Methods of acquisition of professional agricultural education competencies and competency levels possessed by high school vocational agriculture education teachers in selected southern states

The study was designed to investigate perceived methods of acquisition of professional agricultural education competencies and the perceived levels of competence possessed by high school vocational agriculture education teachers in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. The questionnaire was embedded in 59-item survey mailed to a random sample of 560 vocational agriculture teachers. Of this total, 324 teachers who were teaching agriculture during the 1986-1987 academic year returned usable questionnaires for the study.;The investigator sought to determine: (a) if significant differences existed between the perceived methods of acquisition and the perceived levels of competence on each of seven competency areas, and (b) if significant differences existed on the perceived levels of competence according to demographic characteristics. Data analysis procedures, using SPSS-X computer programs, included cross tabulations, univariate and multivariate analysis of variance, and one-way analysis of variance.;The teachers perceived themselves as having acquired the majority of the 50 competencies through college courses and on-the-job activities. The results reflected statistically significant differences between the perceived methods of acquisition and the perceived levels of competence. The results further revealed that significant differences existed between the perceived levels of competence when the teachers were grouped according to number of certifications held in fields other than agriculture, membership in high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the number of years enrolled in high school agriculture.;The investigator concluded that certain methods for acquiring professional agriculture education competencies may be more effective than others. This evidence can be used in hypothesizing and testing further relationships between methods of acquisition and levels of competence. It is recommended that inservice training activities be continued and strengthened to provide for more congruence between the methods of acquisition and the levels of competence.