Education Commons^™

Learning In Transitions: Migrant Women Reflecting On Life Trajectories And Constructing Self-Identity, Heh Youn Shin

Adult Education Research Conference

The purpose of this paper is to examine how foreign wives in Korea present themselves in relation to the dominant discourse surrounding them through stories of migration and marriage experiences.

Evaluating The Organizational Advancement Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Extension Education, John M. Diaz, Lendel K. Narine, Cody Gusto

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

In response to global trends and calls for greater inclusivity, the field of extension education has made significant strides towards embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles. This study explores the progress of DEI initiatives in the Cooperative Extension System (CES), which has aligned with industry groups, non-profit organizations, academia, and scientific societies worldwide. Through a multifaceted approach, CES has pursued strategies such as intercultural competence (ICC) training for professionals, diversity action plans, and culturally responsive teaching techniques. This study assessed the advancement of DEI in extension education using a survey of DEI specialists across extension organizations in the U.S. …

Assessing Connectedness To Water As A Catalyst For Change: A Multidimensional Approach To Extension Education On Water Conservation, John M. Diaz, Laura Warner

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

As issues of water security remain pervasive, extension educators continue to search for strategies to promote water conservation. Social marketing represents such a strategy that can be leveraged as a tool to better understand target audiences and develop strategic communication campaigns to promote practice adoption and behavior change. Research demonstrates that social marketing efforts that focus on understanding and developing personal norms and values hold promise for increasing the implementation of residential conservation behaviors. The construct of Connectedness to Nature is one strategy for developing environmentally aligned personal norms. This study leverages a similar concept, connectedness to water, to understand …

A Content Analysis Of Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles Over The Last 20 Years: To What Extent Does Contemporary Research Focus On The Effects Of Frequent Relocation On The Academic Performance Of Military-Connected Students?, Tyler Fowler

Educational Considerations

This article is a content analysis of peer-reviewed research publications from the years 2001 to 2022 to find the extent to which frequent relocation may affect the academic performance of military-connected students. There are many articles with a focus on civilian students that experience frequent residential and school mobility. However, to what extent has the extant literature focused on the military-connected student that also experiences frequent residential and school mobility? This article pays special attention to the current literature surrounding elementary-aged military-connected students. This article also examines areas of future research surrounding this group of students.

Impact Of The Reggio Emilia Approach Through Short Term Study Abroad And The Lenses Of Lundy's Model: Space, Voice, Audience, And Influence, Sandra H. Seipel, Victoria Seeger

Educational Considerations

This study examines undergraduate short-term study abroad to Reggio Emilia, a construct that values what children know and can create as capable learners, and its impact on novice teachers’ practices to learn what skills and abilities each had for allowing children to make decisions, have control in the classroom, and reduce compliance expectations. Data indicated a lack of confidence, support, and guidance for incorporating the philosophy within an American school setting. American schools’ focus on standards-based instruction, assessment aimed at increasing test scores, and lack of teacher-driven curriculum played significant roles in the participants’ inability to employ Reggio Emilia processes …

Work Readiness And Job Satisfaction Of Youth With Intellectual Disabilities Participating In A Supported Employment Program, Hannah Branch

Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences

A summer supported employment program was provided by a vocational rehabilitation agency to prepare transition-aged youth with intellectual disabilities for the workforce. This study examined the views of youth with intellectual disabilities on their pre-post-program work readiness and job satisfaction using survey methodology. Although youth seemed satisfied with their jobs, they reported no significant change in their perceived job readiness, and their job coaches also reported similar perceptions.

As a summer program, the duration may not have been adequate to increase youth’s views of their work readiness. For summer supported employment programs, obtaining youth participant insight and feedback, although sometimes …

Daily 5 Implementation To Improve Ell Students’ Performances, Phu Vu, Lan Vu

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This paper focuses on an action research project that integrated the "Daily 5" literacy framework into a fourth-grade classroom in a small rural town in Kansas. The study aimed to enhance the literacy skills of English Language Learners (ELL) using the Daily 5 method, which includes five key activities: Read to Self, Work on Writing, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, and Word Work. The research involved a six-week intervention and used student performance data, including daily assignment scores and oral reading fluency, to assess the impact of this framework on ELL students. The findings indicated significant improvements in students' …

To Choose Or Not To Choose: Establishing A Correlation Between Choice, Collaboration, And Classroom Engagement, Krisandra Johnson

