Browsing by Subject "Agricultural"
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Item Agricultural cost of maintaining playa lake hydroperiod to preserve playa lake ecosystems in the Texas High Plains(Texas Tech University, 2005-08) Peabody, Phillip J.; Willis, David B.; Smith, Loren M.; Lansford, Vernon D.The Agricultural Policy Environmental Extender (APEX) model was used to simulate playa lake hydroperiod in the Texas High Plains and the effect of sedimentation from agricultural operations on the storage capacity of playa lakes.Item Agricultural education student teachers' confidence and knowledge: Teaching special needs students(2005-12) Kessell, John; Lawver, David; Burley, Hansel E.; Fraze, Steven; Davis, Chad S.Agricultural education programs are becoming a popular course for the inclusion of students with disabling conditions, but little research has been conducted to assess teacher confidence and knowledge regarding special education and teaching diverse populations in agricultural education classrooms and laboratories. This dissertation investigated and measured student teacher confidence in regard to teaching special education students in agricultural education classrooms and laboratories. Student teacher knowledge of common disabling conditions and special education laws were investigated. Three hundred thirty-five student teachers located in the Southern Region as defined by American Association of Agricultural Education (AAAE) participated in the study. There were 13 states and 40 universities in the southern region. States participating in this study include: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Student teachers participated by completing an on-line instrument. The instrument was divided into two sections. The first section sought to determine confidence levels related to teaching special needs students in agricultural education classroom and laboratories. Items in this section were designed to determine confidence in teaching students that possess Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) recognized disabilities. Other confidence questions focused on the participants’ knowledge in special education law, providing the least restrictive environment (LRE), participating in Individual Education Program (IEP) development, and providing an appropriate and challenging curriculum for all students. Section two involved three multiple-choice questions for each IDEA recognized disability and three special education law topics. The instrument consisted of a total of 11 confidence questions, 33 multiple choice questions in knowledge, and 11 demographic questions. Data were collected in the spring of 2005 and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 12th edition. The researcher found that relationships to total confidence and total knowledge produced no significant interaction. Student teacher demographics produced statistically significant differences with total confidence and total knowledge scores. Recommendations include continued research as well as incorporating these findings to design curriculum to address special needs issues in agricultural education classrooms and laboratories for future student teachers for the betterment of learners involved in agricultural education teacher certification programs.Item Agricultural education student teachers' confidence and knowledge: teaching special needs students(Texas Tech University, 2005-12) Kessell, John Edward; Lawver, DavidAgricultural education programs are becoming a popular course for the inclusion of students with disabling conditions, but little research has been conducted to assess teacher confidence and knowledge regarding special education and teaching diverse populations in agricultural education classrooms and laboratories. This dissertation investigated and measured student teacher confidence in regard to teaching special education students in agricultural education classrooms and laboratories. Student teacher knowledge of common disabling conditions and special education laws were investigated. Three hundred thirty-five student teachers located in the Southern Region as defined by American Association of Agricultural Education (AAAE) participated in the study. There were 13 states and 40 universities in the southern region. States participating in this study include: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Student teachers participated by completing an on-line instrument. The instrument was divided into two sections. The first section sought to determine confidence levels related to teaching special needs students in agricultural education classroom and laboratories. Items in this section were designed to determine confidence in teaching students that possess Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) recognized disabilities. Other confidence questions focused on the participants’ knowledge in special education law, providing the least restrictive environment (LRE), participating in Individual Education Program (IEP) development, and providing an appropriate and challenging curriculum for all students. Section two involved three multiple-choice questions for each IDEA recognized disability and three special education law topics. The instrument consisted of a total of 11 confidence questions, 33 multiple choice questions in knowledge, and 11 demographic questions. Data were collected in the spring of 2005 and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 12th edition. The researcher found that relationships to total confidence and total knowledge produced no significant interaction. Student teacher demographics produced statistically significant differences with total confidence and total knowledge scores. Recommendations include continued research as well as incorporating these findings to design curriculum to address special needs issues in agricultural education classrooms and laboratories for future student teachers for the betterment of learners involved in agricultural education teacher certification programs.Item Agricultural science students' perceptions and knowledge of hearing loss(2009-05-15) Slaydon, Sunny LeighThis study is designed to examine