AN INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION NETWORK’S POTENTIAL AS A COMMUNICATION AND STUDENT TEACHER SUPERVISION TOOL IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test an alternative method for facilitating communication between student teachers and university supervisors. The study was guided by two research questions and three hypotheses and used two quasi-experimental research designs along with focus group interviews to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) was an effective tool for communication and instructional supervision. It was recommended that ICN-facilitated supervision be integrated into agriculture student teacher supervisory practice at Iowa State University. The basis of this recommendation is that ICN- facilitated supervision was judged to be equal to traditional supervision in terms of its effectiveness, it was viewed favorably by those who experienced it, and it offers potential economic benefits.