as first year
agriculture or horticulture students. Also, 20.8% or 22 of the high school students
identified themselves as second year agriculture or horticulture students. Lastly, 6.1% or
six of the students identified themselves as third and also forth year agriculture or
horticulture students.
Figure 13 shows reasons why current Agriculture or Horticulture students have
taken Agriculture or Horticulture courses.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 13
Current Agriculture/Horticulture Students – Courses Taken as Elective or Part of Career
Plan

There were 67% or 77 of the students took Agriculture or Horticulture CTE courses as
electives only. Lastly, 33% or 38 of the students took Agriculture of Horticulture CTE
courses as part of their career plan as they look to be program completers.
Figure 14 highlights any of the survey respondents who were ever previously
enrolled in the Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs and decided to drop out of
them.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 14
High School Students Who Were Ever Enrolled in Agriculture/Horticulture CTE
Programs and Decided to Drop the Course(s)

There were 91.9% or 283 of the students who completed this survey indicated that they
were never enrolled in Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs. Additionally, 8.1% or
25 of the students who survey indicated that they were previously enrolled in Agriculture
or Horticulture CTE programs and decided to drop out of them.
Figure 15 shows the reasons why former Agriculture and Horticulture students
dropped out of Agriculture or Horticulture courses.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 15
Open-Ended Question – Reasons Why Former Agriculture/Horticulture Students
Dropped Course(s)

The researcher organized the student responses to this open-ended question into five
categories based on the similarity of response type. Eight or 33.3% of the students said
that they only took the Agriculture or Horticulture courses for exploratory purposes and
not part of their career plan. Eight or 33.3% of the students said that they simply lost
interest in the programming. Six or 25% of the students said that they moved into
EWCTC courses. One or 4.2% of the students said that they transferred to other school
district, which forced them to discontinue the programming. One or 4.2% of the students
said that the location of the building and walking to the courses was the reason why they
dropped out of the Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs.
Figure 16 shows elements that current Agriculture and Horticulture students like
about their courses.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 16
Open-Ended Question – Current Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Students – Components
They Like About Course(s)

The researcher organized the student responses to this open-ended question into nine
categories based on the similarity of response type. There were 29.2% or 19 of the
students like the hands-on learning components of their courses. Eleven or 16.9% of the
students like the Horticulture curriculum elements. Eight or 12.3% of the students like
how the cross-cutting science standards operate in an inter-disciplinary manner with their
Agriculture or Horticulture course. Seven or 10.8% of the students responded that they
like their teachers. Six or 9.2% of the students responded that learning about animals or
animal science is their main like. Six or 9.2% of the students indicated that east of the
curriculum was their main like about the courses. Four or 6.2% of the students said that
mechanics or the mechanic’s lab was the main thing that they liked about the programs.
Three or 4.6% of the students responded that the social bonding is a main element that
they like. Lastly, 1.5% or one of the students highlighted that they like the career
preparation components.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 17 shows elements that current Agriculture and Horticulture students do
not like about their courses.
Figure 17
Open-Ended Question – Current Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Students – Components
They Do Not Like About Course(s)

The researcher organized the student responses to this open-ended question into eight
categories based on the similarity of response type. Eleven or 25.6% of the students said
that they dislike their teachers. Eleven or 25.6% of the students said that they disliked the
location of the building complex. Nine or 20.9% of the students do not like the slow
pacing of the courses. Three or 9.3% of the students said that they do like the outdated
curriculum and feel that many learning materials are outdated. Three or 9.3% of the
students do not like that the learning experiences are not more hands-on in nature. Two or
4.7% of the students do not like that the courses do not include more mechanics type
learning. One or 2.3% of the students do not like that the courses do not include more
animal science curricular components. Lastly, 2.3% or one of the students dislike the
types of courses included in the Agriculture or Horticulture programs.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 18 shows the pleasure level that both current and former Agriculture or
Horticulture students have or had of the instruction that they received from the teachers.
Figure 18
Current or Former Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Students – Pleasure Level of
Instruction

There were 20.6 or 33 of the students said that they greatly liked the instruction. Thirtythree or 20.6% of the students said that they liked the instruction. Also, 41.9% or 67 of
the students are neutral in their pleasure level of the instruction that they received. Of the
students who responded, 6.9% or 11 students did not like the instruction that they
received. Lastly, 10% or 16 of the students greatly did not like the instruction that they
received.
Figure 19 highlights the open-ended response for students to explain their
instructional pleasure level of the Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programming.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 19
Open-Ended Question – Current or Former Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Students –
Explanation of Pleasure Level of Instruction

The researcher organized the student responses to this open-ended question into eight
categories based on the similarity of response type. There were 61.5% or 16 students
responded that they have a deep love and respect for their teachers. Additionally, 26.9%
or seven students said that they have experienced good social bonding with their student
peers. Lastly, 11.5% or three students said that their teachers are boring and that is why
they greatly dislike the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE course.
Figure 20 shows high school student awareness of the current job market within
the Agriculture and Horticulture career sectors.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 20
Student Awareness of Job Market in Agriculture/Horticulture Sectors

There were 50% or 154 of the students responded that they are aware of the job markets
for both Agriculture and Horticulture. Also, 50% or 154 of the students responded that
they are not aware of the job markets for both Agriculture and Horticulture.
Figure 21
Open-Ended Question – Where Students Learned About Careers in
Agriculture/Horticulture Sectors