participants? view of hearing loss as a critical health issue, the attitudes of people toward a person with a hearing impairment, the knowledge level of OSHA regulations pertaining to hearing loss, the general knowledge level of hearing loss and hearing impairment, and its causes, and participants attitudes towards wearing hearing protection. The study design is descriptive and correlational with data collected using a written questionnaire with a controlled population. Results were computed using the means and standard deviation for each factor. The findings indicate that additional education and awareness is essential if changes are to occur in the areas of general knowledge of hearing impairment, the acceptance of hearing protective devices in the work place or school, and better interaction and communication with those who exhibit a hearing impairment. One area of specific improvement must be in how agricultural instructors are trained in the field of safety so that students involved in agricultural sciences are better prepared to protect his/her hearing while performing activities found in the agricultural business.Item Creating a promotional DVD for an international agricultural research center: a Delphi study(Texas Tech University, 2006-08) Stockard, Stacy A.; Brashears, Michael T.; Davis, Chad S.; Brooks, Chance J.; Akers, CindyThis study used a three-round Delphi to determine what content to put in a promotional DVD for the International Center for Food Industry Excellence, an animal and food science research center. Board members and staff of the center were selected to be in the panel of experts. The first round of open-ended questions yielded 97 items. The second round used a four-point Likert scale, and panelists reached a consensus on 65 items from Round 1 they believed should be included on the DVD. Round 3 found a consensus on 3 items which previously did not reach consensus in Round 2. The study recommended the DVD focus on items that reached 100% consensus and also show items which reached at least 80% and less than 100% consensus in less depth.Item Effects of divergent teaching techniques upon creative thinking abilities of collegiate students in agricultural systems management courses(Texas Tech University, 2006-05) Norton, Matthew B.; Baker, Matt; Davis, Chad S.; Lawver, DavidJ.P. Guilford (1950) asked in his inaugural address to the American Psychological Association why schools were not producing more creative students. It has been this researchers experience that courses at institutions of higher education are geared to teaching knowledge, themes, concepts, or measures, and do not allow time for the students to develop original ideas. While current practice transfers a great deal of information to students, it hinders the ability of students to be creative in the disciplines. In agricultural education teacher certification programs, this method of teaching is not only hindering the ability of future teachers to think creatively, but their future students ability to think creatively. Baker, Rudd, and Pomeroy (2001) purported that educators must prepare a specific curriculum to increase students creative thinking ability. In a critique of Baker, Rudd, and Pomeroy (2002), Wingenbach (2002) asks, What is the best approach for including the creative thinking process in agricultural education courses? (p. 1)Ž The purpose of this study was to increase the creative problem solving skills of undergraduate students at Texas Tech University in a mechanized agriculture classroom by utilizing divergent teaching techniques. The researcher utilized the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking for the data collection tool in this repeated measures design. The following constructs were addressed in the raw data: (1) fluency- the ability to develop substantial amounts of ideas and drawings; (2) originality- the quality of newness that exists in something not done before; (3) abstractness- the ability to create good titles and to fully capture the events of what the information is dealing with; (4) elaboration- thought out or organized with thoroughness and careful attention to detail and; (5) resistance to premature closure- the ability to keep an idea open long enough to build upon each idea. A measure of the students overall creativity based on the subjects grade level and gender has also been assessed. The population consisted of undergraduate student at Texas Tech University whose major course of study requires a course in welding and metalworking and/or students who have a special interest in welding and metalworking. A convenience sample (n= 18) was utilized for this qusi-experimental design. The researcher has described in detail the data collection schedule, and has laid out step-by-step instructions for administering three treatments designed to increase a persons ability to think in a divergent manner. These treatments consisted of The Sensory Connection, Brainwriting, and Brainsketching. Following the data analysis the researcher concluded that the results from this study showed a wide spectrum of results when looking at the examined constructs and three teaching techniques. Three of the examined constructs showed significant difference between the baseline measurement and the intervening treatments. It is recommended that alternate divergent teaching techniques be studied to determine their affects upon creative thinking, student satisfaction, and cognitive performance.Item Influence of Agricultural Dual Credit on Student College Readiness Self-Efficacy(2013-07-12) Neely, Alanna L.The purpose of this correlational and descriptive study was to examine the influence of an agricultural dual credit course curriculum on student self-efficacy of college readiness as students matriculate to post-secondary education. To evaluate the personal characteristics, postsecondary plans, program perceptions and college readiness self-efficacy, a quantitative survey and online instrument was used to gather data and analyze information on high school students enrolled in agricultural education in both dual credit and non-dual credit courses primarily in the Middle Tennessee Region. The