Evaluating Retention Factors of Teachers Implementing CASE Curriculum in Agricultural Education Programs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v67i2.3282Keywords:
Curriculum, CASE curriculum, Professional development, School-based agricultural educationAbstract
Across the United States, there continues to be a significant shortage of agricultural educators. As a result, retaining quality and qualified agricultural educators is an urgent need. The Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) provides agricultural educators the opportunity to earn curriculum certification in a range of agriculturally focused content areas. Teachers can receive training and access to teaching materials and resources to implement the CASE curriculum within their agricultural education programs, providing students with rich, inquiry-based learning experiences. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a connection between SBAE teachers’ earning of at least one CASE certification and their reports of satisfying a multitude of retention factors within the school-based agricultural education (SBAE) profession. As such, this study examined perceptions associated with CASE implementation, which connect to retention factors, as opposed to causal effects on retention in and of itself. All CASE-certified educators were emailed a questionnaire via Qualtrics. Results indicated that teachers’ implementation of CASE resulted in several beneficial factors that can assist in retaining teachers, including improved work-life balance, greater comfort with implementing new teaching methodologies, and enhanced teacher networking. Results also revealed barriers that CASE can address to strengthen the CASE curriculum and better assist educators. Future research should explore the impact of the CASE curriculum on teachers’ work-life balance, perceived teaching ability, and facilitating quality inquiry-based learning experiences for students.
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