Career Choice and Beliefs: Insights from Second Generation Agriculture Teachers

The recruitment and retention of agriculture teachers has been a persistent issue for several decades, requiring unique approaches to this issue. This research study sought to understand why second generation agriculture teachers (SGATs) chose to go into the profession after growing up with a parent who was an agriculture teacher to garner a unique prospective of why and how one enters the profession. Through semi-structured interviews three themes emerged. First, experiencing the profession and impact through the SGAT's father influenced SGATs career decision. SGATs were far ahead of their peers going through their agriculture education schooling having the knowledge from growing up with their agriculture teacher parent. Second, SGAT fathers were role models to them, and they based their own teaching and life strategies off of what they experienced growing up. SGATs were able to better structure their classroom and lives off of both good and bad experiences growing up with their agriculture teacher parent. Third, SGATs unconsciously inherited identity and beliefs from their fathers. We recommend continued research into the retention of teachers and to look at recruitment from a student's point of view as they are the one choosing to enter into the career.A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Agriscience Educatio