Problems and Challenges Associated with the First Years of Teaching Agriculture: A Framework for Preservice and Inservice Education.

This national study used the expertise of the winners of the NVATA Outstanding Young Member Award in identifying problems and challenges associated with the first years of teaching agriculture. The study was conducted using a three stage Delphi technique. The population surveyed were the state winners of the NVATA Outstanding Young Member Award for the years I995 and I996 and totaled 61 different names. The respondents to survey one listed over 350 problems and challenges associated with the first years of teaching agriculture. The 350 problems and challenges were subsequently grouped into 23 categories andformed the contentfor surveys two and three using a Likert-type scale. Sixty percent of the respondents rated seven of the 23 categories as very important problems and challenges for first year teachers. Classroom management and student discipline, again in this study, surfaced as a problem for first year teachers. However, different from other studies, the issues relating to time and organizational management, and managing the activities of the FFA chapter surfaced as big problems and challenges and consistently placed at the top of the list in this study. Introduction and Theoretical Framework Entry into the profession of teaching high school agriculture can be difficult at best. Nesbitt (1991) noted that agriculture teachers are not only held responsible for the activities of a regular subject matter teacher such as classroom management and subject content, but beginning agriculture teachers are additionally responsible for the many activities associated with a total program of vocational agricultural education. Studies concerning problems associated with the first years of teaching confirm the often difficult transition into the profession. Veenman (1984) in an extensive review of 91 studies conducted after 1964 which dealt with problems of beginning teachers across disciplines, found the most reoccurring problems were: classroom discipline, motivating students, dealing with individual differences, assessing students’ work, relationships with parents, organization of class work, inadequate teaching materials and supplies, and dealing with problems of individual students. Researchers (Nichols & Mundt, 1996; HealthCamp & Camp, 1992; Mundt, 1991; Barrick & Doerfert 1989) confirm some of the same problems for agriculture teachers as identified by Veenman. Consistently, classroom management and student discipline come to the forefront as problems for beginning teachers. They also found that additional problems included: managing the vocational student organization, facility management, safety and health, and global organizational issues. Problems related to the first years of teaching can be translated to inservice needs of first year teachers. Research related to the inservice needs of beginning teachers of agriculture and attributes of beginning teacher induction programs (Garton & Chung, 1996; Nesbitt & Mundt, 1993; Barrera & Finley, 1992) supported a link between problems incurred and inservice education needed and/or provided. Benefits to beginning teachers which were cited as a result of induction and inservice education were the enhancement of technical Journal of Agricultural Education 38 Vol. 40, No. 11999 knowledge and pedagogical skill. However, those activities which boosted teacher moral and provided encouragement during the first year were also reported to be very important. Flowers & People (1988), recommended teacher educators and state supervisors develop programs which would boost teacher morale. The literature reviewed for this study found that beginning teachers of agriculture were surveyed during their first year of teaching. Additionally, beginning teachers’ principals, teacher educators, and state supervisors of agricultural education were also surveyed. In most cases these were census studies within certain states or regions of the United States. The research focus for these studies dealt with the problems and inservice needs ofbeginning teachers of agriculture. This research effort also focused on the problems and challenges of the first years of teaching agriculture. However, the research approach was different from other recent studies as follows: 1) the study was a national Delphi, 2) participants were those beginning teachers who had taught from three five years, and 3) the participants were declared state winners in the NVATA (National Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association) Outstanding Young Member Award Program. The researchers were interested in comparing the responses ofbeginning teachers who were named outstanding agriculture teachers as determined by their selection as state winners of the NVATA Outstanding Young Member Award with the results of other studies that investigated the problems faced by first year agriculture teachers. Purpose and Objectives The purpose of this Delphi study was to utilize the expertise of the state winners of the NVATA Outstanding Young Member Award in identifying problems and challenges associated with the first years ofteaching agriculture. Specific objectives of the study were: Journal of Agricultural Education 39 1.