Recruitment strategies used by school-based agricultural educators in Michigan

Abstract

There are many benefits to being involved in a school-based agricultural education program (SBAE). Engagement of students in SBAE programs provides students with a milieu of opportunities; as such, it is imperative to determine strategies for recruitment and retention that are impactful. Research surrounding the recruitment and retention of SBAE students is sparse. This study explored the ways that SBAE teachers are recruiting students and the perceived efficacy of those recruitment strategies to pinpoint which strategies teachers are using and perceived success. Hands-on learning and learning outdoors are the two strategies teachers are using most commonly in their programs and perceive to be most effective. The results of this study are compared to scholarship within the discipline on student recruitment as well as the Recruitment Theory.