Impact of Agricultural Mechanics Camp on Intentions To Teach

Abstract

Targeted teacher recruitment is suggested as a way to alleviate the teacher shortage in specific content areas such as agricultural mechanics. Learning experiences are linked to increased self-efficacy and increased interest in specific career pursuits. The Agricultural Mechanics Power & Design (AMP’D) Experience was developed as a learning experience to enhance high school student skills in agricultural mechanics and expose them to the career of teaching agricultural mechanics at the high school level. This study sought to describe participants in the first three years of the AMP’D Experience, explore their skills level, learn about their likelihood of considering a career teaching agricultural mechanics before and after participating in the event. We used correlational analysis and simple linear regression to scrutinize pre and post survey data collected from participants (N = 37) at the 2016, 2017, and 2018 AMP’D Experiences. Results indicated significant increases in perceived self-efficacy across agricultural mechanics skills areas, and in likelihood to consider teaching agricultural mechanics. Additionally, perceived summated skills self-efficacy predicted 15% of the variance in the likelihood of a participant considering to teach agricultural mechanics. Recommendations involve looking at other experiences acquired through the AMP’D Experience as additional indicators of enhanced career interest as well as following up with participants to examine what career they eventually pursued.