Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1973

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications

Major Professor

John D. Todd

Committee Members

George W. Wiegers Jr, Bobby L. Bledsoe

Abstract

Purpose. The primary purpose of the study was to determine differences in attitudes among individuals with different levels of teaching experience concerning their perceptions of selected activities relative to a vocational agriculture program. Differences in attitudes among respondents according to other factors, such as level of educational attainment, age, institution where they were graduated, size of school where they taught, and size of town where they taught were also studied.

Method.The study included 31 experienced teachers of vocational agriculture selected at random from a list of all teachers in Tennessee who had taught for ten years or more; 19 first-year teachers of vocational agriculture in Tennessee; and 30 agricultural education students who were enrolled at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and The University of Tennessee at Martin at the time data were collected who had completed one course in agricultural education but had not been enrolled in student teaching.

Data were collected from respondents through an attitudinal inventory toward activities relative to a vocational agriculture program which was mailed to each respondent. Eighty-six percent of the inventories were returned.

The data were treated with a one-way analysis of variance and a t-test when appropriate. Duncan's multiple range test was used to determine which groups were significantly different when a real difference among groups existed.

Findings.

1. There were significant differences in attitudes among respondents according to levels of teaching experience. Significant differences existed among respondents for 13 of the 40 statements in the attitudinal inventory. These statements related to the following activities;

a. Use of advisory committees

b. Number of months for yearly employment

c. Youth club activities

d. Membership in professional organizations

e. Teaching of adults

f. Agricultural mechanics program

2. Significant mean score differences were more common between experienced teachers and the other two groups with less teaching experience. There were few significant mean score differences between first-year teachers and agricultural education students. The attitudes of first-year teachers were more similar to attitudes of experienced teachers than to agricultural education students. More differences were found between experienced teachers and agricultural education students than between experienced teachers and first-year teachers.

3. There were significant mean score differences in attitudes of teachers according to their level of educational attainment for four of the attitudinal statements. Attitudes of teachers with a Master of Science degree or above differed from those of the other two groups of teachers with less training.

4. There were significant differences in attitudes of experienced teachers according to their age for two of the attitudinal statements.

5. There were significant mean score differences in attitudes of teachers according to the institution from which they were graduated for two of the attitudinal statements.

6. There was a significant difference in attitudes of teachers according to size of school where they taught for one of the attitudinal statements.

7. There were no significant differences in attitudes of teachers according to size of town where they taught for any of the attitudinal statements.

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