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Factors Contributing to Students’ Graduation in Agricultural Education in a 4-Year University Through the Lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory

McKay, Chadwick W.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xulead1599231444005098

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership Studies, Xavier University, Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development.
This study examined the factors that statistically predict student’s degree attainment within agricultural education as a course of study. The study is based on a population of first year agriculture students (n = 616) at a private four-year college in Southwestern Ohio. The study is correlational design, which employed cross-sectional archival survey methodology. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to inform the research questions through the lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT: Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). The research questions were designed to measure the extent to which six learning factors predict students’ degree attainment in degree programs in agricultural education; the six predictors included: 1) coming from a different a high school setting (rural vs. urban), 2) belonging to the National FFA Organization (FFA), 3) holding an FFA officer position while in high school, 4) having or not having a farm background, 5) parental occupation, and 6) expressed interest in teaching vocational agriculture. Results revealed that four of the six factors did have a significant association with students’ degree attainment in a specific a degree program in agricultural education. Specifically, coming from urban school settings, holding an officer position while in FFA, parental occupation related to agriculture, and having an expressed interest in teaching vocational agriculture served as significant predictors that contributed to students’ degree attainment of a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. With the current trend that the number of agricultural education teaching positions is on the rise, there is a demand for agricultural education teachers but a lack of individuals to fill the open positions. Accordingly, from a practical standpoint, the findings inform the way in which the case study institution’s agricultural department designs and implements recruiting strategies that encourage more high school students to pursue a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. Given the study’s data that shows only seven percent of the students graduated with a degree in agricultural education, a follow-up study may need to investigate how such student hands-on learning experiences as teaching reactions contribute to their degree attainment. This future study would allow researchers to inform academic professionals' insights as to how the number of graduates in their program could potentially look after that learning experience.
Ahlam Lee, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Michael Chikeleze, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Gail F. Latta, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
92 p.
Agriculture; Higher Education
Agriculture; Agriculture Retention; Agriculture Recruitment; Case Study

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McKay, C. W. (2020). Factors Contributing to Students’ Graduation in Agricultural Education in a 4-Year University Through the Lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory [Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xulead1599231444005098

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McKay, Chadwick. Factors Contributing to Students’ Graduation in Agricultural Education in a 4-Year University Through the Lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory. 2020. Xavier University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xulead1599231444005098.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McKay, Chadwick. "Factors Contributing to Students’ Graduation in Agricultural Education in a 4-Year University Through the Lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory." Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xulead1599231444005098

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Xavier University Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development and OhioLINK.