The Dimensions of Professional Development Needs for Secondary Agricultural Education Teachers Across Career Stages: A Multiple Case Study Comparison

Abstract

This study sought to understand the professional development needs articulated by secondary agricultural education teachers across three career stages. To accomplish this, we collected data from secondary agricultural educators (N = 66) in Louisiana. Then, we performed a cross-case analysis to compare and contrast themes and axial codes. Through our analysis, three themes emerged in each case: (1) presage variables, (2) context variables, and (3) process variables. The themes represented the various dimensions of professional development that teachers expressed they desired to facilitate student success better. In particular, the Early Career Teachers’ non-traditional backgrounds often limited their exposure to opportunities; therefore, they desired more knowledge and skills in technical agricultural concepts. Meanwhile, Mid-Career Teachers were more stable and confident in their roles as secondary agricultural education teachers; nevertheless, they were frustrated because of various contextual forces that complicated their job duties. Finally, Career Teachers were experiencing career wind-down and had unique professional development requests to help them cope better with contextual changes influencing their responsibilities. Findings from this study, therefore, suggested that although areas of commonality exist across career stages, it is critical to differentiate professional development across programmatic dimensions of agricultural education.