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 21 shows sources where current Derry Area High School Students have
learned about career sectors in the fields of agriculture and horticulture. The researcher
organized the student responses to this open-ended question into eight categories based
on the similarity of response type. Of the students who responded to this question, 42.1%
or 45 of the students said that they learned about careers in agriculture and horticulture
from their Agriculture and Horticulture CTE courses. There were also 19.6% or 21 of the
students said that they learned from self-research. Additionally, 15% or 16 of the students
said that they learned from conversations with family members or their family had a
farm. Eleven or 10.3% of the students learned from one of their general education courses
at the high school. Seven or 6.5% of the students learned from the Ag Tour from their
time at the middle school. Four or 3.7% of the students learned from one of their general
education courses at the middle school. Two or 1.9% of the students learned from their
friends or peers. Lastly, 0.9% or one of the students learned from one of their general
education courses at the elementary school.
Figure 22 shows reasons that non-Agriculture and Horticulture students would
consider taking Agriculture and Horticulture CTE courses.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Figure 22
Open-Ended Question – Non-Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Students – What Would
Persuade These Students to Take Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Courses

The researcher organized the student responses to this open-ended question into eight
categories based on the similarity of response type. There were 29.5% or 18 of the
students want the courses to match their career goals as they move to post-secondary or
the workforce directly. Of the students who responded, 23% or 14 of the students said
that current Agriculture and Horticulture courses do not fit their schedule. Additionally,
14.8% or nine of the students said that they do not know enough about the courses and
need more information and knowledge prior to enrolling. There were also 13.1% or eight
of the students said that if the courses had better and more engaging teachers then they
would consider enrolling. Six or 9.8% of the students said that there is a need for more
animal or animal science courses to get them to consider enrolling. Three or 4.9% of the
students said that they need more of their friends to enroll in these courses prior to their
enrollment. Three or 3.3% of the students responded that they choose to not enroll due to
low salaries in the career fields of agriculture and horticulture. Lastly, 1.6% or one of the

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

students said that more plant or plant science courses would potentially get them to enroll
in these courses.
Figure 23 shows the perspective careers that current Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE students are interested in pursuing after they graduate.
Figure 23
Open-Ended Question – Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Students – Perspective Careers
After Graduation

The researcher organized the student responses to this open-ended question into 23
categories based on the similarity of response type for those who answered this survey
open-ended question. Ten of the students said that they wish to pursue a career to be a
veterinarian. Nine of the students said that they wish to pursue a career in nursing. Four
of the students responded that they wish to work in the engineering fields. Additionally,
four other students responded that they wish to work in agriculture mechanics. Three of
the students said that they wish to pursue a career in welding. Also, three other students
wish to pursue a career in zoology. There were also three students who said that they

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

wish to work in floral design as a career. There were two students in each of the fields of
agriculture education teaching, elementary teaching, farming, and landscape architecture.
Lastly, there was one student in the careers of business, computer engineering,
construction, doctor, electrician, film, landscaping, game commission, law enforcement,
pilot, soil scientist, and theatre.
Discussion
The main reason and purpose for this student was to identify data factors that
could potentially increase student achievement in both the Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE programs. The sought-after data factors would either point to things that are
negatively impacting the sustainability of existing student enrollment and also the
addition of new items within the program that would attract new students. Data obtained
from this study was also analyzed in order to take a look at both current and historical
communication from the educational leaders of Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
programs with Derry Area School District students who area currently at the middle and
high school levels.
After looking at and analyzing all data obtained from the qualitative and
quantitative survey questions asked to both current 8th grade and high school students
within the Derry Area School District, these were key findings that were highlighted as a
need for further discussion in order to develop recommendations for solutions to the
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE enrollment concerns:
•

The high number of student participation along with parent consent provides
evidence that students and parents care about the Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE programs and want to see continued improvements within the programs.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE
•

Communication, internal marketing efforts, and pre-enrollment experiences are
significantly lacking in providing students with knowledge of current Agriculture
and Horticulture CTE programs.

•

Eighth grade and high school students said that more hands-on experiences would
persuade them to enroll in Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs at Derry
Area.

•

There is a significant disparity in the current Agriculture and Horticulture students
who completed this survey, as most of the students were first year students. A
majority of current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students reported only
taking these CTE courses for elective purposes only and have no real career plan
in the agriculture or horticulture industries.

•

In terms of sustainability, formerly enrolled Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
students reported leaving the program due to only taking it for exploratory
purposes, lack of interest, and moving the EWCTC for other vocational programs
of study.

•

Current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students reported that their main likes
are the hands-on learning, horticulture curriculum, and the teachers.

•

Current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students also reported that their major
dislikes of the program are the isolated building location, the teachers, and the
slow-pacing and outdated curriculum.

•

High school students reported that their main sources of knowledge of Agriculture
or Horticulture CTE courses are mainly from Agriculture or Horticulture teachers,
self-research, or family experience.

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE
•

Non-Agriculture and Horticulture CTE want more career education information
and information in general about the CTE programs prior to enrolling.

•

The vast majority of Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students plan to select
non-agriculture or horticulture careers or fields of study after their graduate high
school.

Research Question 1: What is the perception among 8th Grade students of the
Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the Derry Area School District?
There was a significant response regarding the number of current 8th grade
students who completed the 8th grade Google Form survey. This reinforces the
importance and respect that parents and students have for the Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE courses at Derry Area.
An interesting finding is that only 56.9% of 130 8th grade respondents learned
about Agriculture or Horticulture CTE courses in prior grades. It is also important to note
that a majority of 8th grade respondents have attended the Derry Area for eight to nine
years today. Additionally, it is important to note that the only agriculture or horticulture
learning activities noted that provided knowledge of these CTE courses were either the
Elementary Ag Days Fair or the 8th grade internal tour that occurs prior to scheduling.
These responses highlight the need for additional curriculum resources and marketing in
order to provide students and parents with knowledge of the programs.
Another interesting data point from the 8th grade surveys is that over 40% of 8th
grade students have selected an agriculture or horticulture incorporated pathway. These
two major pathways are engineering and science and health. There are also over 24% of
8th grade students planning to enroll in Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs next

