Scott Burris

Beginning Teachers' Perceptions of In-School and In-Profession Mentoring Relationships.

The purpose of this study was to compare two different formal mentoring relationships based on the perceptions of beginning teachers regarding their dyadic interactions. Kram’s mentor role theory and Byrne’s similarity-attraction paradigm served as the theoretical foundation for the study. The specific variables of interest included psychosocial mentoring, dyad similarity, and dyad satisfaction. The time and place sample consisted of beginning agricultural education teachers (n = 40) paired with a mentor in the school where they taught (i.e., in-school), and beginning agricultural education teachers (n = 40) paired with an agricultural education mentor located in a neighboring school (i.e., in-profession). Data for this study were collected by using the Mentoring Relationship Questionnaire (MRQ). No statistically significant differences were found between the two mentoring relationships. Recommendations for further investigation are suggested, including the need to expand the understanding of relationship dynamics and predictors of quality mentoring.

U.S. Agricultural Commodity Organizations' Use of Blogs as a Communications Tool

Current communications trends and social media have given individuals and organizations unprecedented opportunities to build relationships with audience members while introducing and encouraging new perspectives. One particular form of social media is blogging, which allows people to share a wider variety of information than other forms of social media. The purpose of this study was to explore how agricultural commodity organizations use blogs as a communication tool. The researchers purposively selected nine U.S. agricultural commodity groups that had an organizational blog and collected data through in-depth interviews. The findings indicated the organizations started blogging because blogs were the newest communication tool they could use to reach new and traditional audiences. The commodity organizations used some online analytics and mentions on other social media outlets to measure blog success, but they did not establish goals for their blog prior to the blog’s launch. The findings offer an understanding of how agricultural commodity organizations are utilizing blogs, which provides insight for others in the agricultural industry who may decide to use this technology.

The Influence of Gender on Relationship Aspects of Beginning Teachers and Their Mentors.

To date, relatively few researchers have examined the gender compositi on of mentoring dyads in the context of Career and Technical Educati on (CTE). Without such studies, understanding with respect to how gender infl uences the dyad relationship is limited. An integrated theoretical framewor k that draws from the similarity-attraction paradigm, relational demography , and attachment theory is applied to this exploratory study involving beginning teachers of agricultural education. Hypotheses related to the influence of gender on th e success of the mentoring relationship were tested. It appears that gender heterogeneity does not hinder the mentoring relationship of beginning teachers. Th e results suggested that male and female beginning teachers, and beginning teachers in same-gender and mixed-gender dyads perceived similar levels of psychosocial mentor ing and its functions, and dyad satisfaction. Significant differences exi ted between males and females regarding their perceptions of dyad similarity; ho wever, no significant differences were found between beginning teachers in same-gender a mixedgender dyads on the same measure. Further research on interper sonal processes in mentoring relationships is encouraged, and gender norming i agricultural education should be examined.

Perceived Leadership Life Skills Developed Through Participation at the Arkansas FFA Leadership Conference: A Program Evaluation

Youth leadership life skills are the “development of life skills necessary to perform leadership functions in real life” (Miller, 1976, p.2). A model developed by Kapostasy indicates life skills should be taught through FFA (Staller, 2001). Thus, it is important to evaluate youth leadership life skills developed to determine the effectiveness of leadership curriculum and its quality and impact. This research study surveyed Arkansas FFA members after attending the 2012 Arkansas Leadership Conference to determine the leadership life skills developed while at the conference. Furthermore, this study looked at relationships between FFA participants and FFA participation with youth leadership life skills and provides recommendations for future research and for practitioners.

Examining the Critical Moments in Information Processing of Water Conservation Videos within Young Farmers and Ranchers: A Psychophysiological Analysis

Discussions on how to conserve and provide enough water has become one of the most highly debated issues in modern society. Although many Extension efforts have engaged the public in understanding behavior and attitudes toward water conservation, limited research has focused on understanding how agriculturalists respond to water conservation messages. The goal of this study was to employ the use of a psychophysiological measure to determine what message components elicited increased information processing during exposure to two water conservation videos. When the two videos were compared in total, no significant difference in heart rate was observed. However, a more granular analysis of phasic or short-term periods of heart rate deceleration revealed five segments of increased cognitive resource allocation while viewing the scientific video and three segments during the testimonial evidence video. Finally, self-report data approached statistical significance, with the subjects reporting greater elaboration while viewing the testimonial evidence video compared to the scientific video treatment. These findings provide unique evidence suggesting that farmers and ranchers allocate greater cognitive resources to scientific evidence, on screen graphics, and narrated statistics.

Preliminary Development of an Attrition Risk Assessment Instrument for Secondary Agricultural Educators.

Secondary agricultural education has consistently faced a shortage of teachers for the past several decades. Because there are not enough newly qualified teachers certified annually to fill all the vacancies, attrition must be addressed. The purpose of this research was to develop and pilot test an attrition risk assessment instrument. Items were written and included in a preliminary instrument based on existing literature as well as a qualitative study we conducted previously. Principal components analysis resulted in a 25-question instrument, with 17 questions measuring attrition risk in four constructs including alternative career opportunities, expectations versus realities, passions, and people frustrations. Cronbach’s alpha indicated overall instrument reliability was α = .76. Individual construct reliabilities ranged from α = .57 to α = .85. Recommendations include further development and refinement of constructs and questions. Additionally, longitudinal data should be collected in order to identify the threshold magnitude of each risk factor that results in actual exit of a teacher from the profession. Finally, implementation of the instrument could assist researchers and teacher educators in identifying the most prevalent risks contributing to teacher attrition in a population.