Rationale for research on including sustainable agriculture in the high school agricultural education curriculum
TL;DR: Sustainable agriculture is a global philosophy guiding the development of agricultural systems that address economic, social, and environmental issues in a multidisciplinary manner as discussed by the authors, and it requires a holistic, system-oriented approach to solving problems in the food and fiber industry.
Abstract: Sustainable agriculture is a global philosophy guiding the development of agricultural systems that address economic, social, and environmental issues in a multidisciplinary manner. Sustainable agriculture requires a holistic, system-oriented approach to solving problems in the food and fiber industry. Agricultural research has been targeted toward developing new technologies and practices which are economically, environmentally, and socially acceptable. Subject matter porn a multidiscipli nary perspective can be used to support decision making in the food and fiber system from production to consumption. Subject matter featuring multidiscipline knowledge facilitates holistic and integrative approaches to education. Including sustainable agriculture in the high school agricultural education curriculum would allow the agricultural education profession to become a partner in achieving the goals of a sustainable agriculture industry and at the same time enhance the scientiJic nature of the curriculum; however, research is needed to show the way. Research is needed in allfour of the scholarship.functions advanced by Boyer (1990) - discovery, integration, application, and teaching.
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TL;DR: In this article, a study was conducted to determine high school agricultural education students' self-assessed knowledge of and expected impact from sustainable agriculture, and Likert-type scales were used to measure knowledge and impact.
Abstract: Economically sound environmentally protective, and socially acceptable are the three widely advocated components of sustainable agriculture. The public expects farming to be socially and environmentally responsible, and farmers desire to farm within more responsible boundaries. Research is being conducted to identify agricultural practices that address all three components of sustainable agriculture and educational programs are being developed to disseminate the new knowledge. The purpose of this study was to determine high school agricultural education students' self-assessed knowledge of and expected impact from sustainable agriculture. The respondents were 386 agricultural education students from 31 Iowa high schools. Likert-type scales were used to measure knowledge and impact. Students rated themselves as having limited knowledge of sustainable agriculture practices, but the expected impact was high, especially for environmental and social aspects. Students’ positive belief regarding the expected impact from sustainable agriculture provides a base upon which a curriculum can be developed to help students gain the knowledge needed to realize the potential they see in sustainable agriculture.
32 citations
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...An instrument developed by Wise (1993) was updated and used in this study....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the perceptions of wheat farmers with respect to sustainable agriculture in Lorestan Province, Iran and found that the major barriers hampering adoption of sustainable agriculture practices included limited financial returns for farmers, limited farmer knowledge of sustainability agriculture principles and methods, low levels of farmer education, government rules and regulations, problems with soil erosion and lack of water, and a low level of Extension agent knowledge with respect with sustainable agriculture.
Abstract: Iran’s dependence on pesticide and insecticide imports, compounded by a growing population, limited arable land, and high soil erosion, has led to the call by the Ministry of Agriculture, Extension, and others for sustainable agriculture practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of wheat farmers with respect to sustainable agriculture in Lorestan Province, Iran. Data were collected in 2000 through personal interviews with randomly selected wheat farmers. Major barriers hampering adoption of sustainable agriculture practices included: Limited financial returns for farmers, limited farmer knowledge of sustainable agriculture principles and methods, low levels of farmer education, government rules and regulations, problems with soil erosion and lack of water, and a low level of Extension agent knowledge with respect to sustainable agriculture. Recommendations include a more participatory approach to the development and delivery of Extension programs.
26 citations
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...Williams and Dollisso (1998) noted that, to address the problems of producing food and fiber needed to feed a growing population, sustainable agriculture practices will need to be holistic and systems-oriented....
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TL;DR: This article found that sustainable agriculture has had a limited impact on secondary school agricultural education teachers and programs in the North Central Region of the United States and that agronomic topics basic to the understanding of sustainable agriculture were included in the curriculum, providing a foundation for curriculum innovation related to sustainable agriculture.