target population (N = 543) for this study was defined as students at 16 schools where the dual credit course was offered with the Middle Tennessee State University, School of Agribusiness and Agriscience in the 2011-2012 academic year. A total of 245 students from 16 secondary agricultural programs in seven different school districts across Tennessee, primarily in the Middle Tennessee region, participated in the study for a response rate of approximately 45%. This study examined college readiness of student participation in an agricultural dual credit course and sought to determine the relationship between student participation in a dual credit course offering and college readiness self-efficacy as well as student perceptions of the course offering. Course self-efficacy was higher among dual credit participants versus non-dual credit participants. Social self-efficacy was also higher for dual credit participants. Females had higher Course self-efficacy, and there was a positive relationship between GPA and each construct of the college readiness self-efficacy inventory. Participant perceptions of the agricultural dual credit program were also high. This study indicates that dual credit participants can confidently approach post-secondary options, and that they are more likely to be successful in college due to level of self-efficacy as they matriculate into college. Recommendations from the study include: Using the MTSU dual credit model in future dual credit course developments and collaborations; using findings as a basis for training future agricultural education teachers on how to improve CRSE; and additional and longitudinal studies to track dual credit students? success in college.Item Perceptions Of Texas Agricultural Education Teachers Regarding Diversity Inclusion In Secondary Agricultural Education Programs(2010-01-14) Lavergne, Douglas D.While our schools across the United States evidently are witnessing an influx of students from diverse backgrounds, the need to address the issue of diversity among public school teachers is critical for inclusive and equitable schools. The purpose of this study was to explore and analyze Texas secondary agricultural education teachers' attitudes toward diversity inclusion in Texas secondary agricultural education programs. Using a web-based questionnaire, the researcher employed a nonproportional stratified random sampling technique, and 232 secondary agricultural education teachers participated in the study. Descriptive statistics were used for reporting the demographic and personal characteristics of respondents. Mean scores were used to assess teachers' perceptions of the benefits of diversity inclusion, perceptions of the barriers of diversity inclusion, and perceptions of proposed solutions to increase diversity inclusion in Texas secondary agricultural education programs. The sample consisted of 170 males and 45 females. The ethnic distribution of the sample was 90.5% White/European American, 6.2% Hispanic/Latino American, 1.9% Native American, 0.9% African American, and 0.5% Asian American. Respondents agreed that secondary agricultural education programs can benefit students of color and students with disabilities. Respondents also agreed that some of the barriers that prevent diversity inclusion in agricultural education include the lack of information about agricultural education, negative parental attitudes about agricultural education, and not being accepted by peers. Respondents indicated that the following is needed for all students to achieve in school: (a) educators, parents, and policymakers must develop strategies to address the different learning styles of all students; (b) agricultural educators should encourage and strive to increase students? of color membership in FFA; (c) teachers should become familiar with students of color represented in their classrooms in order to promote an atmosphere of acceptance and cooperation; and (d) agricultural educators should increase recruitment efforts to promote diversity inclusion must occur. The study also indicated that statistically significant differences in means scores existed based upon certain personal characteristics in regards to the Benefits, Barriers, and Solutions scales.Item Usability analysis of the USDA-ARS Ogallala Initiative Web site(2006-05) Axtell, Shelby L.; Davis, Chad S.; Smith, James H.; Akers, Cindy; Doerfert, DavidThis study tested the usability of the USDA-ARS Ogallala Initiative Web site to determine the external user preferences. Although testing Web sites for usability is still in the developmental stages, Nielsen (2000) says "usability rules the Web" (p. 9). A stratified purposeful sample (n = 49) of county extension agents, agricultural producers, communication professionals, and the general public was tested. A stratified purposeful sample was taken, because Nielsen (2000) and Krug (2000) state how important it is to test the target audience of a site. A usability survey instrument was developed for agricultural and natural resources Web sites by the researcher, based on standards set by Web site usability experts, Nielsen and Krug. The instrument included demographics, as well as 4-point Likert questions pertaining to these categories: general appearance, navigation, efficiency, and content of the site. More than 85% of the participants reported they were satisfied with the USDA-ARS Ogallala Initiative Web site. However, they did indicate a need for contact information and more content. There were no differences among audience responses. Each audience category indicated their needs were being met. The survey instrument yielded a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.923. The researchers recommend adding the following variables to the survey instrument: age of participants, years in profession, and if participants have Internet in their home or business. The researchers suggest revising and adding content based on reported results for the Ogallala Initiative Web site. Then the site needs to be retested several times over. Future tests should be conducted with live audiences, allowing researchers to observe participants in a natural navigation setting.