Agriculture Commons^™

Autism In Agricultural Education: A Case Study Of An Adolescent With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Their Parent On Career And Technical Education, Grace Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a unique and often misunderstood diagnosis. Little is known about the experiences of adolescents with ASD. As students with ASD graduate high school, many are under- and unemployed. Career and technical education (CTE) in U.S. schools is intended to prepare all students for careers post-secondary. Agricultural education is one of the predominate career clusters within CTE. This qualitative single case study sought to create a platform for both a student and their parent to share their experiences in agricultural education and CTE. Participants were an adolescent with ASD who had taken at least one year …

Effects Of Potassium Source And Rate On Yield, Quality, And Leaf Chemistry Of Dark And Burley Tobacco, And Residual Effects Of Soil K Levels, Andrea Brooke Keeney

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Field trials were conducted in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with dark fire-cured, dark air-cured, and burley tobacco at Princeton, Murray and Lexington Kentucky. Tobacco variety used in 2016 was a low converter (LC) variety, varieties used in 2017 and 2018 were LC and higher converter (HC) varieties. Potassium sources used at all locations and in all years were potassium sulfate (K₂SO₄) and potassium chloride (KCl). Application rates used at all locations and in all years were 93, 186, 279 kg K ha^-1along with an untreated control that received no potassium. In all trials, tobacco …

Factors Contributing To Job Satisfaction, Retention, And Attrition Of Agricultural Educators: A Synthesis Of Research, Lee Nolan Thomsen

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

In recent years, School-Based Agricultural Education has been facing a shortage of secondary teachers, due in part to low retention rates of these valuable educators. In light of this shortage, a multitude of research has been conducted throughout the country on challenges faced by agricultural educators, some as indicators of intent to leave the profession. This thesis sought to synthesize the research conducted on job satisfaction, retention, and attrition of School-Based Agricultural Educators order to identify prevalent problems facing these teachers which may contribute to the decision to leave the classroom. From the research, seven themes emerged as job-related factors …

Leadership Styles Of State Extension Specialists, K. Amy Lawyer

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Cooperative extension is one of three components, along with teaching and research that form the mission of land grant universities. The focus of extension work is to take knowledge gained through research conducted at the university, and disseminate the information, in a practical manner to the end user. In most instances, extension work revolves around agriculture. Within the extension system are personnel that help to foster this program of educating clientele who work in the agricultural industry. County level agents are in place to teach and address the needs of local constituents, specialists are generally housed at the university campus …

The Influence Of Transformational Middle Leaders On Work-Life Balance, Timothy D. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Work-life balance is a key indicator of employee satisfaction, retention, and social health as well as organizational creativity and productivity. These dual benefits for employee and employer have generated interest in promoting work-life balance. Supervisors who operate from a transformational leadership framework have been linked to greater work-life balance among employees (Lamm, 2011; (Kutilek, Conklin, & Gunderson, 2002). The role of a supportive organizational culture is also central (Lewis, 2001).

In this study, Cooperative Extension Service agents (N = 1390) participated in a nationwide survey exploring the relationship between rated levels of transformational leadership among district directors, work-life balance, …

Perception, Opportunity, Empowerment, And Policy: Women's Influence In Kentucky Agriculture, Courtney Lacy Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The number of women farmers in the United States is increasing at a substantial rate. Women are fulfilling various roles on the farm and stepping into formal leadership positions in the agricultural community. This study surveys the perception of women reputational leaders in Kentucky agriculture among traditional agricultural leaders, the opportunities available to women in agriculture, the sources empowering women to serve in leadership capacities in agriculture, and how women reputational leaders influence agriculture and agricultural policy in Kentucky. The research revealed that the dynamic of Kentucky agriculture is shifting. Women have made significant strides in agriculture as farmers and …

An Evaluation Of The Techniques And Strategies For Recruiting African-Americans By 1862 Land-Grant Universities, Rashawn P. Franklin

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

As post-secondary education becomes more important for the American citizen to generate wealth, universities are struggling to retain and graduate African-Americans, the third-most represented demographic in the country, especially at predominately white colleges and universities. The Colleges of Agriculture at these particular institutions are struggling to even get Black students to apply, let alone graduate. One of the major issues is the disconnect between the African-American community and the idea of post-secondary education in the agricultural field. One way that disconnect can be combatted is new techniques and strategies in recruiting African-Americans. This study identifies three themes based on interviews …

