Browsing by Author "Jim Flowers, Committee Member"

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Effects of an Introductory Agricultural Education Course on Agricultural Literacy and Perceptions of Agriculture in Urban Students
(2006-08-07) Riedel, Jodi Songer; Jim Flowers, Committee Member; gary moore, Committee Member; Beth Wilson, Committee Chair
The purpose of this study has been to determine the effects of an introductory agricultural education course on high school urban students agricultural literacy and their perceptions of the food and fiber industry. North Carolina schools offer an introductory course called Agriscience Applications and is meant to be the first in a series of agricultural education courses. This course is expected to positively impact the agricultural literacy and perceptions of agriculture upon its students. Data were collected from six schools in urban counties throughout North Carolina with 152 respondents. Five questions were specified for this study as follows: 1) Does an introductory agricultural education course increase students agricultural literacy in an urban agricultural education program; 2) does an introductory agricultural education course increase student knowledge of agricultural careers and opportunities for employment; 3) does an introductory agricultural education class increase student knowledge of agriculture's relationship with public policy; 4) does an introductory agricultural education class change a student's understanding of agriculture's relationship with the environment and natural resources; 5) what influence does an introductory agricultural education class have upon students' perceptions of the food and fiber industry? Upon completion of the Agriscience Applications course, students did increase their agricultural literacy. The students showed greatest improvement in agriculture literacy regarding public policy and the least improvement in career related knowledge. The perception scores of students regarding agriculture were not statistically significant.
Ground Safety Skills Among North Carolina 4-H Horse Program Participants
(2008-11-18) Beck, Courtney Hathaway; Jim Flowers, Committee Member; John Rayfield, Committee Chair; David Jones, Committee Member
Horses play a large role in the economic and recreational lives of many Americans. However, there are inherent risks associated with horse activities. According to the Childrenâ€™s Safety Network (2005), one in three equestrian-related injuries occur while dismounted. Despite this risk, the topic of horse ground safety has been neglected in both extension and agricultural education research. The objectives of this study were to benchmark the current level of horse ground safety skills among participants in the North Carolina 4-H Horse Program and to determine if background factors affected safety skills. By understanding more about the current level of horse ground safety, programming can be developed to address the weaknesses and increase the safety of this sport. The sample for this study (N=63) was drawn from attendants of the 2007 North Carolina 4-H Horsemanship Camp, held in June. Participating campers completed the researcher-developed questionnaire which consisted of 21 questions. The purpose of this form was to collect information about the campersâ€™ horse and 4-H background. Immediately following completion of the demographic form, the campers completed a skills test. The skills test was broken into three sections (stall safety, leading safety, and grooming safety), and each section was scored by trained horse industry specialists. The stall skills section had the highest mean score, followed by the grooming skills section then the leading skills section. Scores in all three sections were found to be less than acceptable. Of the background factors investigated, three were found to lead to significant differences in safety scores: owning a horse, ever taken riding lessons, and currently taking lessons. The background factors investigated that did not lead to higher safety scores were riding discipline and participation in 4-H Horse Program activities other than 4-H Horsemanship Camp. The researcher concluded that campers who participated in this study received safety scores that were lower than desirable, and that owning horses or taking riding positively influenced ground safety scores. The researcher proposed the following recommendations: young equestrians need formal instruction on ground safety, emphasize the educational benefits of participation in 4-H horse shows events as they relate to ground safety, evaluate youth horse programming to ensure it is meeting their educational needs and learning capabilities, and parents would benefit from ground safety training.
Impacts of an Audience Response System on High School Agriscience Applications Courses
(2005-09-06) Conoley, John William; Jim Flowers, Committee Member; Gary Moore, Committee Co-Chair; George Bostick, Committee Member; Barry Croom, Committee Co-Chair
The purpose of this research was to ascertain the impacts of an audience response system on student achievement. Audience response systems are a group of developing technologies that have been adapted for use in classrooms, as a tool for providing feedback. A group of high school students, enrolled in an agriscience applications course, were examined to discover differences in achievement. Teachers integrated the audience response system into the classroom and students' tests scores were examined comparing the technology-based feedback methods with the verbal and written response-contingent feedback methods. Both student and teacher attitudes were examined to determine perceived impacts of the audience response system. The results of the study showed a significant increase in student achievement when integrating an audience response system. Some of the impacts of the audience response system, as perceived by students were a more fun classroom environment, an increase in participation, and an enhanced ability to understand the material presented. Impacts of the audience response system, as perceived by the teachers included an improved ability to analyze feedback from students, an increased focus on student learning needs, and spending more time in preparation for each class. The conclusions drawn from the results of this study show that audience response systems are a promising, developing technology for improving student achievement and positively impacting the classroom environment.