Exploring Appraisal, Emotional, Informational, and Instrumental Support for Novice Agricultural Education Teachers in California: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perceived emotional, appraisal, informational, and instrumental support for the novice, secondary agricultural teachers in the state of California. The theory guiding this study was social support theory as it frames the social support constructs to be explored. With 10 novice agricultural teachers across the state of California serving as study participants, data collection included a questionnaire, individual interviews, and focus groups. Data were analyzed by a seven-step, modified Van Kamm data analysis procedure. Findings, which will be disseminated to the agricultural education research community and leaders in California’s agricultural education system, indicate that novice agriculture teachers in California consistently receive informational support from an array of school-related sources. Although provided through numerous school-related sources, the accessibility of other social support constructs varied among study participants. Implications and recommendations for agricultural education are shared