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The importance of creating global mindedness within pre-service agricultural science teachers through international experiences cannot be overstated. However, providing opportunities for international experiences and college students selecting to participate in these opportunities are two very different actions. Mechanisms must be put in place that can impact behavior and motivate participation. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the theory of planned behavior and motivation. Understanding why students do or do not participate in international experiences allows the development of programs to meet the targeted needs of students. The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate pre-service agricultural science teachers' perspectives of and motivation for international experiences in order to facilitate the development of effective international experiences. The methodology employed mixed methods that included both an online survey and interviews. The total population consisted of 39 college students of whom 31 completed the online survey and of these seven were interviewed. Findings revealed a preference for travel to a developed country as a group as well as the importance of hands-on activities and advance planning. The data provides suggestions for program planning and program preferences for college students preparing to be agricultural science teachers.

The purpose of this research was to investigate collaboration between agricultural science teachers and Extension agents in Texas from the perspective of successful collaboration. Programs, leaders, and participants in both agricultural education and Extension can be impacted positively through collaboration. However, successful collaboration ultimately rests upon the commitment of individuals and the willingness of these individuals to work together and "collaborate" with one another. This study examined factors indicated in the literature as enablers of collaboration in the context of collaboration among agricultural science teachers and Extension agents in an effort to document best practices. Specific objectives included: (a) documentation of the environment in which successful collaboration was taking place, (b) description of areas of collaboration, (c) description of the impact of Internet-based technologies, and (d) identification of the major factors influencing collaboration. Findings provided insight into factors that can facilitate collaboration. (Contains 6 tables.)

Over the course of the student teaching experience, a student teacher's intention to teach can increase, decrease, or remain the same. The purpose of this study was to explore differences in student teachers that were representative of each category. Teaching intention of 103 student teachers at four universities in 2005-2006 exhibited little change from the beginning of student teaching to the middle of the experience. There was a 7% increase in those who indicated they did not intend to teach from the beginning of student teaching to the end of the experience. The researchers recommend that decision to teach be monitored early in the preservice teaching career to determine when this decision is typically made as well as including other efficacy variables for determinants of career choice. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study was to explore how the student teaching experience and other variables influenced student teachers' intentions to teach. Data were collected from 80 student teachers at three universities--a land grant/research I institution, a non-land grant/doctoral degree granting institution, and a comprehensive regional institution. Data were collected longitudinally at four points during the student teaching semester. The typical student teacher in this study was a 22-year-old, white, male undergraduate who had been enrolled in agricultural education courses in high school and who had worked full time in agriculture. Intentions to teach did not change during the student teaching experience but did differ by university. The best predictor of a student teacher's intent to teach after student teaching was their intention to teach before student teaching. Differences in intentions to teach were observed at the three universities, and thus university was also predictive of final intent to teach. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study was to perform a longitudinal examination of the teaching self-efficacy of preservice agricultural education teachers. Data were collected for two years at The University of Georgia and Texas A&M University during the Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 and the Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 semesters (N = 102). Data were collected at the following three collection points: (1) before methods class, (2) after methods course/before student teaching, and (3) after student teaching. Teacher efficacy scores in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management improved at each point of data collection. Preservice teachers were the most efficacious in instructional strategies and classroom management and the least efficacious in student engagement. (Contains 3 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to determine if placing two teachers at the same school had an influence on teaching efficacy. Bandura's Model of Triadic Reciprocality and self-efficacy theory guided the inquiry. The population of interest was all student teachers at Texas A&M University. This study was conducted using data collected from a sample of student teachers during a two-year (four-semester) period from 2004 to 2006. The typical student teacher was a white female pursuing certification as part of an undergraduate degree. Student teachers began the field experience efficacious about their teaching ability, then were less efficacious during the middle of the experience, and finally rebounded to higher levels of efficacy at the end of the experience. It was concluded that there is no difference in teaching efficacy between student teachers placed alone and those placed in pairs. Therefore, this sample was not consistent with Bandura's theory of the positive influence of peer models. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

The purposes of this study were to determine changes in teaching efficacy of student teachers over the course of the student teaching semester and to determine if similar trends occur at different institutions. The population of interest for this study was agricultural science student teachers at Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, and Oklahoma State University. The accessible sample of the population was student teachers during the Spring 2005 at Tarleton, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech Universities and the Fall 2005 semester at Texas A&M and Oklahoma State Universities (n = 99). Using the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale instrument (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management, and overall teaching efficacy were measured: 1) the first day of the 4-week on-campus portion of the student teaching semester; 2) the last day of the 4-week on-campus block; 3) the middle of the 11-week student teaching experience; and 4) the final day of the student teaching experience. It was concluded that overall teaching efficacy changed. Student teachers had "Quite a Bit" of teaching efficacy at the beginning of the semester, which increased slightly 4-weeks later, then decreased to its lowest level at the middle of the 11-week student teaching experience, and then increased to its highest levels at the end of the experience. (Contains 6 tables and 4 figures.)