Abstract: Concerns about the negative impact conventional agriculture is having on the environment have propelled the call for farming practices that are not only economically sound but also environmentally protective and socially acceptable. A cadre of agricultural researchers, educators, and farmers believe that the agricultural systems advocated by sustainable agriculture have great potential for addressing these concerns. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of sustainable agriculture on secondary school agricultural education teachers and programs in the North Central Region. Likert-type scales were used to measure teacher perceptions of sustainable agriculture and the extent to which sustainable agriculture was taught in the curriculum. The findings revealed that sustainable agriculture has had a limited impact on secondary school agricultural education teachers and programs. Responding teachers were neutral in their perceptions of sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture was taught to a moderate degree in programs of the respondents. There was a lack of evidence that sustainable agriculture was being taught from a systems perspective. However, agronomic topics basic to the understanding of sustainable agriculture were included in the curriculum, providing a foundation for curriculum innovation related to sustainable agriculture.
18 citations
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...The scientific and technical elements of sustainable agriculture have the potential to enrich the high school agricultural education curriculum and align education with current developments in the agricultural industry (Williams & Dollisso, 1998, p. 55)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, a study was conducted to identify the beliefs of high school agriculture teachers about sustainable agriculture and examine the extent they teach sustainable agriculture in their curricula by collecting data from a random sample of 844 teachers in the North Central Region of the United States.
Abstract: Sustainable agriculture (SA) is not fully understood. What is being taught about SA by high school agriculture teachers is also unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify the beliefs of high school agriculture teachers about SA and to examine the extent they teach SA. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 844 teachers in the North Central Region (NCR) of the United States. Teachers agreed to concepts about SA and taught selected SA topics to a moderate extent, emphasizing topics related to ecological and social dimensions of SA compared with topics having economic dimensions. In addition, teachers indicated the following topics to be most frequently taught: soil testing, crop rotation, food safety, water quality, and use of animal manure. Results of this study indicated that agriculture teachers do not include much about SA in their curricula. Further investigations into the barriers regarding infusion of SA into the curriculum would help explain what is required ...
15 citations
Dissertation•
18 Feb 2014
14 citations
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...Beyond the secondary agriculture program, community colleges and universities provide excellent opportunities for students to specialize and gain skills and knowledge in agriculture (Williams and Dollisso, 1998)....
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References
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Book•
01 Jan 1975
TL;DR: The search for a Core Curriculum: General Education in a Free Society and the nature of the Learner as Curricular Source and Influence.
Abstract: PART I Perspectives and Prospects Chapter 1 In the Beginning: Heroes, Events, and Curriculum Chapter 2 New Directions and Turning Points in the Curriculum Chapter 3 Century of the Curriculum Chapter 4 The Modern Curriculum: Its Evolution PART II The Emergent Curriculum Field Chapter 5 Changing Conceptions of Curriculum Chapter 6 A Paradigm for the Curriculum Field: Compass for Curriculum Renewal Chapter 7 Sources and Forces for Curriculum Renewal: Society and the World of Knowledge Chapter 8 The Nature of the Learner as Curricular Source and Influence Chapter 9 Curricular Sources and Influences: Conflicting Educational Theories PART III Curriculum Design, Development, and Evaluation Chapter 10 The Search for a Core Curriculum: General Education in a Free Society Chapter 11 Determining the Structure of the Curriculum: Design for Synthesis Chapter 12 Proposals for Reform: Curricular Priorities and Polarities Chapter 13 The Curriculum and the World of Work PART IV Improving the Curriculum Chapter 14 Interpreting Research for Curriculum Improvement Chapter 15 Who Makes the Curriculum? Chapter 16 School Renewal: Ways and Means Epilogue References
611 citations
"Rationale for research on including..." refers background in this paper
....problems and needs of students that demand personal and social understanding and action” (Tanner & Tanner, 1995, p. 391)....
