Leadership Curriculum and Materials Used by High School Agricultural Science Teachers: A National Study of the Pre-LifeKnowledge Days

Abstract

Agricultural science programs have provided many opportunities for leadership education through classroom, supervised agricultural experience (SAE), and FFA Organization activities. Past studies have focused on leadership developed through activities such as career development events (CDE), SAE activities, FFA Organization conventions, and other intra-curricular activities; however, little research has focused on the type of leadership curriculum and materials used to teach leadership in agricultural science classrooms. This study used a qualitative survey to determine what leadership curriculum and materials were being used by agricultural science teachers to teach leadership prior to the release of the LifeKnowledge curriculum. To understand the impact of LifeKnowledge in follow-up studies, a baseline must first be established for comparison. This study found that agricultural science instructors used a wide variety of curriculum and resources to teach leadership. The most popular resources being used were text books and state provided curriculum materials; however, no single curriculum was used by the majority of participants. Some participants indicated using curriculum and resources to teach leadership which contained little, if any, leadership content. Agricultural science instructors may have mixed views on the definition of the term “leadership,” therefore additional research is needed to determine how agricultural science instructors define leadership and the methods they use to build leadership skills in their students.