Sustainable agriculture (SA) is not fully understood. What is being taught about SA by high school agriculture teachers is also unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify the beliefs of high school agriculture teachers about SA and to examine the extent they teach SA. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 844 teachers in the North Central Region (NCR) of the United States. Teachers agreed to concepts about SA and taught selected SA topics to a moderate extent, emphasizing topics related to ecological and social dimensions of SA compared with topics having economic dimensions. In addition, teachers indicated the following topics to be most frequently taught: soil testing, crop rotation, food safety, water quality, and use of animal manure. Results of this study indicated that agriculture teachers do not include much about SA in their curricula. Further investigations into the barriers regarding infusion of SA into the curriculum would help explain what is required to enhance instruction in this subject matter.

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between agriculture teachers' beliefs about sustainable agriculture and the extent to which teachers taught topics in sustainable agriculture. A random sample of 844 teachers in the north central region of the United States was sent questionnaires. Teachers' beliefs regarding sustainable agriculture explained no variance in the extent to which teachers taught selected sustainable agriculture topics. However, teachers' perceptions of selected agriculture practices uniquely explained only 1% of variance. Future research on beliefs regarding sustainable agriculture may rely more on understanding teachers' perceptions of sustainable agriculture practices than teachers' sustainable agriculture beliefs.

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The study’s purpose was to analyze the validity of the construct of a self-made Alternative-Conventional Agricultural Paradigm scale using the teacher population teaching high school agriculture in the North Central Region of the USA. A random sample of 844 teachers was drawn. Teachers were self-administered questionnaires with 5-point Likert-type scales. Instrument inter-item consistency and item coherence were determined. The relatively high coefficient alpha (.82), mean item total correlation (.40), and unrotated first factors with modest number of items loading on the factor means that the scale has mainly one underlying construct. The teacher population holds consistent views and attitudes about SA constituting an agricultural paradigm. The instrument items are coherent as components of a whole and are related. However, the teacher population did not hold stronger paradigmatic views on the scale as can be expected because of their relatively low mean score item-total correlation and coefficient alpha for the instrument compared to what was found for the scale in the Beus and Dunlap (1991) study. This should be expected because agriculture teachers are not strong adherents of the two agricultural paradigms who can be expected to make extreme and polar scores on the scale. The instrument can therefore be used to preliminarily gauge the paradigmatic orientation of agriculture teachers in the region. Further research with the instrument with known groups supporting the two paradigms is necessary to establish its validity.

The purpose of the study was to determine agriculture teacher differences in beliefs and perceptions about sustainable agriculture (SA) and the associations of these with the teaching of SA in the 12 states of the Midwest US. A descriptive design using self-administered structured questionnaires with Likert measurements was adopted. A stratified random sample of 844 teachers were self-administered the questionnaires. Data were analyzed by ANOVA by comparing means and conducting post-hoc tests. Teachers who agreed and those who disagreed about SA beliefs had no statistically significant difference in their mean ratings of beliefs about SA. Those who were neutral and those who disagreed about SA beliefs had similar mean ratings. Teachers who agreed with SA beliefs and those who were neutral about SA beliefs had a statistically significant difference in their mean ratings of SA beliefs. All three of those groups taught SA topics to a moderate extent. This was not the case for teachers who differed about their perceptions of SA topics/practices. Therefore, teacher differences in beliefs about SA may or may not influence the teaching of SA topics. Teacher perceptions of selected SA practices only influenced the extent to which teachers taught SA. SA goals can be achieved via teaching to influence teacher knowledge, affect, cognition, behavior, and actions towards SA. Teacher professional development needs can be identified from their differences in perceptions about SA practices. An education approach promoting the building of bridges among different perspectives about SA and systems teaching-learning can help to achieve SA goals.