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year. Survey data reveals a sharp decline in the sustainability related to Derry Area High
School students selecting an agriculture or horticulture career.
Current 8th graders not planning to enroll in Agriculture or Horticulture CTE
programs at the high school plan to go to EWCTE for other CTE programming or simply
not interested in Agriculture or Horticulture planning. This data point again highlights the
need for better informational and marketing efforts to advance future student enrollment.
A majority of 8th graders also list providing more hands-on experiences as a major push
factor with report to influencing their enrollment into these particular CTE programs.
From a career learning standpoint, there were 32.3% of current 8th grade students
who said that they know about the job markets in the fields of agriculture and
horticulture. This concerning data point highlights the lack of embedded agriculture and
horticulture learning experiences. Additionally, this career learning deficit highlights the
need to incorporate agriculture and horticulture learning across the curriculum, especially
in the science department.
Research Question 2: What is the perception among all Derry Area High School
students of the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs?
The large number of high school participation, 308 students, highlights the respect
and care that students and families have toward the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
programs as Derry Area. Of the survey results, nearly 22.7% of students who completed
this survey were in Agriculture or Horticulture CTE programs. These participation rates
represent a nice cross-section analysis of not only the student body at Derry Area High
School but also the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming.

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A significant concern that the high school survey results highlighted was that a
majority of current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students have only been in the CTE
programs for one year. This concern is only magnified by the fact that student who
dropped out of these CTE programs reported that they only took these courses for one
year as part of their exploration process. These points highlight that sustainability of
keeping students in the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs and getting more
students to completion is a major concern or obstacle.
In terms of high school students providing insight to their feeling about the CTE
programs at Derry Area, current Agriculture and Horticulture students report really liking
the hands-on learning activities as well as horticulture courses and the teachers in the
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE. These factors are important to continue to build upon
and align with the previous research shared in Chapter 2. Teachers in these CTE courses
are faces of the program and create bonds with their students that are the main factors for
the recruitment and sustainability of students.
Current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students also reported that they did not
like the slow pace of the curriculum, the teachers, building location, or the lack of handson learning that they currently are experiencing in the program. From a controllable
standpoint, curriculum and instruction concerns seem to be a major turn-off in terms of
items that current CTE students do not like about the program. These results are
supported by the instructional pleasure-level survey question, where 58.8% of students
were between being neutral and greatly not liking the instruction that they are receiving
or have received in prior years. These same students attributed boring teachers as a major

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reason why they were neutral to greatly not liking the Agriculture or Horticulture CTE
instruction.
From all current Derry Area High School students, only 50% out of 308
respondents are aware of careers in agriculture or horticulture. This is alarming
considering the lack of career knowledge that 8th grade students had as well. This data
shows that there may be a decline in the amount of career knowledge that Derry Area
students have about agriculture and horticulture as they enter and move through their
high school years. In terms of the sources of learning for high students who have
knowledge of agriculture or horticulture-related careers, most respondents learned from
either Derry Area Agriculture or Horticulture CTE teachers or through self-research and
family members. This highlights a collective gap and need for a more robust
communication and learning platform for agriculture and horticulture career learning.
Derry Area High School students report that they would be persuaded to enroll in
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE courses if these programs matched their career goals,
fit their schedule, or if they were provided with more knowledge about what occurs in
both programs. Again, lack of career information regarding agriculture or horticulture job
sectors is a primary item that would persuade students to enroll in the CTE courses at
Derry Area. Lastly, current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students concluded the
high school survey by listing the careers or fields of study that they plan to pursue after
graduation. It is alarming to see that only 18 out of 56 student respondents said that they
plan to pursue a career or field of study in agriculture or horticulture beyond graduation.

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Research Question 3: What is the perception among students who recently graduated
within the past 5 years from the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the
Derry Area School District?
As previously stated, the third research question of this study could not be
achieved due to the inability of the researcher to get in touch with the five groups of
randomly selected students. The researcher was able to obtain demographic information
from the school information system for these randomly selected Derry Area Agriculture
and Horticulture CTE graduates. However, several repeated phone calls, there were eight
disconnected phone lines, eight follow-up calls from answers that never occurred, and
nine repeated non-answers. Data from this third research question was not obtained and
discussion and solutions could also not be achieved.
Summary
This mixed methods study had a focus on student perceptions of the Agriculture
and Horticulture CTE programming within the Derry Area School District. Two
quantitative Google Form surveys, which had imbedded qualitative follow-up questions,
were used at data collection tools for this study in order to gain a perspective and
understanding in both 8th grade and high school student perceptions of the current
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming currently being offered within the Derry
Area School District.
Chapter IV provided a detailed report and analysis of data collected during this
study. Data survey results figures were displayed in charts where student responses could
be effectively organized and the data analysis process could be completed based on
student responses and certain data themes being created. Chapter V goes on to discuss the

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conclusions, the implications of the research limitations, and finally recommendations
from the data collected and analyzed in this study.

