INTEGRATING SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION: ATTITUDES OF INDIANA AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND BUSINESS TEACHERS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine how Indiana Agricultural Science and Business (ASB) teachers perceived the impact of integrating science on agricultural education programs. The population consisted of all Indiana ASB teachers employed during the fall 1999 semester (N = 243). The Integrating Science Survey Instrument developed by Thompson (1996) was used to identify the perceptions of the ASB instructors. From the data it was concluded that many of Indiana’s Agricultural Science and Business instructors have responded positively to the call for the integration of science into the agricultural education curriculum. As a result of their efforts, over half of the teachers reported their students receive science credit toward high school graduation after successfully completing one or more of the approved Agricultural Science and Business courses. Indiana Agricultural Science and Business teachers agreed they felt prepared to teach integrated biological science concepts but that it required more preparation time than before they integrated scientific concepts into their agricultural education curriculum. Teachers identified specific barriers to integrating scientific concepts into their programs as a lack of appropriate equipment, and a lack of adequate funding to support their integration efforts.