Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Swortzel, A. Kirk

Committee Member

Hamil, Burnette

Committee Member

Raven, R. Matt

Committee Member

Newman, E. Michael

Date of Degree

12-13-2008

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Agricultural Science

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

School of Human Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of administrators, counselors, agriscience teachers, and students towards the high school agriscience programs in Mississippi. It was also to determine the average scores of students on a criterion-based exam, and to determine if there was a correlation between the attitude scales of the agriscience teachers, counselors, administrators, students, and the student scores on the exam. The study used a descriptive survey and a descriptive-correlational design. Three different surveys were sent out to 356 agriscience teachers, counselors, and administrators at schools with either a Concepts of Agriscience Technology course or an Introduction to Agriscience course. Superintendents were asked for their permission, and subsequently, 14 teachers agreed to let their students be surveyed and tested on a criterion-based exam created by the Research and Curriculum Unit. The surveys asked the teachers, counselors, and administrators about their attitudes towards the two agriscience programs using four scales: science integration into the agricultural curriculum, the agricultural industry and agriscience courses in general, standardized testing in agricultural programs, and science credit for completion of agriscience courses. The students were surveyed about their attitudes towards agriscience programs in general. Based on 201 usable surveys from the agriscience teachers, counselors, and administrators, and 156 student surveys and test scores, data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment correlations. It was determined that there were statistically significant correlations between the attitude scales of the teachers, counselors, and administrators. There was only one statistically significant correlation to the student test scores and that was the administrator attitude scale about science integration. This relationship was determined to be of a moderate negative relationship based on Davis’ (1971) conventions.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/15614

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