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CHAPTER V
Conclusion and Recommendations
The Derry Area School District has seen a consistent drop in student enrollment
with regard to the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs currently being offered to
high school students within the school district. This capstone project was systematically
organized in order to gain current and former student feedback regarding their
perceptions of the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming in order to look for
common factors that support or hinder student enrollment.
The mixed-methods research design set out to answer three main questions
regarding Derry Area School District student perceptions of the Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programs within the Derry Area School District. Over 100 8th grade
students and over 300 high school-aged students participated in this mixed-methods
research study of the Agriculture and Horticulture programming within the Derry Area
School District. The research also attempted to reach out to Derry Area Agriculture and
Horticulture post-graduate students with no success in establishing any form of
communication. From those current students who participated in the research study, data
was collected from the students utilizing both qualitative and quantitative questioning
through the implementation of a Google Form survey.
Within this study, Chapter III highlighted the research design, the methods used to
collect study data, the data collection process, as well as provided a thorough review of
fiscal implications and research validation. Then, Chapter IV reviewed the data collection
results from the quantitative and qualitative, as well as data analysis, and also provided a
discussion from the related to all data collection results. Lastly, Chapter V provides

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conclusions and recommendations based on the data analysis and discussion reviewed in
the previous chapter. Chapter V provides a conclusion to all research questions that were
to be the main features of this research study. In Chapter V, the researcher also provided
limitations that were experienced with this specific research student involving both
current middle and high school level students, as well as post-graduate students of the
Derry Area School District. Lastly, Chapter V will provide recommendations for future
research based on the findings of this research study.
Conclusion
This mixed-methods research study was created and designed to determine
student perception factors that could potentially lead to increases in student enrollment in
the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs within the Derry Area School District.
The research with regard to current 8th grade and high school student perception data was
aimed at providing school administrators and teachers with data needed to review and
consider positive and feasible change both in the short- and long-term comprehensive
planning process of the curriculum and instruction systems of the Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programs. This section provides conclusions of each research question,
supporting details on the research findings, and how they apply to the current bestpractice research for operating top-level Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs, as
highlighted in Chapter II.
Research Question 1: What is the perception among 8th Grade students of the
Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the Derry Area School District?
The first research question posed during this study was focused on current 8th
grade students who attend the Derry Area School District. This particular grade level is

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critical, because 8th graders take part in high school scheduling where they can select to
move into Agriculture and Horticulture CTE courses and pathways. The data collected
from this grade level of students is critical, as it highlights the amount of knowledge that
they students have about the field of agriculture and horticulture, especially considering
that the Derry Area School District is the only school district in Westmoreland County
that has Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs.
The data analysis results for the 8th grade survey highlighted key indicators that
could play a large role in Agriculture and Horticulture CTE program improvements,
which could aid in producing higher student enrollment numbers. First, there were 130 8th
grade students who completed this survey, which is a vast majority of the current 8th
grade class. Additionally, 72.3% of current 8th grade students have attended school within
the Derry Area School District for their entire education career. This is an important
statistic to consider when considering the reliability of the data that was collected. From
this student statistic, it is alarming to learn that only 53.1% of the 130 students who
responded to this survey said that they have learned about Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE programming in prior grades.
Current 8th grade students who did report that they have learned about Agriculture
and Horticulture CTE programs said that they gained knowledge of these programs from
either 8th grade agriculture tours for scheduling purposes or a one-week elementary level
event known as “Ag Days.” This highlights both a curriculum and instruction issues as
well as a marketing and communication issue that exists within the Derry Area School
District. It is detrimental to enrollment efforts when there is not more of a focus placed

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on education, communication, and marketing of the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
programs offered within the Derry Area School District.
Additionally, a majority of 8th grade students who plan to enroll in either
Agriculture or Horticulture are doing so in order to take more animal science courses that
are hands-on from a learning environment perspective. This is a very interesting statistic,
considering that some high school students who completed this survey noted that lack of
animal science courses and hands-on learning are reasons that they either dropped out or
factors that would lead them to enroll in these courses if they existed and could be seen in
the agriculture and horticulture courses.
Another important statistical find is that 8th graders who are not planning to enroll
in Agriculture and Horticulture CTE courses next school year noted that more hands-on
learning experiences and animal science courses would persuade them to enroll. There
were also current high school Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students also noted that
they did not like that there not more hands-on learning opportunities as well as animal
science courses. Lastly, there were only 67.7% of 130 8th grade student respondents who
said that they had an awareness of the job market available both locally and nationally for
agriculture and horticulture careers. This statistic is concerning in the fact that most of
these same students have been a Derry Area School District student for their entire
educational career.
Research Question 2: What is the perception among all Derry Area High School
students of the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs?
The second research question of this study was focused on current high school
students, both Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students and non-Agriculture and

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Horticulture CTE students, who attend the Derry Area School District. There was a total
of 308 high school-aged students who completed this survey, which is a very impressive
number when considering reliability, validity, and triangulation factors associated with
this particular study.
The completion of the high school survey was very balanced between grade levels
9-12, where each grade level accounted for between 24.7% and 28.6% of the 308
students who responded. This statistic helps to provide a well-rounded viewpoint of the
perception of current high school-level students. Additionally, there were 70 current
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students who completed this survey, which is currently
over 60% of all enrolled Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students.
One of the most interesting statistics from the high school survey was that 67% of
the current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students who completed this survey
indicated that they are taking an Agriculture and Horticulture course simply as an elective
with no future career plan. This is especially concerning for the well-being and future
growth of the Agriculture and Horticulture program when students are enrolling to
complete the courses or pass vocational graduation exams associated with each program.
This statistic also makes the researcher question the amount of prior knowledge and
learning that these students who responded in this manner to this question have regarding
agriculture and horticulture career pathways.
Another statistic that is important to look at from a program sustainability
standpoint is the former Agriculture and Horticulture students who indicated that they
dropped out of the courses at some point in their educational career. These same students
indicated that the reasons why they dropped out of the program involved attending

