Email this article 
Hide
Show all
An Exploration of the Professional Development Needs of Agricultural Educators within the VET Sector: A Mixed Methods Study
Abstract
Recent studies have highlighted the contribution of education to the productivity and viability of the Irish agricultural sector. This paper explores the training needs of agricultural educators within the vocational education and training sector by examining educators’ experience in their role based on educator qualification, availability of continuous professional development and opportunities for development. The study was conducted in Ireland using a mixed methods explanatory sequential design. The study sample consisted of the national population of agricultural educators within the vocational education and training sector, i.e. agricultural colleges. Data collection methods included a national survey and three focus groups. The findings highlight a challenge across Irish agricultural colleges in how educators are trained to teach, in their motivations for the role, and their long-term desire to remain teaching. It also demonstrates the importance of continuous professional development and the need to enhance training, particularly, pedagogical training, to agricultural educators. It can be concluded that stronger supports are required at both recruitment and throughout an educator’s career for development and progression. This study is one of the first studies in Ireland to investigate the continuous professional development needs of agricultural educators within the vocational education and training sector. The paper explores the pedagogical underpinnings of agricultural education, with the aim of developing teaching and learning needs in parallel to technical expertise.
Keywords
References
Alkhasawneh, I. M., M. T. Mrayyan, C. Docherty, S. Alashram & H. Y. Yousef. (2008). Problem-based learning (PBL): Assessing students' learning preferences using VARK. Nurse Education Today, 28 (5), 572-579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2007.09.012
Anderson, J.R. & G. Feder. (2004). Agricultural Extension: Good Intentions and Hard Realities. The World Bank Research Observer, 19 (1), 41-60. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkh013
Anthony Jr, R. (2008). Cognitive Load Theory and the Role of Learner Experience: An Abbreviated Review for Educational Practitioners. Aace Journal, 16 (4), 425-439.
Ashar, M., M. Ghafoor, E. Munir & S. Hafeez. (2013). The Impact of Perceptions of Training on Employee Commitment and Turnover Intention: Evidence from Pakistan. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 3 (1), 74-88. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v3i1.2924
Beijaard, D., H. Stellingwerf & N. Verloop. (1997). Student Teachers' Outlook on Teaching: A Content Analysis of their Reflective Reports on Experiences in Practice. European Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 3(4), 217-229.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13892249785300041
Biggs, J. (1999). What the student does: teaching for enhanced learning. Higher Education Research & Development, 18 (1), 57-75.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436990180105
Bird, W. A., M. J. Martin & J. C. Simonsen. (2013). Student Motivation for Involvement in Supervised Agricultural Experiences: An Historical Perspective. Journal of Agricultural Education, 54 (1), 31-46. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2013.01031
Botha, N., J. Coutts & H. Roth. (2008). The Role of Agricultural Consultants in New Zealand in Environmental Extension. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 14 (2), 125-138.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13892240802019147
Brennan, N., M. Ryan, T. Hennessy, P. Cullen & E. Dillon. (2016). Going beyond FADN: The use of additional data to gain insights into extension service use across European Union Member States. Studies in Agricultural Economics, 118 (3), 145-153.
https://doi.org/10.7896/j.1630
Conway, P.,R. Murphy, A. Rath & K. Hall. (2009). Learning to teach and its implications for the continuum of teacher education: A Nine-Country Cross-National Study. Teaching Council, Ireland: University College Cork.
Creswell, J. W. & V. L. P. Clark. (2018). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research, California, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC, Melbourne, Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M. L., & Hanson, W. E. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioural research. Edited by: Tashakkori A, Teddlie C.
Cristóvão, A., Koutsouris, A., & Kügler, M. (2012). Extension systems and change facilitation for agricultural and rural development. In Farming systems research into the 21st century: the new dynamic (pp. 201-227). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4503-2_10
Darnhofer, Ika, David Gibbon, and Benoit Dedieu. "Farming systems research: an approach to inquiry." In Farming systems research into the 21st century: The new dynamic, pp. 3-31. Springer, Dordrecht, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4503-2_1
De Bruijn, E., Billett, S., & Onstenk, J. (2017). Enhancing teaching and learning in the Dutch vocational education system. Reforms Enacted, 20(18), 119-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50734-7
Dolan, R. & M. Kenny. (2014). Who Prepares the Teachers? The Irish Experience. In: WERA (World Education Research Association) Focal Meeting, ed. Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) 39th Annual Conference, 19-21 November 2014 Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dysvik, A. & B. Kuvaas. (2008). The relationship between perceived training opportunities, work motivation and employee outcomes. International Journal of Training and Development, 12 (3), 138-157.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2419.2008.00301.x
Elnaga, A. & A. Imran. (2013). The Effect of Training on Employee Performance. European Journal of Business and Management, 5 (4), 137-147.
Fitzmaurice, M. (2010). Considering teaching in higher education as a practice. Teaching in Higher Education, 15 (1), 45-55.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510903487941
Ghanbari, S. & A. Eskandari. (2013). Organizational Climate, Job Motivation and Organizational Citizenship Behavior. International Journal of Management Perspective, 1 (3), 1-14.
