Intent to Teach: Perspectives from Pre-Service Agricultural Education Teachers

Abstract

Historically, less than two-thirds of all newly certified agricultural education students enter the school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teaching profession. Teacher educators must understand preservice teachers’ intention to teach to help fulfill the demand for SBAE teachers. This study examines the motivations to consider a teaching career in SBAE for eight Oklahoma State University pre-service teachers in the early, mid, and late stages of their teacher education coursework. Qualitative methods were employed to describe these individuals’ intention to teach SBAE. Interviews and artifacts in the form of participant autobiographies were collected and analyzed. Intent to teach for these pre-service teachers was tied to the following six categories: expectations of the teaching profession, love of the FFA, need for relevant instruction, community, variety of learning environments, and career intent, which were framed according to the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991. Additional research should investigate what sustains teachers over time once they enter the profession.