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Not all 8th-grade students have an outspoken passion for reading; however, most of them do like choices. This action research study establishes a correlation between offering choices in the English Language Arts classroom and increased affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. The participants for this research were an 8th-grade class at a Midwest, urban public school. Providing students with reading choices, assignment options, opportunities to collaborate with peers, and multiple assessment forms to choose from demonstrated an increase of not only effective engagement but also cognitive and behavioral. From observations and student data, collaboration, the researcher determines that collaboration is a …

Constructivist Teaching In A Virtual Space, Aviva Dorfman

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Due to the pandemic undergraduate course, ECE 340: Constructivist Teaching with Young Children, moved to an online, asynchronous format. The in-person methods I used, group work, in-class activities, and discussion, could not be directly transposed online as might lecture and recitation. Toward the term’s end students expressed appreciation for the degree of choice they had in assignments, examples of programs in text and video, and repeated opportunities to design centers and instruction. Some declared a greater sense of confidence as educators. The comments, suggested that the shift into an asynchronous provision of the course had been effective. This study is …

Modeling And Encouraging Self-Care In Online Teacher Preparation: Lessons Learned During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kathleen A. Boothe, Marla J. Lohmann

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts for both teachers and students at all levels. Instructional delivery had to be modified to respond to the need for social distancing. Even courses that were already fully online required adaptations to accommodate the needs of university students during COVID. One of the biggest changes that the authors made to their teaching and to their students’ learning was that of modeling and encouraging self-care. This article summarizes what two university faculty changed in their instruction to help promote self-care, as well as what they are doing now to continue utilizing what they learned.

Assessing The Dimensional Validity And Reliability Of The Critical Thinking Inventory (Cti) In The Kenyan Higher Education System: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Millicent A. Oyugi, Kristin Gibson, Alexa J. Lamm

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The global importance of critical thinking in enhancing academic success, employability, civic engagement, and mental health is universally acknowledged. Yet, its cultivation in educational systems, particularly in Kenya, requires further attention. This gap is pronounced in Kenya's higher education, where more research is needed to develop and validate effective critical thinking assessment tools given the paradigm shift in its educational curricular. This study contributes to this need by evaluating the applicability of the Critical Thinking Inventory (CTI) model in Kenyan higher education. Using a convenience sample of 387 undergraduates from Egerton University, the study assessed the alignment between the CTI …

Perceptions Of Professionals, Faculty, And Students Regarding The Implementation Of An Agricultural Communications Degree Program In The United Kingdom, Jefferson D. Miller, Abby Davis, Kobina D. Fanyinkah, Alex Mcleod, Casandra Cox, K. Jill Rucker

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of professionals, faculty, and students regarding the implementation of an agricultural communications degree program in the United Kingdom (U.K). It aimed to gather detailed opinions to aid in the planning of future agricultural communications curricula in the U.K., where no formal academic programs in this discipline exist in higher education. This study used a qualitative approach in the form of interviews to gain in-depth opinions on four different research objectives. Participants were pooled from three different demographic groups in the U.K: industry professionals, faculty, and students. These stakeholder expressed that …

Editorial Board

Educational Considerations

Editorial Board 2024

In Search Of More Mature Uses Of Data: Problematizing Education And Poetry, F. Todd Goodson

Educational Considerations

Alex Romagnoli’s article in this issue, a discussion of the use of quantitative metrics in education and baseball, provides a thoughtful discussion the limitations inherent in those metrics as well as ways they can be enhanced to provide more useful information. This manuscript extends Romagnoli’s manuscript with specific illustrations of the ways grade point averages can be interpreted in context along with a call for a much more nuanced approach to data by policy makers and decision makers.

Providing Long-Term Sustainability To Capital Outlay Funding In Kansas, Kellen James Adams

Educational Considerations

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the challenges and limitations of the capital outlay fund across the range of the 286 school districts in the state of Kansas. The data and conclusions gleaned from the study conducted here are of importance for local governing bodies and state policymakers alike, as they look to provide for the long-term sustainability of the pupils of Kansas.

