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Full-Text Articles in Education

Why Teach? Exploring The Motivations And Expectations Of First-Year, Alternatively Certified Agriscience Teachers, Sarah E. Larose, Blake C. Colclasure, Anna J. Warner, Debra M. Barry, Edward W. Osborne May 2023

Why Teach? Exploring The Motivations And Expectations Of First-Year, Alternatively Certified Agriscience Teachers, Sarah E. Larose, Blake C. Colclasure, Anna J. Warner, Debra M. Barry, Edward W. Osborne

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

School-Based agricultural education increasingly depends upon alternatively certified (AC) teachers to teach agriculture across the United States. Understanding why these individuals become teachers is an important step to better recruit and retain educators who do not complete traditional preparation programs. The purpose of our study was to explore the backgrounds, motivations, and expectations of AC agriscience teachers joining the profession. Our study was guided by the social cognitive career theory and utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach. We interviewed seven AC agriscience teachers in Florida during their first-year teaching to explore their journey into teaching agricultural education. Six major themes were …


Investigating Students’ Career-Readiness In The Agricultural Sciences: A Phenomenological Case Study, Jean A. Parrella, Holli R. Leggette, Theresa P. Murphrey, Christi Esquivel, Anna Bates May 2023

Investigating Students’ Career-Readiness In The Agricultural Sciences: A Phenomenological Case Study, Jean A. Parrella, Holli R. Leggette, Theresa P. Murphrey, Christi Esquivel, Anna Bates

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The agricultural industry lacks qualified workers, suggesting students may not participate in opportunities that effectively develop their employability skills. We used a phenomenological case study approach to investigate Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students’ career-readiness and factors influencing career-readiness. We conducted interviews with 19 juniors and seniors. Open coding procedures revealed five emergent themes—Career Advice-Seeking Behavior,Employability Skills Development, Network Establishment, Relevant Experiences, and Personal Growth. Findings indicate that students do not take advantage of University resources to help them with career preparation. Findings also revealed a lack of employability skills development, especially relating to …