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EWCTC, lack of interest in the course that they took, and they simply took the
Agriculture or Horticulture courses for exploratory purposes. The results of this question
point to the fact that program leaders and Agriculture and Horticulture educators need to
take a look at the curriculum and instruction as well as the marketing strategies in earlier
grade levels.
A majority of current Agriculture and Horticulture students also noted that that
hands-on learning, Horticulture courses and the teachers are major components that they
like about being enrolled in the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs. These
factors align with the literature review research presented in Chapter II. Additionally,
some current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students also indicated that they did not
like the teachers, the isolated building location, as well as the slow-paced and outdated
curriculum. Again, these data indicators reinforce the need to investigate the currently
curriculum and instruction practices occurring within both CTE programs.
Additionally, nearly 58.5% of current Agriculture and Horticulture students
reported that they are either neutral, did not like, or greatly did not like their current
Agriculture or Horticulture teacher. These responses were provided in a question that
asked about the current pleasure level from a teacher instructional standpoint for
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students. Some of these same students said that their
teachers are very boring as well as the classes in which they teach. This again is a
curriculum and instruction area that needs to be investigated by the school district in
terms of improving student enrollment. Of the students who responded that they either
liked or greatly liked the instruction occurring within the Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE programs, the amount of social bonding between peers and the love of their teachers

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100

were primary areas identified by students who like the instruction within these programs.
It is important to note this specific data when looking at sustainability factors of student
enrollment.
The last main area that was investigated through the use of the high school student
survey was the knowledge, awareness, and experience levels that current high school
students had with regard to careers and the job market in pathways of Agriculture and
Horticulture. With the large number of current high school student respondents, a high
level of reliability with this data can be attributed to conclusions being drawn regarding
the current status of career education efforts involving agriculture and horticulture
pathways. This is critical when determining the agriculture and horticulture career
education assessment status of student currently enrolled at Derry Area High School.
A very interesting finding was that out of the 308 high school-level survey
completers there were only 154 students who were aware of the job market in the fields
of agriculture and horticulture. After reviewing this data, another interesting finding is
that it appears as though middle school students have a better understanding in the job
market in agriculture and horticulture based on the middle school career education survey
results. Causes for this drop in agriculture and horticulture career education knowledge
could be due to the enhanced interest levels of the number learning pathways offered at
the high school level. However, high school administrators and agriculture and
horticulture teachers must look at the internal communication of agriculture and
horticulture career education, the science curriculum at the high school level, as well as
the utilization of communication platform.

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Additionally, high school students are reporting that they are learning about
agriculture and horticulture careers largely from their family members as well as their
own self research. This is a concerning finding, especially for non-traditional agriculture
or horticulture students. High school student survey respondents that they have conducted
their own research on the internet or in conversations with peers. This highlights the need
for better communication both within and outside of school in order to education the
student and community members on the most up-to-date facts regarding the job markets
in agriculture and horticulture.
It was also alarming to see the career plans for the current agriculture and
horticulture students. Outside of those who want to explore veterinarian post education
and agribusinesses, most of the current agriculture and horticulture students are selecting
non-agriculture and horticulture careers upon graduation from the high school. This is
another alarming finding that could be tied to program oversight issues or communication
issues. Another area that needs to be investigated is the conversations that students have
with their guidance counselors regarding college and career counseling and advisement.
In order to persuade and recruit more students to Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE courses, high school students have said that they would enroll if these courses
matched their future career goals or if they had more information about the future
financial benefit from a career standpoint. High school students also reported that they
simply need more information about the courses. This finding again magnifies the need
for better internal and external communication of the agriculture and horticulture courses
at Derry Area.

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Research Question 3: What is the perception among students who recently graduated
within the past 5 years from the Agriculture/Horticulture CTE Programs within the
Derry Area School District?
The third research question aimed to determine findings from recent Agriculture
and Horticulture CTE students regarding their perceptions of the programs that they were
enrolled in and completed during their time at Derry Area High School. After attempting
multiple phone calls to 25 former Agriculture and Horticulture CTE program completers,
the researcher was not able to yield one phone interview that would provide qualitative
data on those post-graduates who went through the entire CTE program.
The inability to gain this important qualitative data from post-graduates does
somewhat impact the triangulation of this study to a certain degree. Having post-graduate
perception data from graduates over the past five years would have done a nice job at
triangulating the perception data from those students who are currently enrolled within
the Derry Area School District. Post-graduate Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students
need to be further studied to determine action steps in providing students at Derry Area
with the best possible Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming in the years to
come.
Overview of Results
The research design was developed to target the perceptions of current 8th grade
and high school aged students within the Derry Area School District, both Agriculture
and Horticulture CTE and Agriculture and Horticulture non-CTE students. The hopeful
outcome of the study was to determine factors that would lead to high student enrollment
within the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs, both sustaining the existing

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enrollment as well as producing new findings that would lead to an increase of nontraditional enrollments.
From a current 8th grade student perspective, student participants highlighted
several perception areas that reveal Agriculture and Horticulture program deficiencies in
marketing and communication to curriculum and instruction platforms. First, there were
communication and marketing deficiencies highlighted from the 8th grade survey data
collected. While most of the 8th grade students who participated in the survey spent their
entire educational careers within the Derry Area School District, only over half of these
students had knowledge of Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming that currently
exists within the school district.
Additionally, these same 8th grade students who had pre-existing knowledge of
Agriculture and Horticulture programming noted that they learned about the
programming from two major events over their eight to nine years as students within the
Derry Area School District, which are Ag Days and 8th Grade tours. Ag Days are
exploratory, fair-type events that take place once a year, where elementary students are
able to tour high school Agriculture and Horticulture CTE-student-led stations set up on a
playground where agriculture and horticulture learning takes place. These events last
approximately five days, and each grade level of students participate approximately 30
minutes each day. This week-long schedule of events is not enough time to make sure
that Derry Area School District elementary students are educated on Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE programs, nor is it enough time for elementary students to learn about
agriculture and horticulture careers as well as post-secondary education opportunities.

