Assessing the impact of an agricultural economics game in secondary agricultural education curriculum: The Farm and Ranch Risk Management (FARRM) game

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: This study sought to determine if the use of the Farm and Ranch Risk Management (FARRM) game and associated curriculum improved student awareness about the field of agricultural economics and increased the understanding about agricultural economics concepts among selected Oklahoma secondary agricultural education students. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design was used in this study. The data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA, correlations, frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and eta squared.

Findings and Conclusions: Characteristics of the selected student participants indicated participants were male (58.9%) and the majority (65.1%) reported living in rural residences. All participants were enrolled in a high school agricultural education class and were classified as freshmen (28.8%), sophomores (20.0%), juniors (25.0%), and seniors (22.5%). Participants had been enrolled in agricultural education classes for an average of 2.74 years and were involved with FFA (77.5%). Participants reported limited exposure to agricultural economics with less than half (42.5%) having prior lessons in agricultural economics. Moreover, participants reported an inability to correctly define agricultural economics (M = 3.12), identify careers associated with agricultural economics (M = 2.95), make monthly agricultural economic decisions (M = 2.78), and identify industries associated with agricultural economics (M = 2.86). One-way ANOVA analyses were conducted on each of the lesson areas: introduction to agricultural economics (p = .000*), resource use (p = .101), marketing tools one (p = .118), marketing tools two (p = .308), and financial statements (p = .001*). Significance was detected at an a priori determined alpha of .05 for the lessons on the introduction to agricultural economics and financial statements. All effect sizes were classified as small, excepted for the effect size for the introduction to agricultural economics (n² = .165), which is classified as a large effect size.