DIFFERENCES IN REASONS WHY INDIVIDUALS CHOOSE TO BECOME AGRICULTURAL TEACHER EDUCATORS BY DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to collect demographic information on agricultural teacher educators. Furthermore, the study sought to identify factors that discriminate agriculture teacher educators on selected demographics. The target population was all agriculture teacher educators employed during the 1995-1996 school year at colleges and universities in the United States offering degree certification programs in agricultural education (N = 207). The entire census population was surveyed, with 86% providing usable data. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect demographic data on teacher educators and identify reasons why teacher educators chose to enter the education professoriate. From the results of the study, teacher educators in agricultural education are married, middle-aged Caucasian males employed at an 1862 land grant institution, having tenure and holding the rank of professor. Females enter the education professoriate to take advantage of personal and professional development opportunities while males want to share their interest in pedagogy and receive external benefits associated with the job. Ethnic minorities enter the education professoriate because they want to assume a leadership role in teacher education and to influence other minorities to enter the teaching profession. This study should be repeated every five years to analyze trends in the teaching profession.