Study of Pre-Service Agricultural Education Students: Knowledge of Horticulture and Self-Efficacy to Teach Horticulture

Abstract

This study included pre-service agricultural education students (N = 22) enrolled in the course, Horticulture 1013-Principles of Horticultural Science, during the fall 2008 semester at Oklahoma State University. The purposes of this descriptive correlational study were to determine pre-service agricultural education students' knowledge of horticulture, their perceived self-efficacy and importance of teaching horticulture in secondary agricultural education, and to identify horticulture skills standards most needed by pre-service agricultural education students. It was found that over two-thirds (68.2%) of the agricultural education students who participated in this study did not possess any years of horticulture work experience. Additionally, 63.9% reported they completed no high school horticulture courses, and 77.3% of the student had not completed any college horticulture courses. Prior to instruction in Horticulture 1013, the students reported their self-efficacy to teach the horticulture skills standards as "Below Average," whereas at the end of instruction, the students perceived their self-efficacy to teach the selected skills standards as "Average Confidence." It was revealed that students' horticulture knowledge mean test score increased from 48.32% prior to instruction to 62.96% at the end of instruction. However, even though there was an increase in horticulture knowledge, prior to instruction compared to the end of instruction, it should be noted that the mean horticulture knowledge test score was a "D" grade (60-69%) at the end of the course, based on the Horticulture 1013 grading scale. In addition to self-efficacy and horticulture knowledge, the researcher sought to identify horticulture instructional needs of the pre-service agricultural education students utilizing mean weighted discrepancy scores (MWDS). At the end of instruction, the researcher ranked the 27 Oklahoma horticulture skills standards, based on student MWDS. The two most needed horticulture skills standards as perceived by the students in this study were, "identification of common turf diseases and pests" and "harvesting techniques of trees and shrubs."