United States science scores have remained stable over the past 12 years, and as a result secondary school students have been deemed less proficient than international peers. Additionally, there has been increased pressure for accountability from both teachers and students. This highly competitive performance-based classroom environment has threatened student motivation. Due to this, many have moved away from an emphasis on rote memorization and lessened the threat of performance testing by using inquiry and problem solving strategies as a way to provide more autonomy in the classroom. Agricultural education has joined the movement in providing autonomy in the classroom through inquiry-based teaching methods. This study investigates the perceptions of school-based agriscience students toward agriscience and inquiry-based instruction when taught through inquiry-based instruction. The perceptions of 170 secondary agriscience students who responded to the questionnaire indicated more favorable attitudes toward agriscience. Participants also had positive responses to items regarding agriculture's importance to society, and influence in their daily lives. It is recommended that inquiry-based instruction be utilized in the agriscience classroom to promote student learning and motivation. Further investigations on the impacts of student motivation in the classroom when inquiry-based instruction is utilized in school-based agriscience education should be investigated.

Learners in courses or training can be preoccupied. They worry about other courses, their home life, friends, extracurricular activities, physiological needs like food and sleep, and the list goes on. When learners are preoccupied with these concerns, learning and achievement are regularly put on the back burner. So how do we get our learners to focus on learning? Instructors can help learners satisfy needs, so the focus can be on content, learning, and achievement. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Sarah E. Burleson and Andrew C. Thoron, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, April 2014.

Deciding what students need to know through the development of declarative objectives, deciding what students need to able to do through the development of procedural objectives, considering how to evaluate student learning, and planning meaningful learning experiences will allow for effective instructional planning. Following these basic steps will allow educators to determine the specific goals of the lesson, the course, or the program in order to effectively prepare students. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Sarah E. Burleson and Andrew C. Thoron, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, April 2014.