The stark reality facing Kansas school districts and their respective school buildings is that, for many, the proverbial clock is ticking on their life expectancy. In some cases, buildings are simply living on …

Hitting For Average: Educational Assessment, Unidimensionality, And The Connection To Baseball Hitting Statistics, Alex Romagnoli

Educational Considerations

The traditional points system and subsequent Grade Point Average (GPA) in education perpetuates an evaluation of academic performance which reflects arbitrary weighting of assignments and/or assessments. As such, GPAs which are calculated using a traditional points system are not unidimensional in their design. The baseball batting and slugging percentage, which serves as established metrics for performance evaluations among baseball players, better reflects unidimensionality. In essence, this paper puts forth an analysis and discussion which posits that baseball batting average and slugging percentage can serve as an example for how unidimensionality can become more prevalent in educational assessments, especially as it …

From Student To Teacher: Renegotiating Professional Identities, Zachary Milford, Anne Corey Reed

Educational Considerations

This case-study examines how first-year educators renegotiated their teacher identities as they transitioned from pre-service teachers (PSTs) to professionals. Both participants graduated from the same Teacher Education Program (TEP) and conducted their student internship in the same school as their first year of teaching. The results of this study have unique implications on first-year teachers working in the location of their student internships, as they reported isolation, internalized infantilization, and inconsistent identities. The author argues for TEPs to intentionally prepare PSTs for navigating this transition, and challenge preconceived notions of the benefits of student teaching and working in the same …

The Impact Of Mentoring And Scholarships On Teacher Candidates, Linda Gray Smith, Victoria N. Seeger, Michael Mcbride, Timothy J. Wall

Educational Considerations

The study examines data from surveys and interviews with teacher candidates and local education mentors at a Midwestern university who were involved in a Grow Your Own program; this article focuses on results for the teacher candidates. Using data based on demographics, financial need, and academic performance, the researchers identified eight educator preparation candidates from under-represented backgrounds. Each teacher candidate was invited to receive an academic scholarship of $1,500 per semester for two terms, fall 2022 and spring 2023, with the understanding each scholarship recipient would be paired with a university mentor and an in-district mentor from one of two …

Introduction And Table Of Contents, Mary Rodriguez

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education is the official refereed publication of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE). Its purpose is to enhance the research and knowledge base of agricultural and extension education from an international perspective.

Feature - Factors Influencing Maize Farmers’ Adoption And Use Intensity Of Hermetic Storage Bags In Dormaa, Ghana, Namah Taku-Forchu, Misty D. Lambert, Michael S. Retallick, Jonathan D. Ulmer, George P. Opit

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

ABSTRACT

Maize is a key staple in Ghana with a high production rate. With the growing development of the poultry and livestock sector, there is a need to boost maize production to meet the growing demand. The unfortunate thing is a significant amount of maize produced is lost during storage. The hermetic storage bag is an innovation proven to reduce maize storage loss. This study ascertains factors influencing smallholder maize farmers' adoption and use intensity of hermetic storage bags in Dormaa, Ghana. We used a multi-stage sampling technique and collected data from 217 maize smallholder farmers from four communities where …

Manuscript Submission Guidelines, Mary Rodriguez

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Guidelines for submissions

Fighting Alone: The Lived Experiences Of African Women Immigrant Farmers Acquiring Land In The U.S., Willis Ochieng, Damilola Ajayi

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The study adopted phenomenology to understand the lived experiences of African Women Immigrant Farmers (AWIFS) acquiring land in the U.S. Seven participants were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The study found that AWIFs acquire land from friends, and organizations serving immigrants, including government agencies. AWIFS also partners with spouses or close relatives to purchase agricultural land. Nonetheless, AWIFS experiences numerous challenges such as limited social networks which restrict access to land-related information. Other challenges include a lack of knowledge of American land structures and tenure systems, financial challenges, and stringent funding requirements. To overcome such barriers, AWIFS, engage in expanding their …

Students’ Acquisition Of Agricultural And Entrepreneurship (Agripreneurship) Knowledge And Skills: Does Instructional Approach And Their Sex Matter?, Stephen C. Mukembo, M. Craig Edwards, J. Shane Robinson

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Agricultural and Entrepreneurship education are interdisciplinary due to amalgamating the natural sciences and social sciences. These disciplines have gained the interest of those looking to equip youth with skills for self-reliance. Teachers employ various instructional approaches, including student-centric approaches such as project-based learning (PjBL) and teacher-centric methods, for example, the lecture method, to facilitate learning. Existing research, however, suggests that students’ learning can be influenced by other factors, for example, learning styles, socio-cultural norms, sex stereotypes, and the instructional approach(es) used. We examined the impact of using the lecture method (counterfactual group) versus PjBL (treatment group) approaches on student acquisition …

