Agriculture Teacher Awareness and Application of Self-Regulation Strategies

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated four rural Kansas high school agriculture teachers’ comprehension and implementation of self-regulation strategies in their own professional growth and in their instructional practice. The participants included two males and two females, each one having between five and 20 years of teaching experience. Participants were interviewed three times, using symbolic interactionism as the philosophical overview and the Seidman technique of interviewing. Three questions guided this study: 1) how do rural Kansas high school agriculture teachers make meaning of self-regulation and the processes needed to facilitate self-regulation, 2) in what ways do teachers self-regulate for their own professional growth purposes, and 3) what strategies do teachers use to foster self-regulation in their students? Findings suggest while participants described utilizing strategies associated with self-regulated learning, they most closely associated self-regulation with effort and motivation. Key implications for practice include incorporating a self-regulated learning focus into preservice education, specifically during microteaching and student teaching experiences. Recommendations for future research include exploring the effectiveness of self-regulated learning instructional strategies that hold promise for teaching teachers and students to utilize self-regulation cognitive strategies.