Animal science technical competencies needed by vocational agriculture instructors

The primary purpose of this study was to identify animal science technical competencies needed by vocational agriculture instructors. The second purpose was to compare the degree of competence needed by vocational agriculture instructors as perceived by cattle, sheep, and pork producers and vocational agriculture instructors for each of the identified competencies. The third objective of this study was to determine what degree of proficiency vocational agriculture instructors feel they possessed in peforming these selected animal science technical competencies. Fourth, it was the investigator\u27s intent to determine the difference between the degree of competence needed and possessed by vocational agriculture instructors. The final objective of this study was to determine where vocational agriculture instructors acquired the proficiency to perform these animal science competencies;The research procedure was survey, with data collected by means of mailed questionnaires that were sent to randomly selected Iowa vocational agriculture instructors and members of the Iowa pork, sheep, and cattle producer\u27s associations. A total of 260 respondents was included in this study;A review of literature and research was used to identify 126 animal science technical competencies which were in seven broad areas consisting of: (1) selection, (2) nutrition, (3) breeding, (4) management, (5) health, (6) marketing, and (7) record keeping. These competencies along with selected demographic data were set in a questionnaire format;Major findings of this study were: (1) Most animal science competencies were needed by vocational agriculture instructors. (2) Sheep, pork and cattle producer groups did not differ significantly in the degree of competence needed by vocational agriculture instructors for many of the 126 competencies, whereas instructors and livestock producer groups differed significantly in the majority of competencies. (3) Vocational agriculture instructors believed that they possessed either average or above average competence in 117 animal science technical competencies. (4) Vocational agriculture instructors\u27 responses revealed that for all animal science areas included in this study, the composite mean scores of degree of competence possessed were less than the degree of competence needed. (5) Most acquisitions of animal science technical competencies came from college or on the job