Preservice Agricultural Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Assistants: Implications for Teacher Education

Abstract

Graduate assistants have an impact on undergraduate education through course instruction. For preservice agricultural education teachers, experiences with teaching assistants may be particularly influential, as their observations of educators could impact their perceptions and beliefs toward teaching. This qualitative study utilized data collected through individual interviews of six preservice agricultural education teachers at the University of Florida to explore preservice agricultural education teachers’ perceptions regarding the quality of education received when instructed by a teaching assistant. We found that participants held mixed feelings about teaching assistants’ impact on educational quality, and offered five areas of quality indicators participants used to gauge teaching assistant quality. The findings can be utilized to guide teacher educators in addressing students’ experiences with teaching assistants in order to enhance their overall educational experience.