Gleeson, J. (2012). The professional knowledge base and practice of Irish post-primary teachers: what is the research evidence telling us? Irish Educational Studies, 31 (1), 1-17.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2011.617945
Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional Development and Teacher Change. Teachers and Teaching, 8 (3), 381-391.
https://doi.org/10.1080/135406002100000512
Hanaysha, J. (2016). Examining the Effects of Employee Empowerment, Teamwork, and Employee Training on Organizational Commitment. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 229, 298-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.07.140
Harford, J. (2010). Teacher education policy in Ireland and the challenges of the twenty‐first century. European Journal of Teacher Education, 33 (4), 349-360.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2010.509425
Heanue, K. & C. O'Donoghue. (2014). The Economic Returns to Formal Agricultural Education. Teagasc: Oak Park Carlow.
Hermans, F., L. Klerkx & D. Roep. (2015). Structural conditions for collaboration and learning in innovation networks: using an innovation system performance lens to analyse Agricultural Knowledge Systems. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 21 (1), 35-54.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2014.991113
Howley, P., E. Dillon, K. Heanue & D. Meredith. (2017). Worth the Risk? The Behavioural Path to Well‐Being. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 68 (2), 534-552. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12202
Ingram, J. (2018). Agricultural transition: Niche and regime knowledge systems' boundary dynamics. Environmental innovation and societal transitions, 26, 117-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.05.001
Ivankova, N. V., J. W. Creswell & S. L. Stick. (2006). Using mixed-methods sequential explanatory design: from theory to practice. Field methods, 18(1), 3-20.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05282260
Jõgi, L., K. Karu & K. Krabi. (2015). Rethinking teaching and teaching practice at university in a lifelong learning context. International Review of Education, 61 (1), 61-77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-015-9467-z
Kapenda, H. M. & L. Pieters. (2017). Lecturers' Perceptions on the Effectiveness of In-Service Training Programs at Selected Public Sector Organisations in Namibia. Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research, 7 (2), 156-183.
https://doi.org/10.17583/remie.2017.2526
Kasule, G. W., R. Wesselink & M. Mulder. (2016). Professional development status of teaching staff in a Ugandan public university. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38 (4), 434-447. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2016.1181883
Kilpatrick, S. (2000). Education and Training: Impacts on Farm Management Practice. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 7 (2), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/13892240008438811
Kind, V. (2016). Preservice science teachers' Science Teaching Orientations and Beliefs about Science. Science Education, 100 (1), 122-152.
https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21194
Klerkx, L., B. Van Mierlo & C. Leeuwis. (2012). Evolution of systems approaches to agricultural innovation: concepts, analysis and interventions. Farming Systems Research into the 21st century: The New Dynamic. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4503-2_20
Leonard, B., A. Kinsella, C. O'Donoghue, M. Farrell & M. Mahon (2017). Policy Drivers of Farm Succession and Inheritance. Land Use Policy, 61, 147-159.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.09.006
McMillan, D. J., B. McConnell & H. O'Sullivan. (2016). Continuing professional development-why bother? Perceptions and motivations of teachers in Ireland. Professional Development in Education, 42 (1), 150-167.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.952044
Meredith, D. & C. Crowly. (2018). Continuity and Change: The geo-demographic structure of Ireland's population of farmers. Irish Geography, 50 (2), 111-136.
Murphy, T. R. & C. de Paor. (2017). Teachers' CPD and sectoral interests: Opportunities for convergence and divergence. Teaching and Teacher Education, 66, 242-249.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.04.018
NAAE (2017). What is Agricultural Education? [Online]. Available: https://www.naae.org/whatisaged/ [Accessed 27th September 2017].
Ní Laoire, C. (2002). Young farmers, masculinities and change in rural Ireland. Irish Geography, 35 (1), 16-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/00750770209555790
Noddings, N. (2003). Is teaching a practice? Journal of Philosophy of Education, 37 (2), 241-251. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.00323
Prager, K. & K. Thomson (2014). AKIS and advisory services in the Republic of Ireland. Report for the AKIS inventory (WP3) of the PRO AKIS project [Online]. Available: www. proakis. eu/publicationsandevents/pubs [Accessed 13th November 2017].
Rolls, M. (1997). The Developing Educator: From Novice to Expert in Agricultural Education. European Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 4 (3), 163-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/13892249785300301
Rubenstein, E. D., A. C. Thoron & C. M. Estepp. (2014). Perceived Self-Efficacy of Preservice Agriculture Teachers toward Specific SAE Competencies. Journal of Agricultural Education, 55 (4), 72-84.
https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2014.04072
Russell, T. (2017). Farm Succession and Inheritance, an Extension Approach to Supporting Farm Family Decision Making. Unpublished PhD Thesis, School of Agriculture and Food Science, UCD.
Tashakkori, A. & C. Teddlie (1998). Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Sage.
Tobail, A., J. Crowe & A. Arisha. (2016). Interactive learning: developing an eSimulation portal framework. The Irish Journal of Management, 35 (1), 17-33. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijm-2016-0002
Velada, R. & A. Caetano. (2007). Training transfer: the mediating role of perception of learning. Journal of European Industrial Training, 31 (4), 283-296. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590710746441
Walker, C. & A. Gleaves. (2016). Constructing the caring higher education teacher: A theoretical framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 54, 65-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.11.013
DOI: 10.33687/ijae.007.03.2988
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2020 Sinead Flannery, Karen Keaveney, Frank Murphy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
