Educational Opportunities For Agricultural Distance Programs

Abstract

The study was guided by the following research objectives: (a) determine the demographics of agricultural Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators, (b) determine the demand for distance delivered educational alternatives among agricultural CTE educators, (c) determine the topic or subject areas most desired by agricultural CTE educators wanting distance delivered educational opportunities, (d) evaluate the influence of cost in the demand for distance delivered educational alternatives, and (e) determine the preferred method of distance delivery for additional education or training opportunities by agricultural CTE educators. The population for this study was agricultural CTE educators who were employed in Washington State public and private secondary schools attending the annual summer conference. The study included 249 of the 318 potential respondents. One-hundred ninety five usable surveys were completed for a response rate of 77.5 percent. Data were summarized by mean scores, frequencies, and percentages. The researchers concluded that agricultural CTE educators desired additional distance delivered education or training for personal and professional growth and that it should be available to them in their home area through the use of distance education. Distance education delivery methods to be utilized for this additional education and training were short courses, seminars, and conferences. The topic areas most desired were agriculture technology, plant and animal sciences, and educational technology. In addition, cost was determined to be an obstacle for agricultural CTE educators who desired additional education or training.