An Evaluation Of Georgia's Agriculture In The Classroom Program

Abstract

This study sought to determine the effectiveness of Georgia's Agriculture in the Classroom Program.The study was conducted using an experimental posttest only control group design. Sixteen classes of second grade students and twelve classes of fourth grade students participated in the study. A total of 598 subjects were included. An instrument consisting of multiple choice exams was designed for each grade level. The length and difficulty level of the instrument were set by experts in the field of elementary education. The instruments were piloted tested and adjusted accordingly. The curriculum was taught to the treatment group during a six weeks period. At the completion, both the controland treatment groupwere given the exams. Results indicated that the program was effective in teaching agricultural concepts whether the groups were in rural or city settings, or when grouped by ability or randomly distributed. No significant differences were found between scores of second graders whose teachers were raised on a farm and those whose teachers were not. Significant differences occurred between control and experimental groups when all the teachers had little or no agriculture experience.