Teacher educators have the task of identifying skills most needed by pre-service teachers and in-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to describe teacher concerns over different stages of teacher development. A three-part instrument consisting of a teacher concerns statement, a Likert-type scale of concerns and demographic data was given to three groups. The groups consisted of early career teacher education students (N = 40), advanced teacher education students (N = 15), and teachers who had completed their first year of teaching and were just beginning their second year (N = 22). The results of this study indicate concern levels do change over time and there is a distinct shift in both the level and type of concerns across these three groups. This shift may allow for agricultural education courses and in-service programming to be more uniquely designed to address the specific needs and concerns of our educational clientele.

In spring 2018, nine agriculture students from Louisiana State University traveled to Nicaragua for a study abroad course. During this experience, students explored agricultural industries and engaged in cultural tours as well as in a service-learning project. Evidence has demonstrated that such experiences can transform students' intercultural sensitivity, global knowledge, and views on agriculture. To facilitate such an experience, however, requires educators to design experiences that challenge students' existing values and worldviews-a concept known as dissonance. Mezirow theorized that when individuals reflect critically on dissonance, it spurs a transformational learning (TL) process. However, knowledge of the types of dissonance that initiate TL in study abroad programs is insufficient. This study, therefore, sought to understand the multiple ways that students experienced dissonance during a study abroad course. Through our analysis, four forms of dissonance emerged: (1) environmental, (2) sociocultural, (3) intellectual, and (4) personal. When viewed through the lens of TL theory, the forms of dissonance appeared to shape and influence how students experienced TL as well as their resulting perspective changes. As a consequence, this study provided important insights into how study abroad courses could be designed and delivered to better encourage the maturation of students' perspectives on global issues and problems.

This study examined the accessibility and use of instructional technologies by agriculture teachers in Tennessee. Data were collected using a survey instrument to investigate teachers' adoption of technology, sources of acquired technology skills, accessibility and use of technological equipment, and barriers to technology integration. The study found Tennessee agriculture teachers have been slow to adopt technologies for classroom use. Many of the teachers had limited access to the various technologies. Over half of the teachers did not have access to new educational technologies such as a Smartboard, student response clickers, iPads, iPods, or smartphones. Additionally, there was limited access to most social networks, several web tools, a commercial learning management system, and social bookmarking sites. Cost, time, and availability of technology were recognized as barriers to technology integration. It is recommended further research be conducted on a larger scale to examine technology integration in agriculture classrooms. As well, classroom observations and interviews with teachers and administrators can provide a more in-depth understanding of current technology usage in agricultural education.

An ever-changing world of education has led to growing demand for teachers to remain competent educators. For school districts to enhance teacher effectiveness, professional development workshops must be tailored to the specific needs of educators. To further complicate the issue, in-service needs of teachers are ever growing and changing based on experience. The theoretical foundation of this study was Knowles Theory of Andragogy. Per the theory, adult learners are motivated to learn when they feel intrinsic value or realize the personal gain from the learning activity. The central drive for this study was to determine what Louisiana agriculture teachers desired in terms of classroom-based professional development, thereby giving these adult learners a hand in planning professional development activities. The results from this study indicate that there are dissimilar professional development needs based on years of teaching experience. Per the conclusions, we recommend the results of this study be shared with state agricultural education staff, university faculty, and the Louisiana Agriculture Teachers' Association. Professional development organizers should also consider years of teaching experience when planning professional development seminars.

The purpose of this study was to identify confidence levels of high school agriculture teachers when working with students with special needs and to determine what strategies teachers are using within their classrooms. One state was randomly selected from each of the six National Association for Agricultural Education regions and a stratified random sampling method was used. A random sample of 333 was selected with a response rate of 62%. Participants completed a questionnaire that measured teacher confidence, identified the teaching strategies that were being used, ascertained the perceived effectiveness of the strategies, and collected demographic information. Data analysis indicated that teachers are using recognized practices in their classes, though they are more likely to use practices that are easy to implement and that benefit more students than specific individualized strategies. Overall, teachers are confident in their abilities; however, they disagree that their teacher training programs and in–service opportunities have prepared them to work with students with special needs. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine predictors of confidence, and the model for total teacher confidence accounted for 11.7% of the variance. The total regression model involved in–service participation, age, and having a friend or family member with a disability.