4-H Senegal Community Of Practice Developing Stem Curricula That Leads To Youth-Driven Discovery And Innovation, Fatima Z. Kebe, Hannah H. Scherer

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

In 2015, Jeunesse en Agriculture (JEA), French for “Youth in Agriculture” formed 4-H clubs in Senegal, West Africa. JEA set out to develop culturally relevant STEM curricula for their 4-H youth learners. This led to the novel formation of the 4-H Senegal STEM Community of Practice (CoP), a group designed to create engaging content and activities that leverage local interest and resources. The CoP Practice used a conceptual framework that applies the United States National Research Council’s Engage-Respond-Connect framing as criteria contextualized for 4-H Senegal STEM learning. JEA team members and the CoP used a design-based educational research approach to …

What’S Trust Got To Do With It? Exploring Agricultural Science Podcast Producers’, Guests’, And Listeners’ Perceptions And Levels Of Trust In Science, Jacqueline Aenlle, Jamie Loizzo, J.C. Bunch, Lisa K. Lundy, Kevin M. Folta

Journal of Applied Communications

Little research to this point has examined food, agricultural, natural resource, and human science (FANRHS) podcast creation, the trustworthiness of the information presented, and the credibility of the individuals speaking on the podcast. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of trust in science of FANRHS podcast producers, guests, and listeners. The study followed an explanatory sequential mixed-method design beginning with an online survey instrument to measure trust in science and later, semi-structured interviews to further explore participants’ perceptions of trust and trust in science. Results showed participants had moderate to moderately high levels of trust in …

Book-Tasting Presentations Within An Early Childhood Educator Preparation Program, Johannah D. Baugher, Narges Sareh

The Advocate

This manuscript discusses a teacher education experience utilized within an early childhood literacy methods course named, book-tasting presentation. Existing literature suggests that book-tastings, in a variety of forms, are evident at the PK-12 level, yet not prevalent in higher education and specifically, teacher education. The aim of the book-tasting presentations is to expose early childhood teacher candidates to diverse, high-quality picturebooks and their application in early childhood settings to cook up a love of literacy among our youngest readers. This is achieved through the Experiential Learning Cycle as teacher candidates are tasked to experience, reflect, think, and act throughout this …

Advancing Educators Towards Social Justice Through Policy Analysis, Courtney J. Hoffhines, Susan Yelich Biniecki

The Advocate

Both pre-service and practicing educators are entering classrooms with limited preparation for the social landscape, affecting a range of professional considerations such as educational equity, culturally responsive teaching, and effective assessment. In an effort to consider greater impact and meaningful development of teachers for social justice concepts, this study is aimed directly at K-2 Kansas classrooms. A review of KSDE policies, utilizing a critical policy discourse analysis, allowed for the consideration of plausible responses for educational change regarding the advancement of educators for social justice. This research demonstrates the opportunity that exists within policy to create greater awareness for social …

Preparing Preservice Teacher For All Learners: A Book Critique On Gifted Education And Gifted Students, David S. Wolff

The Advocate

If is often said that undergraduate coursework in gifted education is a paragraph or chapter in a book. Without specific coursework regarding gifted education and gifted learners, preservice teachers are partially equipped to meet the diverse learning needs in today’s classrooms. This article provides a review of Gifted Education and Gifted Students: A Guide for Inservice and Preservice Teachers by Margot and Melin (2020) as a recommended primer for preservice teachers to gain basic knowledge and understanding of who gifted learners are and how to provided appropriate services for them.

Semi-Public Speaking: How Virtual High School Debate Competition Increased Accessibility For Marginalized Students, Annie Goodson

The Advocate

The advent of online learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic radically altered the landscape of modern education. While most research has examined the socio-emotional and academic impact of the shift to online school, far less attention has been given to its effect on extra-curricular activities. This article examines the ways in which virtual learning effected competitive high school debate, and how a transition to an entirely virtual debate format radically altered students’ and coaches’ experiences within the activity. Drawing on empirical studies and real-world experiences, this article underscores how virtual debate made the activity more accessible for historically …

Letter From The Ate-K President

The Advocate

Letter from ATE-K President, Dr. Alan English