This study was a descriptive survey of Ohio secondary agricultural educator perceptions of science integration in their curriculum. Science has been a foundational basis for agricultural education since the program was first developed. Secondary agriculture teachers have been encouraged to teach the knowledge and skills needed for students to become successful and productive workers and citizens. However, it was not clear how many agricultural education teachers were currently teaching a science-based curriculum.
The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of Ohio secondary agricultural educators regarding the integration of science concepts into their agricultural education curriculum. Respondents were asked to report their perceptions regarding the integration of science and barriers to integrating science concepts. Respondents were also asked to provide information about several demographic characteristics. Demographic characteristics were analyzed to determine if any were related to the teacher’s perceptions of several constructs related to science integration.
A survey instrument was emailed to a randomly-selected sample of the population of all Ohio secondary agricultural educators. Non-respondents received a series of follow up emails messages to prompt their response. Phone calls and follow up emails were also made to a random sample of non-respondents. Items comprising the science integration constructs requested respondents to report their perception for each item using a Liker-type response scale from 1 (very strongly agree) to 6 (very strongly disagree). Means and standard deviations were computed for each perception item. Correlations were also computed to assess the relationship between demographic characteristics and respondent perceptions. Generalizations of the findings from this study were limited to the respondents.
Agricultural education respondents agreed that science concepts were easier for students to understand when they were integrated into the agricultural education program. Respondents also agreed that professional development workshops should be provided on science integration, and that science integration in the agricultural education curriculum would help students meet OGT (Ohio Graduation Test) requirements. Significant relationships were identified between the high school enrollment and the Agriculture and Science, Barriers Towards the Integration of Science, and Student Enrollment constructs.
Science integration should be encouraged in Ohio secondary agricultural education programs. Overall respondents perceived that science integration in secondary agricultural education was beneficial for students. Teachers also need to learn more about how to integrate science successfully and how students can benefit. Instructional resources should also be provided to encourage teachers to integrate science concepts based upon state academic content standards.