Education Commons^™

4-H Wildlife Habitat Education Program: A Qualitative Study On Career Exploration, Ronnie Lee Cowan

Masters Theses

There are documented studies on the Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) that relate to building life skills of participants. However, no literature was found that measured the perceptions of the participants towards a career in wildlife after participating in WHEP. To add validity to the program a focus group was conducted at the Tennessee 4-H wildlife judging contest to describe the WHEP participants’ perceptions of careers in wildlife after the completion of the annual program. Focus group participants indicated that participating in WHEP peaked their interest in wildlife and provided an opportunity to experience the importance of natural resource management.

The Benefits Of Ffa Membership As Part Of The Three-Circle Model In Agricultural Education, Chelsea Brooke Rose

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand the benefits of membership in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) student leadership organization among Tennessee FFA members by surveying members attending Camp Clements FFA Leadership Training Camp. The study focused on the fulfillment of FFA members’ basic human needs as defined by Abraham Maslow (1943). The three needs on which this study focused are: love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization (1943). The study found that a majority of FFA members’ three basic human needs are met due to their involvement in career development events, leadership positions, and other FFA activities. Of …

The Influence Of Organically Managed High Tunnel And Open Field Production Systems On Strawberry (Fragaria X Ananassa) Quality And Yield, Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) Yield, And Evaluation Of Plastic Mulch Alternatives, Jeffrey Thomas Martin

Masters Theses

High tunnels extend the production season, and increase fruit quality, yield and crop marketability of high-value crops, but have been underutilized in the Southeast. In this study, organically managed variety trials of two high-value crops, strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), were conducted in high tunnel (HT) and open field (OF) production systems to compare yield and quality. Furthermore, specialty crops are commonly grown on black plastic mulch to increase earliness of harvest, fruit quality and yield. However, plastic disposal is time consuming and costly. Degradable mulches reduce removal costs, lessen environmental impacts, and …

Knowledge And Perceptions Of Agriculture In Tennessee Through Fall Agritourism Experiences, Jessica Jarrell Poore

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the key educational components of agritourism in Tennessee. The study strived to identify if knowledge of the agricultural industry increased due to agritourism experiences and if perception of the agriculture industry changed due to the experience. Additionally, the research sought to describe visitor demographics and characteristics.Following a pilot study in 2009, three agritourism venues throughout the state of Tennessee were used to collect surveys to create a pool of respondents and to identify their original knowledge of perceptions of the agriculture industry for the 2010 study. Additional data was gathered through an …

Developing, Refining, And Validating A Survey To Measure Adolescent Food Safety Self-Efficacy, Monica K Brandon

Masters Theses

Self-efficacy is a proven indicator of predicting risky behaviors, but without a baseline level of adolescent food safety self-efficacy to develop targeted interventions it is difficult to produce meaningful behavior change. The research question around which this study was designed is: To what extent can a validated instrument accurately capture adolescent beliefs of food safety self-efficacy. Through rigorous field testing and statistical analysis we hypothesize a valid and reliable instrument can be created for measuring adolescents’ food safety self-efficacy. The purposes of this study included: (a) development of a high quality, food safety self-efficacy instrument, (b) validation of the instrument …

The Use Of Horticulture Therapy Techniques With Four Comprehensive Development Classroom Students In Four High School Horticulture Classes, Jamie Lynn Mundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore people-plant interactions and discover the affects of using horticulture therapy techniques with four comprehensive development classroom (CDC) students in four high school horticulture classes. The central research question addressed during the study was, “How do horticulture therapy techniques affect cognitive abilities, emotional behaviors, and social behaviors of CDC students in high school horticulture classes?”

The researcher used a total of three different instruments in order to measure various capabilities of each child. These three quantitative instruments utilized during the study consisted of a General Horticulture Knowledge Test, an Emotions Face Test, and …