How Ohio Teachers Use AgVenture Magazine To Increase Agricultural Literacy Among Their Students

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate how elementary teachers in Ohio use AgVenture Magazine to increase their student's awareness about Ohio agriculture. A randomly selected sample of 750 fourth-grade teachers was mailed a questionnaire to collect data on how they used AgVenture Magazine with their students and assess their perceptions on the value of AgVenture Magazine as an instructional aid. Teachers used AgVenture Magazine approximately nine hours per year, primarily in social studies classes. Teachers used very few outside resources to help them teach their students about the importance of Ohio agriculture. Overall, teachers had positive perceptions about AgVenture Magazine as an instructional aid to help teach students about agriculture. Members of the Editorial Review Board and the writers of AgVenture Magazine should continue to use fourth-grade teachers to help review the content and terminology of each issue before being published. Additional research needs to be conducted to determine if AgVenture Magazine makes a difference in helping students become more aware about the importance of Ohio agriculture.