Secondary Agricultural Education Instructors’ Perceived Importance and Ability when Accommodating Students with Special Needs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i1.133Keywords:
Students with Special NeedsAbstract
Each year, the number of students with a documented disability in public schools in the U.S. has increased. However, SBAE instructors continue to identify a lack of confidence when teaching students with exceptionalities. This lack of confidence has been exacerbated by a lack of professional development regarding teaching students with special needs. To better understand this issue, this investigation sought to describe [STATE] SBAE instructors’ educational experiences in accommodating students with special needs and describe their desired professional development opportunities. This study employed a Borich style online survey in which participants indicated their perceived importance and ability when accommodating different disability categories as well as utilizing specific strategies when teaching students with special needs through mean weighted discrepancy scores (MWDS). Findings identified the need for additional professional development for [STATE] SBAE instructors, specifically concerning disability types of blindness or visual impairment, deafness or hearing impairment, autism, and emotional or behavioral disorders. In addition, agricultural teachers desired to better understand the legal regulations of teaching students with exceptionalities in the classroom as well as through FFA and SAE activities. As a result of the investigation, recommendations for tailoring professional development for [STATE] SBAE instructors were provided.
Keywords: agricultural education, school-based agricultural education, students with special needs, professional development, needs assessment
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