The purpose of this study was to determine if relationships exist between teaching efficacy and personality type of student teachers. The population of interest was all agricultural science student teachers at Texas A&M University. The sampling frame included all student teachers during the spring and fall semesters of 2005 (n= 72). Teaching efficacy was measured using the long form of the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator[R] (MBTI[R]) Form M was used to assess personality type. The typical student teacher was a 22 year old white female who had enrolled in agricultural science courses in high school and who was currently completing an undergraduate degree. Student teachers exhibited "Quite a Bit" of teaching efficacy throughout the student teaching semester. Student teachers were more extroverted (E), sensing (S), feeling (F), and judging (J). The two most commonly observed personality types were ESFJ and ENFP. Personality type of student teachers is negligibly related to teaching efficacy. Efficacy in instructional strategies is negatively related with sensing (S) and efficacy in classroom management is positively related to judging (J). (Contains 3 figures and 4 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to determine if a need exists to establish an organization specifically for preservice agricultural science teachers and if so, the attributes of such an organization. Selected peer preservice agricultural education programs were examined and focus groups were conducted with preservice and inservice teachers. Results indicated that there was a need for an organization and that it should affiliate with the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas. The primary purpose of the organization was determined to be the professional development of its members through activities such as (but not limited to): guest speakers, field trips, partnering with local agricultural science programs, attending the state FFA convention, and attending the Texas agricultural science teachers conference.

The purpose of this study was to determine the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required of effective Agricultural Science teachers both inside and outside the classroom as perceived by preservice and inservice teachers and to suggest ways that preservice teachers can gain those competencies prior to entering the teaching profession. Focus groups were conducted with preservice and inservice teachers. Results indicated that specific competencies are required across the domains of learning (cognitive, psychomotor, and affective). Methods for attaining these competencies and skills ranged from example and non-example role models, course content, and field-based experiences including student teaching and involvement in student organizations. (Contains 1 figure.)

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify the required competencies and traits of successful agricultural science teachers. Data was collected from focus groups of agricultural science teachers and a content analysis of existing research. Results identified 47 unique traits or competencies that were divided into the categories of Instruction; Student Organization; Supervised Experience; Program Planning and Management; School and Community Relations; Personal Traits; and Professionalism. One newly discovered competency, "working with diverse groups," transcended categories. A model depicting the traits and competencies was developed. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)

This study compared job stress levels of Texas agricultural science cooperating teachers and Texas agricultural science student teachers across a semester. The research objectives included describing secondary agricultural science cooperating teachers and student teachers perceptions of stressors, by time of semester (beginning, middle, and end), describing perceptions of frequency of stressors, by time of semester (early semester, mid semester, and late semester) among secondary agricultural science cooperating teachers and student teachers, and determining if differences existed between agricultural science student teachers' and cooperating teachers' based on perceptions of job stress and time of semester (early semester, mid semester, and late semester). Job stress severity declined among student teachers as the semester progressed and increased in cooperating teachers at the midpoint of the semester, but then declined toward the end of the semester. Job stress frequency increased in student teachers throughout the semester and declined in cooperating teachers at mid-semester with a slight increase at the end of the semester. Job pressure index scores showed similar trends with an increase throughout the student teaching semester.

This mixed-method study investigates distance education students' desire to interact and the support for community building available to them at a department-wide level in a graduate-level instructional systems technology program. Distance education students' interactions are compared to those of the department's residential students. A modified version of Rovai's Classroom Community Scale (Rovai, 2002) for measuring program-level sense of community is piloted. Levels of student interactions with others in the department are compared to students' reported satisfaction with courses and the program as a whole. Student suggestions for changes or additional opportunities for interactions within the program are discussed. (Contains 10 figures.)

This case study examines the impact of a program-wide event on the sense of community in a distance education program. The departmental conference examined in this study is intended to help students gain experience in sharing their ideas and plays a large role in building a sense of community among residential students and faculty. This study examines an effort to extend this community-building role to students enrolled in the department's fully online Distance Masters and Certificate programs. The study explores whether these students felt a need for such community-building experiences, what they gained from this experience, and what can be learned from what went well and what could be improved in the organization of the conference. Findings indicate that active participants felt an increased sense of community, but that not all students were interested in this type of community-building activity.

It is essential to develop future teachers' views of diversity, as contemporary teachers teach large numbers of students who are not like them linguistically or culturally. Teacher educators are responsible for preparing preservice and inservice literacy teachers to be effective in these increasingly diverse classrooms. They should continue to look for ways to prepare tomorrow's teachers for the multiethnic classroom, especially through cross-cultural awareness and understanding. In this article, the authors share their experiences using multicultural literature discussions in their literacy courses in New York and Florida with urban and suburban classroom teachers. Their goal was to provide rich, thought-provoking experiences throughout the literature discussions. The teachers began to explore their insights about universal qualities among people, cultural values, and social issues. Before teachers can effectively implement literature circles that evoke genuine, transformative interactions with books, however, they must live the experience themselves. Here, the authors share the teachers' personal connections with the main character of their respective novels, the sociocultural issues they identified, and universal truths they discovered. Through their literature circles, the teachers experienced the power of critical discourse. The authors found that reading and sharing multicultural novels in literature circles showed promise for developing culturally responsive teachers and broadening their perspectives.

Agricultural student teachers (n=36) rated core elements of their field experience. They recognized the importance of relationships with cooperating teachers before and after the experience. Supervised agricultural experience was the only area rated lower after field experience. (Contains 23 references.) (SK)

Describes changes in preservice teachers' images and perceptions of teaching and literacy as they engaged in collaborative learning experiences within the college classrooms and in the elementary classrooms working with cooperating teachers and young children. Finds changes of preservice teachers in language use, perceptions of children's influences on literacy teaching, and redefinition of the literacy teacher's role. (SC)