Many view aquaculture education as an ideal vehicle to facilitate the integration of academic and vocational subject matter when it is infused into secondary or other agriculture curriculum. This national study utilized a mixed methods approach to investigate the extent to which secondary agriculture teachers employ aquaculture as a means to teach and reinforce other content areas. The study also examined the types of activities that occur within various academic areas. Results of the study indicated that approximately one-fourth of all secondary agriculture teachers incorporated aquaculture into their courses of study to some level. Those who integrate work with science teachers more frequently than with teachers in other academic areas, but some teachers have developed strategies to work effectively with areas beyond science. Most integration activities focused on environmental issues. Interviews with agriculture teachers revealed that finding ways to work effectively with other teachers and deal with territorial issues are major barriers for increased integration. Students who participated in interviews indicated that they believe aquaculture has enhanced their academic performance in mathematics and science, and made those areas more relevant for them.

Over the years agricultural education has not done an adequate job of effectively defining or describing its meaning and purpose. As with the broad agricultural industry, the view of agricultural education varies between and among groups, within and outside of the profession, and has evolved according to global, regional, and local pressures including those originating from political, societal, and technological changes (National Research Council, 1988

Thirty-one volumes of the Journal of reflect on author's debt to earlier works, constitute Agricultural Education (formerly AATEA Journal) a statement as to which of these works are have been published since 1961. Over the years, important, and are a means by which authors the journal has undergone a number of changes in anchor their work and relate it to earlier research" terms of size, format, content, frequency of (Goldman, 1979, p. 485). In addition, citations publishing (from three issues to four in 1983) and finally, a change in the name from AATEA Journal may also reflect an author's scope of reading and his/her scientific interests (Berg, 197 1; Broadus, to the Journal of Agricultural Education (JAE). 1967; and Crane, 1972). During the Journal's span of 31 years, a number of researchers have examined various research and publishing aspects in the agricultural education profession. The most prominent subjects discussed included empirical analysis of the Journal of Agricultural Education during the eighties (Radhakrishna and Jackson, 1992); what topics were cited and who was cited (Moore, 1991); reader opinions of the JAE (Newman, 1990 & Williams, 1982); statistical procedures used by agricultural educators in reporting research findings (Bowen, Rollins, Baggett & Miller, 1990; Manneback, McKenna & Pfau, 1984; and Warmbrod, 1986); and agricultural and extension education research published in terms of program area, area of focus, and scope (Crunkilton, 1988). Researchers in other disciplines have also examined research and publishing aspects within their professions. The most notable publications reviewed included the

Since the 1988 publication of Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education by the National Research Council, agricultural educators have experienced increased pressure to incorporate more science-based instruction. Recent research has examined where and how integration is occurring (Conroy, 2000; Johnson, 1996; Thompson, 1998). This qualitative study looks at the perceptions of agricultural educators and others regarding this shift in focus of instruction, and what implications exist for teacher education programs as a result of the shift. Results show unanimous support for more sciencebased instruction, but little agreement on how much, or how best, to integrate. Concerns also exist as to methodologies employed for science-based instruction in the agricultural classroom, and how those concerns can be met by changes in teacher education programs.

Supplying a well-trained workforce for agriculture should be a primary goal of the education community. This is an issue of particular importance to rural areas struggling with declining tax bases, outmigration of their most capable young persons, and decaying infrastructures. This study examined career aspirations among middle school youth in one rural New York State community to determine the level of interest in agriculture careers as well as interest in other occupations that would be available in a broadly defined agriculture industry. Results indicate that while few students expressed an interest in traditional agriculture occupations, over one-half identified areas of interest that are representative of a broadly defined agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources industry. These results have implications for not only local program design and recruitment, but curriculum innovations, as well.