The teacher efficacy of early career agriculture teachers in five western states

Graduation date: 2013The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between three teacher development experiences and early career agriculture teachers' efficacy. Additionally this study sought to define the relationship between five teacher efficacy constructs and career commitment among early career agriculture teachers in five western states. A census of all agriculture teachers in their first five years of teaching school-based agriculture in California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington was attempted. Early career teachers' perceptions of the impact of three teacher development experiences, agriculture teacher preparation, student teaching and professional development experiences, were measured. Five areas of teacher efficacy were measured: classroom management, instructional strategies, leadership of students, ability to teach science and ability to teach math. This study found that math and science teaching efficacy were the lowest efficacy areas for these early career agriculture teachers. The perceptions of the impact of teacher development experiences were significantly related to teacher efficacy in the majority of teacher efficacy areas. Additionally, this study found that the five teacher efficacy areas measured were all significantly correlated with career commitment. These findings led the researcher to conclude that increased efforts need to be made to improve early career agriculture teachers' efficacy in math and science teaching. Additionally, the researcher concludes that agriculture teacher preparation, student teaching and professional development experiences are significant to the development of these early career agriculture teachers' efficacy. Lastly, classroom management efficacy, instructional strategies efficacy, leadership of students efficacy, ability to teach science efficacy and ability to teach math efficacy are all significant components to the retention of these early career agriculture teachers; therefore, future research should investigate specific experiences that related to increased agriculture teacher efficacy in those five areas