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Browsing by Author "English, Chastity Katrina Warren"

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    An Analysis of LifeKnowledge® Skills and Abilities Development within North Carolina Agriscience Education Programs as Viewed by Veteran Secondary Agriscience Educators, Agriscience Education Students, and Students' Employers
    English, Chastity Katrina Warren (Virginia Tech, 2010-08-12)
    The purpose of this descriptive study was to analyze the LifeKnowledge® skills development within North Carolina agriscience education programs as viewed by veteran agriscience teachers, agriscience education students, and students' employers. The survey population consisted of 54 veteran agriscience education teachers, of whom 49 (91%) responded. One hundred sixty-two agriscience education students, of whom 115 (71%) responded and 162 employers, of whom 95 (59%) responded. Seventy-four LifeKnowledge® skills items and the 16 LifeKnowledge® precepts were evaluated by teachers to determine how often they provided instruction and experiences related to the development of employability skills development for students. The same 74 items and 16 precepts were evaluated by students to determine the extent to which they thought participating in their agriscience education programs and FFA increased their employability and personal skills development. Employers were asked to evaluate how often they witnessed agriscience education students exhibit the LifeKnowledge® 74 items and 16 precepts within the workplace. The major findings for this study included that teachers, students, and employers were generally consistent, with a few exceptions, in their perceptions of the development and demonstration of the LifeKnowledge® skills and abilities. Statistically significant differences were found among the three groups on select LifeKnowledge® skills items and precepts. A majority of teachers reported that they regularly or often provided students instruction and experiences related to the LifeKnowledge® skills. Students reported that regularly or often their participation in their local agriscience education programs and FFA had increased their employability and personal skills development. The employers reported that often, with a few regular observations, they witnessed students exhibiting the LifeKnowledge® skills within the workplace. One of the major recommendations for this study is that LifeKnowledge® lessons be implemented for pre-service and in-service teachers and findings shared with the National FFA Organization. Another suggestion is that an employability skills curriculum should be developed for use across all career and technical education programs and core courses to develop students' employability skills in response to business and industry demands. Finally, research should be conducted to determine how 4-H, career and technical student organizations, and other youth groups develop LifeKnowledge® skills.
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    Factors That Influence How Participants of Virginia's Governor's School for Agriculture Think About, Perceive, and Engage With Agriculture and Agricultural Careers
    Hoover, Brittany Alexandria (Virginia Tech, 2020-04-30)
    The world is facing significant challenges as a result of societal practices. Many of those challenges are agricultural in nature and include worldwide food insecurity, intensified greenhouse gas emissions resulting in climate change, major losses in biodiversity, substantial pressure on natural resources, and increasingly antimicrobial-resistant pests and diseases. To address these challenges, the workforce of the agricultural system must continue improving, collaborating, innovating, and transforming at a global scale. The diversity of agricultural challenges calls for a diverse workforce with science skills as well as cultural competencies. Agricultural educators and practitioners are consistently concerned with strengthening the relationship of youth and agricultural career choice. The field of agricultural education is also working to ensure that youth who choose agriculture have the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to address agricultural challenges. However, youth have steadily chosen careers outside of agriculture, leaving thousands of jobs available. Researchers have explored many reasons why youth may not choose agriculture, though few have considered aspects of identity or have explored factors that impact perceptions and thoughts of agriculture in depth. The overall purpose of this research was to explore how aspects of identity, including occupational identity status, inform agricultural career interest and choice; and to understand youth perceptions and thoughts of agriculture within a four-week agricultural education program. The purpose was achieved using research questions and objectives for each individual study. Data were collected using inventories, surveys, group interviews, and blog post assignments to describe participants. Data analysis included thematic analysis and descriptive statistical analysis. Findings show that the participants often had a more negative perception of agriculture prior to the program and expanded their view of agriculture after learning more about the industry. There are many factors that shape perceptions of agriculture, including identity characteristics, learning experiences, and contextual factors. The findings have implications for the field of agricultural education and the entire agricultural industry. At the conclusion of each study within this research, recommendations for agricultural educators, practitioners, and researchers were made. The recommendations include developing and implementing agricultural education programs that serve underrepresented populations in agriculture and conducting research to investigate ill-explored areas that emerged as findings from the research.
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    An Intrinsic Case Study of Virginia Tech's George Washington Carver Assistantship Program: Fostering Student Success Through Culturally Engaging Campus Environments
    Johnson, Kellie Victoria (Virginia Tech, 2024-05-30)
    The pursuit of underrepresented and underserved graduate students who attend Predominantly White Institutions to pursue disciplines and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Despite the increase in the number of underrepresented minorities in graduate school, underrepresented and underserved graduate students in STEM disciplines are encountering experiences that directly affect their graduate matriculation. This study took a case study approach to investigate the Virginia Tech George Washington Carver Assistantship Program's impact on supporting underrepresented and underserved graduate students in STEM disciplines and to assess further the extent to which their participation in this support program influences their academic and career success. Given the substantial financial resources allocated to the program and the annual student enrollment, a comprehensive case study needed to be conducted to gain deeper insight into the Carver program and the stakeholders that engaged with the program to enhance future programming and sustainability. It was essential to assess the Carver program's effectiveness in promoting student success and addressing the factors that impact underrepresented and underserved graduate students in STEM fields. Triangulation is used in this study to inform and strengthen the research findings from past program scholars, current scholars, and faculty. The Carver program is not generalizable to other programs, students, and faculty because the experiences are specific to the participants in this study. The findings illustrate that the evolution program's evolution cultivates a culturally engaging culture and climate to foster graduate student success.