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Book•
15 Jan 1996
316 citations
"Rationale for research on including..." refers background in this paper
...34(2), 3 l-36 Structuring a national Journal of l Discovery - investigating metacognitive processes (“knowledge of when and why to use various strategies for problem solving”) (McNeil, 1996, p. 440) in teaching and learning sustainable agriculture....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the intergenerational perspective is used to show that in the long-run, economic and environmental interests often converge as resources are transferred across generations, and that the relationship between the economic interests of various actors often only becomes apparent over a period of time spanning across several generations.
Abstract: The current “win-lose” versus “win-win” debate on the relationship between economic competitiveness and environmental protection is biased toward win-lose by a narrow focus on the economic interests of a specific actor. When economic interests are broadened to include the interests of other parties, especially other parties in future generations, the opportunity to create aggregate value becomes more apparent. The intergenerational perspective enables us to see that in the long-run, economic and environmental interests often converge as resources are transferred across generations. The intergenerational perspective is particularly useful in highlighting the appropriateness of adopting this broader understanding of economic interests because the relationship between the economic interests of various actors often only becomes apparent over a period of time spanning across several generations. There are a number of factors that prevent us from taking this intergenerational perspective, which leads to interge...
92 citations
TL;DR: This paper investigated the effects of instruction in environmental education on the attitudes of elementary school children toward the environment and found that the experimental group had significantly improved attitudes on a pre-post basis and the same group had significant more positive attitudes towards the environment when compared with the control group.
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of instruction in environmental education on the attitudes of elementary school children toward the environment. One class of third graders was provided with two hours of environmental education instruction. A comparable class of third graders served as a control group. Both classes were pre- and posttested using an author-designed environmental attitude questionnaire. Analyses of these data showed that 1) the experimental group had significantly improved attitudes on a pre-post basis and 2) this same group had significantly more positive attitudes toward the environment when compared with the control group. When tested again as fifth graders, the experimental group remained significantly more positive toward the environment than the fifth grade control group.
73 citations
"Rationale for research on including..." refers background in this paper
...Youth have a deep relationship with nature and their attitudes toward the environment can be easily changed with educational intervention (Moore, 1977 & Jaus, 1984)....
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...Youth have a deep relationship with nature and their attitudes toward the environment can be easily changed with educational intervention (Moore, 1977 & Jaus, 1984). Firebaugh (1990) suggests that education, including primary and secondary schools, should look at sustainable agriculture for content to enhance the curriculum....
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TL;DR: For example, this paper found that teachers perceived themselves as having additional things to learn about sustainable agriculture practices and students measured themselves as only “knowing a little” about them.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of Iowa agricultural education teachers and students about sustainable agriculture .The teacher population for the study included all secondary school agricultural education teachers in Iowa (N=248) .A stratified random sample of 60 teachers (schools) was selected, I O from each of the six FFA districts .Teachers in the sample were asked to administer instruments to all eleventh and twelfth grade students in their agricultural education classes, yielding 464 student participants ,Likert-type scales were used to measure perceptions related to knowledge and impact of sustainable agriculture. Teachers perceived themselves as having additional things to learn about sustainable agriculture practices and students measured themselves as only “knowing a little” about them. Teachers and students alike perceived sustainable agriculture impacting agriculture and the environment in several ways .Relatively high perceptions of sustainable agriculture were observedfor both groups .The findings of this study support the need to integrate sustainable agriculture into the secondary school agricultural education curriculum. Food and fiber production systems that emphasized high yields have been remarkably effective in making United States agriculture one of the most productive systems in the world. This impressive productivity may be offset, however, by dependence on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, soil erosion, surface and groundwater contamination, and food safety. The public has reacted strongly to reports of water and food contaminated by agricultural practices, concerns for the health of people who live and work around pesticides, and reports of depletion of our natural resources, including soil, water, forests, wetlands, and native prairies. Since th e 198Os, attention has been given to developing agricultural systems so that inputs and returns are optimized, yet protective of our environment (Joint Committee on Sustainable Agriculture, 1991).
32 citations