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Eight grade student survey data results also highlighted a need for high school
administrators and Agriculture and Horticulture CTE teachers to investigate current
curriculum and instruction practices based on the expectations and wants from the 8th
grade student perception data. Data results showed that most 8th grade students enrolling
in Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming are doing so based on the anticipation
that the learning environment will be hands-on most of the time in the classroom. This
data result lines up with literature research was that shared earlier in this study, where
certain students who explore CTE education do so for the hands-on learning
environment. Eighth grade students are also requesting the inclusion of more hands-on
animal science courses, which currently do not exist in vast number due to other CTE
courses that have been board approved. School administrators and Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE teachers need to digest this data and look to provide course offerings
that align to student requests as well as the job market.
Additionally, the high school level data findings revealed several areas where
program deficiencies exist based on the student perception data. Deficiencies that were
highlighted from the study findings range from communication and marketing to
curriculum and instruction issues, which are similar to those noted from the 8th grade
student findings as well. From the 308 high school Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
student respondents, communication and marketing seemed to be the highest deficiency
area from the student perception data that was collected. High school student findings
reveal that most high school students are unaware of agriculture and horticulture careers.
Also, most of the current Agriculture and Horticulture students participated in this study
said that they only took an Agriculture or Horticulture CTE course for elective or

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105

exploratory purposes. This is an alarming statistic considering that CTE programming is
looking to produce complete program completers, which are those who go through the
entire schedule of courses which then lead to the passing of National Occupational
Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) exams, attainment of industry-recognized
credentials and licenses, as well as future gainful employment in the CTE fields of study.
The fact that most high school student Agriculture and Horticulture student enrollees are
only taking the CTE courses as elective or for exploratory purposes is troubling. This
finding highlights a greater need for communication and marketing of the multi-year
curriculum schedule of the program, as well as credential, licensing, and career education
information that students need to be aware of prior to making enrollment decisions yearby-year.
Additionally, only half of the high school level respondents indicated that they
knew about the current job market for agriculture and horticulture careers. Again, this
finding is very concerning, being that Derry Area is the only school district in
Westmoreland County with Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming. In addition
to this finding, most high school students reported that they only knew about agriculture
and horticulture careers from doing their own research and from family members. High
school students also are said that they need more information of the Agriculture and
Horticulture programs as well as information to see if these programs align with their
career goals. These findings also align with the 8th grade career awareness findings that
was presented earlier in this chapter, which are areas that can be improved from a
curriculum, marketing, and communication standpoint.

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106

High school findings suggest the need for curriculum and instruction
modifications that produce more hands-on learning, as evidenced from high school
survey respondents. Current Agriculture and Horticulture CTE students and nonAgriculture and Horticulture CTE students reported that they want to see more of or a
continued focus on hands-on learning. This is an area that needs to be reviewed by
agriculture and horticulture teachers to make sure that hands-on learning is built-in to
most student learning opportunities, as this perception could lead to higher levels of
student enrollment and program sustainability. Also, high school data findings highlight
the need for administrator and teacher review of best-practice teacher methodologies that
lead to higher levels of student engagement. Students also reported that there is a need to
replace older curriculum as well as the learning pacing of the curriculum.
Lastly, as stated previously, post-graduate qualitative student interviews were
unable to be conducted due to the inability for 25 student respondents to answer phone
calls or call the research back from multiple previous attempts. This data, if collected,
would have revealed important post-graduate Agriculture and Horticulture student
perceptions of the courses that they completed, as these students have taken multiple
courses over multiple years in their perspective CTE program.
Limitations
There were two major limitations for this particular study, both of which deal with
the types of student respondents. The first limitation is the lack of student respondents
who participated in this student perception-based study below grade eight. As highlighted
previously in the literature review, current research shows that Agriculture and
Horticulture enrollment increases when middle school and elementary aged students are

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107

engaged in learning activities and informational meetings with Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE teachers. It would be very impactful in the future to gain more student
perception data from students in lower grades to gauge the effectiveness of current
communication, marketing, and curriculum and instruction practices, as well as look for
new ways to building agriculture and horticulture knowledge in our students.
In addition to the grades K-7 student participation limitation for this study, there
was also a limitation in attaining perception data from post-graduate students, as
highlighted several times throughout this study. It is vital to gain perceptive data from
students who have enrolled and completed the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE
programming in order to gain student perspective understanding from those who have
been in the CTE programs over the long-term. As highlighted as a major finding earlier in
this student, most of the Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming enrollment
numbers come from students who take only one courses on an elective or exploratorybasis. This long-term student data from post-graduates is critical in highlighting more
deficiency and re-affirming data that can look to increase and sustain student enrollment
numbers.
Recommendations for Future Research
The particular findings of this study do highlight the need for further investigation
of several areas of each research question in order to verify the validity and
generalization developed from the findings shared with this research study. First, the
communication, marketing, and curriculum integration of the Agriculture and
Horticulture program needs to be studied and investigated further. It is vital that a firm
foundation is built with elementary students regarding their knowledge of agriculture and

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horticulture subjects and programming. Research needs done in this area at the teacher,
student, and parent levels to measure the type of instruction and information that is being
delivered as well as how its effectiveness is being assessed in an ongoing fashion.
An additional area of research and investigation that is needed with regard to the
increase of student enrollment based off of student perception is the amount of targeted
teacher professional development in the deficient areas highlighted in this study. Derry
Area School District administration needs to identify professional development
opportunities for their Agriculture and Horticulture CTE teachers in the area of
elementary integration, communication and marketing, career education, as well as
program time management with all activities that these teachers manage. A targeted,
post-graduate focus group follow-up study would also help to triangulate total student
perception data, which would help to target these needed areas of professional
improvement.
A last area of future research within the Derry Area Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE programs is the number of students who only take one agriculture and horticulture
course prior to not continuing in the program. The vast majority of Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE students are not completing the programming, taking NOCTI exams,
and earning instruction credentials or licenses. This has a direct correlation to the amount
of these same students selecting agriculture or horticulture careers. It is also important to
look at both the number of and types of student learning opportunities with regard to
agriculture and horticulture career education, as evidenced as a deficiency area among
high school students and teacher from the results of this study.
Summary