Work Life Balance For Agricultural Educators In Kentucky, Kendra Horn Rowland

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Research indicates that Kentucky agricultural educators are overworked and experience job related stress. Balancing work and home can be a struggle and stress induces burnout and teacher attrition. Shortages in the agriculture classroom could result in loss of agricultural education programs and negatively affect the profession. The purpose of this study was to 1) describe the demographics of Kentucky high school agricultural educators; 2) describe the work and home life balance for Kentucky agricultural educators; 3) determine the level of job satisfaction among Kentucky agricultural educators; 4) determine the perceived busiest time of the school year for Kentucky agricultural educators. …

The Role Of Culture In Agricultural Education: A Synthesis Of Research, Jonathan A. Tubbs

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Culture is studied across many different disciplines and is viewed as a topic of great and valuable interest within research. Agricultural education has come to recognize the value of embracing a multicultural attitude and the need for recruitment of culturally diverse individuals. While definitions of culture can vary from individual to individual, understanding the degree which a topic has been researched within a discipline is necessary in order to know what direction future research should take. Therefore, this study presents the findings of research on culture within the Journal of Agricultural Education from 1960-2015. This study’s findings indicate that culture, …

Evaluating Food Safety Systems Development And Implementation By Quantifying Haccp Training Durability, Marienne A. Anandappa

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

HACCP-based food safety programs have been widely acclaimed, accepted and implemented as an effective means of managing food safety risks. While HACCP training is a cornerstone of managing HACCP programs, there is little information about the effectiveness of HACCP training and the durability of HACCP knowledge. Findings reveal a link between involvement level in HACCP activities and the accuracy of HACCP knowledge over time. Opportunities for peer training in HACCP, irrespective of overall experience in the food industry provide favorable circumstances for maintaining accuracy of HACCP knowledge. The optimal window for engaging employees in HACCP is directly following the completion …

Sustainable Agriculture Education And Civic Engagement: The Significance Of Community-University Partnerships In The New Agricultural Paradigm, Kim L. Niewolny, Julie M. Grossman, Carmen J. Byker, Jennifer L. Helms, Susan F. Clark, Julie A. Cotton, Krista L. Jacobsen

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Universities and colleges across the United States are making innovative strides in higher education programming to catalyze a more sustainable era of agriculture. This is clearly exemplified through the formation of community-university partnerships as critical illustrations of civic engagement (CE) for sustainable agriculture (SA) education. This paper explores the praxis of CE for SA education by focusing on the ways in which five land-grant universities (LGUs) with undergraduate programs in SA have developed and put into practice community-university partnerships. Drawing upon these programs and supportive literature, this article specifically attempts to describe the role and significance of CE for SA …

Cultivating The Compass: Examining The Role Of Emotional Appraisal And Professional Agency Among Stakeholders In Kentucky Agricultural Education, Savannah Faye Robin

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Agricultural Education has been informed by four major areas including agricultural education (teaching and learning), educational policy, agricultural policy (industry collaboration) and research. Historically agriculture teachers have been removed from the policy process affecting their profession in these four areas (Thompson, 1963). A review of historical literature suggests that only twice have teachers been involved in the policy process. The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement levels of stakeholders in agricultural education across the state of Kentucky. Specifically, examining the emotional appraisal of specific issues in agricultural education and if the emotions of stakeholders influence their involvement …

Male Farmers Coping With Loss Of Spouse: Impacts On Farming Operation And Family Life, Daniel O. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Losing a spouse is as devastating an experience anyone will ever deal with in his or her life. Research, however, shows that men have a harder and longer time coping with the loss of a spouse than women. When the widower’s profession is farming, there are no resources to specifically help that individual with their loss. The purpose of this research was to gain insight into the lives of widowed farmers with particular focus on transitions in their farming operation and their family life. Through their stories, we learn what is happening before the loss of the female spouse on …

Content Preparation Of Pre-Service Agricultural Education Teachers And Its Influence On Their Content Knowledge, Amber Houck

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Content knowledge preparation for teachers is a crucial component of the modal curriculum model for education. The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount and quality of coursework preparation of pre-service University of Kentucky agriculture teachers influences their content knowledge as defined by the Praxis II agriculture exam scores. This study concluded that there was variability in coursework preparation of pre-service agriculture teachers at the University of Kentucky. Praxis II exam scores of pre-service teachers indicated that most students are meeting an adequate content knowledge level based on the exam material. It can also be concluded that …