Discovering Opportunities: Evaluating Supervised Agricultural Experience's Role in the Agricultural Education Program- A Delphi Study
Abstract
Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is one of the founding pillars of agricultural education. As agricultural education has changed and adapted, Supervised Agricultural Experiences have grown in scope and diversity. Exploratory SAEs were created to provide students with new opportunities to engage in experiential learning, hands-on experiences, and put their skills and knowledge obtained in the classroom into practice. Nevertheless, limited research had been conducted to determine what the role and value of exploratory SAEs may hold for modern agricultural education. Furthermore, limited research has been completed on the implementation of this unique SAE category.
The purpose of this study was to address some fundamental questions regarding exploratory SAEs such as the definition, example projects, opportunities and barriers for implementing exploratory SAEs, parameters that differentiated exploratory SAEs from other SAE categories, and whether exploratory SAEs, as they currently exist, are degree and/or award worthy in the FFA component of the agricultural education model. Utilizing the Delphi method to gather responses and collect data, the researcher was able to interpret results from various perspectives and attitudes regarding exploratory SAEs. 15 individuals were selected from the field of agricultural education who demonstrated exemplary acumen and expertise in the area of SAEs. Throughout three rounds of data collection, a response rate of 93% (N=15, n=14) was maintained from the nationally distributed SAE panelists. The SAE panelists completed three online questionnaires utilizing the Qualtrics™ system, first responding to open ended questions and then collapsing and organizing these responses. The next two questionnaires used a Likert-type scale to determine panelists’ level of agreement with their responses. The scale used ranged from 1=Strongly Disagree to 4=Strongly Agree with consensus set at a 3.2 or 80%.
We found that experts were in agreement on items such as the definition, examples, opportunities and parameters that differentiate exploratory SAEs from the other categories. However, the SAE experts could not reach consensus on items such as barriers to implement exploratory SAEs or whether the current exploratory SAE’s are degree or award worthy. Findings show that more research and clarity is needed to learn more about exploratory SAEs, beyond this first step of research.
Citation
Zwilling, Clayton R (2015). Discovering Opportunities: Evaluating Supervised Agricultural Experience's Role in the Agricultural Education Program- A Delphi Study. Master's thesis, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /155414.