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The Derry Area School District is the only school district in Westmoreland
County with Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programming. It is vital to not only
sustain current enrollment figures and projections but to also continue to grow the
program in various ways which align with the wants and needs of both students and the
workforce industries. In order to continue to grow enrollment, the Derry Area School
District needs to take a deep look at the current perceptions of their study body and the
factors that could lead to and contribute to more students enrolling in Agriculture and
Horticulture CTE courses.
From a holistic perspective, further research needs to be conducted with regard to
Agriculture and Horticulture CTE teacher professional development, as CTE programs
function much differently than regular education courses. Program marketing,
communication, and inter-disciplinary integration would all be appropriate topics that
need to be researched so that additional findings and generalizations could be made, in
hopes that all Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs could benefit in the form of
larger student enrollments.
Students within the Derry Area School District are reporting deficiencies within
the scope of current marketing, communication, curriculum, and instruction platforms.
These platforms are a very important part to education students, parents, teachers, and
community member of the school district. These deficiencies also align with best
practices highlighted in the literature review that exist within well-developed and
growing Agriculture and Horticulture CTE programs. In order to sustain and grow in new
areas, the Derry Area School District administrators and Agriculture and Horticulture
CTE teachers need to invest more efforts in these highlighted deficiency areas in order to

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grow these CTE programs in new ways, as the fields agriculture and horticulture have
bright horizons.

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References

Berg, B. L., & Howard, L. (2012). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences
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APPENDICES

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Appendix A
PennWest Institutional Review Board Email Approval

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Appendix B
8th

Grade Ag/Hort Survey Cover Sheet and Survey Questions

I am conducting a study to investigate past, present, and future student perceptions of the Agriculture and Horticulture
(Ag/Hort) CTE Programs that are current offered within the Derry Area School District.
In this study, your child will be asked to answer questions regarding your perception of these two CTE courses, as a
future student.
Your child will also be asked about their career pathway and current knowledge level of the offerings within the
Ag/Hort curriculum planning guide.
Your child has been selected to participate in this study due to their role as an 8th grade student in the Derry Area
School District.
Your child will be asked to participate in a survey that will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The
survey is distributed and collected via Google Forms. Your child will also asked to engage in selected response and
open-ended questions. There is no potential harm to those surveyed as the exploratory research data will be kept
confidential.
The potential benefits to your child from being in this study are varied and provide both short- and long-term assistance
to the district. One such possible benefit is the improvement of the Ag/Hort student enrollment levels.
Your child’s privacy is important, and I will handle all information collected about you in a confidential manner. I will
report the results of the research study in a way that will not identify your child. I do plan to present the results of the
study as a published study and potentially in journals or periodicals.
Your child does not have to be in this study. If your child doesn’t want to participate, please do not complete the
survey. If you do agree, your child can stop participating at any time. If you wish for your child to withdraw just tell
me. Written parental consent is required and needs to be sent and received by primary researcher prior to giving each
minor access to online survey.
If you have questions about this research project please contact Mr. Casey Long at 724-694-1401 or California
University of PA Assistant Professor, Dr. Wolf at wolf@pennwest.edu.
Approved by the California University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board. This approval is effective 10/4/22
and expires 10/3/23.
_______________________________
______________________________
Child’s Name
Parent Signature

8th Grade Agriculture/Horticulture Survey
This survey is for 2022-2023 8th Grade Students who are enrolled at Derry Area Middle
School.
The survey results are confidential.
Appropriate consent has been shared with parents/guardians for all survey participants.
1. How many years have you attended the Derry Area School District?
Multiple choice

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE

Add option

2. Have you learned about Agriculture or Horticulture educational topics or programs in your
prior grades/years at Derry Area?

3. If you answered YES to the previous question, what Agriculture or Horticulture topics or
programs have you learned about in prior grades/years here at Derry Area?
Long answer text

4. What career pathway are you interested in taking at Derry Area High School?

5. Are you planning on enrolling in Agriculture or Horticulture CTE courses offered at Derry
Area High School?

6. If you ARE planning on enrolling in Agriculture or Horticulture courses at the high school,
please provide reasons why you are choosing to do so.
Long answer text

7. If you ARE NOT planning on enrolling in Agriculture or Horticulture courses at the high
school, please provide reasons why you are not choosing to do so.
Long answer text

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8. What types of courses or educational topics would persuade you to explore Agriculture or
Horticulture CTE Programs at Derry Area High School in the future?
Long answer text

