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Assessment of the U.S. Department of Labor's Tractor and Machinery Certification Program

Jepsen, Shelly Dee
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1149104900

Abstract Details

2006, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Agricultural Education.
A mixed-mode, descriptive study was conducted on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Tractor and Machinery Certification program. The DOL program was intended to serve youth 14 and 15 years of age who wish to work in agricultural operations other than their family farm. Utilizing a multi-dimensional approach, the research employed a combination of investigations targeting a multitude of stakeholders. Federal databases were queried and reported for youth enrollment status from 1999-2003. Focus groups, conducted in eight geographical regions, provided baseline information about the DOL program. A national Delphi panel of experts was convened to identify educational goals, curriculum objectives, and core competencies. Two independent surveys were conducted, one with state program leaders in Extension and State Departments of Education, and one with local course instructors in Extension and secondary education vocational agricultural programs. While there is support for the DOL program, it has limited national availability. The central, midwest region of the U.S. is predominant in offering the program. Extension offers certification at a higher reported frequency than vocational agricultural programs. The full Tractor and Machinery Certification program is the prevailing type, and instructors reported a weighted mean average of approximately 30 instructional hours, which is higher than the legislative requirements.Educators strongly believed the training was beneficial to students. They also felt the program had potential to attract new audiences in landscaping and horticultural services. Overall, instructors believed the top three issues that would increase the effectiveness of the DOL program included community awareness, employer support, and access to teaching resources. Issues that closely followed included enforcement of the legislation, in-service training for instructors, and additional learning activities for students. Instructors did not feel the course could be offered in its entirety as a self-study program. Instructors believed standardization of teaching material was slightly more effective than standardization of testing requirements. A list of 117 competencies was identified by a national panel of experts, with 73.5% of those rated by community instructors as highly or critically important for youth to learn. Creating a national competency-based curriculum would eliminate regional differences and assist community instructors with instruction and testing.
Scott Scheer (Advisor)
343 p.
Education, Agricultural
agriculture; tractor; machinery; safety; certification; youth

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Jepsen, S. D. (2006). Assessment of the U.S. Department of Labor's Tractor and Machinery Certification Program [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1149104900

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jepsen, Shelly. Assessment of the U.S. Department of Labor's Tractor and Machinery Certification Program. 2006. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1149104900.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jepsen, Shelly. "Assessment of the U.S. Department of Labor's Tractor and Machinery Certification Program." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1149104900

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1149104900
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© 2006, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.