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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE iii 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE iv 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE v 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE vi 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE vii 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE viii List of Tables Table 1. Participants in the Study……………………………….……………………….44 Table 2. Data Collection Timeline……………………..………….……………………. 56 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE ix 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE x Figure 23. Results from High School Survey Question 14..…………………………….85 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE xi 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 1 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 2 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 3 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 4 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 5 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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 6 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 7 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 8 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 9 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 10 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 11 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 12 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 13 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 14 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 15 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 16 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 17 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 18 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 19 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 20 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). AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 21 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 22 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 23 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 24 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 25 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 26 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 27 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 28 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 29 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 30 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 31 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 32 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 33 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 34 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 35 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 36 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 37 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 38 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 39 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 40 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? AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 41 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 42 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 43 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 44 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 45 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 46 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 47 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 48 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 49 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 50 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 51 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 52 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 53 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 54 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 55 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 56 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 57 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 58 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 59 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 60 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 61 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 62 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 63 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 64 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 65 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 66 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 67 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 68 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 69 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 70 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 71 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 72 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 73 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 74 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 75 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 76 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 77 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 78 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 79 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 80 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 81 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 82 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 83 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 84 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 85 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 86 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 • 87 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 • 88 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 89 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 90 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 91 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 92 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE conclusions, the implications of the research limitations, and finally recommendations from the data collected and analyzed in this study. 93 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 94 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 95 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 96 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 97 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 98 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 99 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 101 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 102 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 103 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 104 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 108 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 109 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE grow these CTE programs in new ways, as the fields agriculture and horticulture have bright horizons. 110 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 111 References Berg, B. L., & Howard, L. (2012). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (8th ed.). Pearson Educational Inc. Binkley, M., Erstad, O., Herman, J., Raizen, S., Ripley, M., Miller-Ricci, M., & Rumble, M. (2011). Defining twenty-first century skills. 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MIS Quarterly, 37(1), 21-54. Waggoner, P. E. (1976). Research and education in American agriculture. American History, 50(1). Wilcox, J. (1991). The Perkins Act at a glance. Vocational Education Journal, 66(2). Wolf, K., & Connors, J. (2009). Winning the war: A historical analysis of the FFA during World War II. Journal of Agricultural Education, 50(2), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2009.02112 Wright, J. C., & Allen, C. R. (1926). The supervision of vocational education. J. Wiley and Sons. Wright, K., Vincent, S., & Epps, R. (2019). International agricultural education from 1975 to present: A research synthesis. Journal of Agricultural Education, 60(2). https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.02153 Young, M. W. (1990). Characteristics of high potential and at-risk teachers. Action in Teacher Education, 11(4), 35–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.1990.10463099 Zohrabi, M. (2013). Mixed method research: Instruments, validity, reliability and reporting findings. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.2.254-262. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE APPENDICES 121 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE Appendix A PennWest Institutional Review Board Email Approval 122 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 123 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 124 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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)? 125 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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? AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 128 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 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 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? AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE CTE 130 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?