9. Are you aware of jobs available within the Agriculture/Horticulture pathway (locally and
nationally)?

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126

Appendix C
High School Ag/Hort Survey Cover Sheet and Survey Questions
I am conducting a study to investigate past, present, and future student perceptions of the Agriculture and Horticulture
(Ag/Hort) CTE Programs that are current offered within the Derry Area School District.
In this study, your child will be asked to answer questions regarding your perception of these two CTE courses, as a
future student.
Your child will also be asked about their career pathway and current knowledge level of the offerings within the
Ag/Hort curriculum planning guide.
Your child has been selected to participate in this study due to their role as a current high school student in the Derry
Area School District.
Your child will be asked to participate in a survey that will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The
survey is distributed and collected via Google Forms. Your child will also asked to engage in selected response and
open-ended questions. There is no potential harm to those surveyed as the exploratory research data will be kept
confidential.
The potential benefits to your child from being in this study are varied and provide both short- and long-term assistance
to the district. One such possible benefit is the improvement of the Ag/Hort student enrollment levels.
Your child’s privacy is important, and I will handle all information collected about you in a confidential manner. I will
report the results of the research study in a way that will not identify your child. I do plan to present the results of the
study as a published study and potentially in journals or periodicals.
Your child does not have to be in this study. If your child doesn’t want to participate, please do not complete the
survey. If you do agree, your child can stop participating at any time. If you wish for your child to withdraw just tell
me. Written parental consent is required and needs to be sent and received by primary researcher prior to giving each
minor access to online survey.
If you have questions about this research project please contact Mr. Casey Long at 724-694-1401 or California
University of PA Assistant Professor, Dr. Wolf at wolf@pennwest.edu.
Approved by the California University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board. This approval is
effective 10/4/2022 and expires 10/3/23.
_______________________________
______________________________
Child’s Name
Parent Signature

High School Ag/Hort Survey
This survey is for 2022-2023 students who attend Derry Area High School.
The survey results are confidential.
Appropriate consent has been shared with parents/guardians for all survey participants.
1. What is your current grade level at Derry Area High School?
Multiple choice

Add option

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127

2. Are you currently in either Agriculture or Horticulture (Ag/Hort) courses offered at the
high school?

3. If you answered YES to this question, for how many years have you been in Ag/Hort
programming?

4. If you are currently enrolled in or have taken any Ag/Hort courses, have you taken
these courses as "electives" or part of your future career plan?

5. Were you ever at some point previously enrolled in Ag/Hort courses over your high
school career at Derry Area and chose to drop course(s)?

6. If your answer to the previous question was YES, please explain why.
Long answer text
7. If you ARE currently enrolled in an Ag/Hort courses, what do you LIKE about the
course (s)?
Long answer text
8. If you ARE currently enrolled in an Ag/Hort courses, what do you NOT LIKE about
the course(s)
Long answer text
9. If you have had or are currently in any Ag/Hort courses, how would you rate your
pleasure level of the instruction that you received?

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10. Please explain your answer to the previous question.
Long answer text
11. Are you aware of job and careers in the Agriculture and Horticulture industries?

12. If you answered YES to the previous question, where did you learn about this career
information?
Long answer text
13. If you are NOT in Ag/Hort courses or programs at the high school, what would
persuade you to start taking Ag/Hort courses?
Long answer text
14. If you are currently an Ag/Hort student at Derry Area High School, what is your
prospective future career?
Short answer text

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129

Appendix D
Post Graduate Ag/Hort Interview Cover Sheet and Interview Questions
I am conducting a study to investigate past, present, and future student perceptions of the Agriculture and Horticulture
(Ag/Hort) CTE Programs that are current offered within the Derry Area School District.
In this study, you will be asked to interview questions regarding your perception of these two CTE courses, as a former
Ag/Hort CTE student, who has graduated within the past five years.
You will also be asked about your current career. You will also be asked things you liked and did not like about the
Ag/Hort CTE programs currently offered within the Derry Area School District
You have been selected to participate in this study due to your role as a former Ag/Hort CTE student in the Derry Area
School District.
You will be asked to participate in an interview that will take approximately 15 to 30 minutes to complete. The
interview will take place in-person or over the phone. You will be asked a series of questions in this interview related to
my research topic. If all participants agree, the interview will be electronically recorded for my records. If any
participant does not want to be recorded, detailed notes of the interview will be kept instead. Each of you will be
assigned a respondent number for the purpose of this interview and future interviews. This respondent number will in
no way provide personally identifying information. Instead, it will enable me to compare your responses from this
interview to responses to future interviews. There is no potential harm to those surveyed as the exploratory research
data will be kept confidential.
The potential benefits to you from being in this study are varied and provide both short- and long-term assistance to the
district. One such possible benefit is the improvement of the Ag/Hort student enrollment levels.
Your privacy is important, and I will handle all information collected about you in a confidential manner. I will report
the results of the research study in a way that will not identify you. I do plan to present the results of the study as a
published study and potentially in journals or periodicals.
You do not have to be in this study. If you don’t want to participate, please do not complete the interview. If you do
agree, you can stop participating at any time. If you wish to withdraw just tell me. Otherwise, by clicking continue, you
are giving your consent to participate in this interview.
By signing below, you agree to participate in this interview for the purpose of this research study.
_________________________
______________________
_____________
Signature Printed
Name
Date
If you have questions about this research project please contact Mr. Casey Long at 724-694-1401 or California
University of PA Assistant Professor, Dr. Wolf at wolf@pennwest.edu.
Approved by the California University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board. This approval is effective 10/4/22
and expires 10/3/23.

Derry Area Ag/Hort Post Graduate Interview
These interview questions are for post-graduate Ag/Hort students, who have graduated from the Derry Area School
District in the past 5 years. Post-graduates were randomly selected.
The survey results are anonymous.
Survey participants are all of the Age of Consent.
1. How many years were you enrolled in Ag/Hort programs at Derry Area
2. Did you officially "complete" your Ag/Hort program of study?
3. Are you currently working in an Ag/Hort related career field?

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4. Why type of post-graduate education (community college/trade school/university) did you acquire in order to work
in this career field?
5. If your answer to the question is YES, what type of field are you working in?
6. If your answer to the question is NO, what type of field are you working in?
7. What were aspects of Ag/Hort classes that you LIKED?
8. What were aspects or Ag/Hort classes that you DID NOT LIKE?
9. If you have had or are currently in any Ag/Hort courses, how would you rate your pleasure level of the instruction
that you received? Please explain your answer to the previous question
10. In your opinion, what can the Derry Area School District do to positively build the Ag/Hort programs and student
enrollment moving forward?