THE EFFECTS OF TEACHER ATTITUDES AND RELATED FACTORS ON FFA PROFICIENCY AWARDS WON ABOVE THE FEDERATION LEVEL

Abstract

Chapter participation in the FFA proficiency awards program for Pennsylvania has been alarmingly low in comparison to other states in the Eastern Region of the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of teacher attitudes and selected variables on chapter participation rates in the FFA proficiency awards program. North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were selected for the study based on state FFA structure and overall proficiency award participation. North Carolina and Ohio judge proficiency awards on local, district, and state levels where as Pennsylvania only judges proficiency awards on the state level. Because of the close relationship between proficiency awards and supervised agricultural experiences (SAE), teacher attitudes toward SAE were also to be studied. Two sub-populations were identified: 1) teachers in North Carolina and Ohio with district winners and teachers in Pennsylvania with state winners for 1990-1992; and, 2) teachers in North Carolina and Ohio without district winners and teachers in Pennsylvania without state winners. The findings indicated a significant relationship between teacher attitude toward proficiency awards and teacher attitude toward supervised agricultural experience programs. In addition, the number of awards is significantly related to teacher attitudes toward proficiency awards and supervised agricultural experience programs.