The lived experiences of traditionally certified agriculture teachers through their first three years of teaching: a phenomenological longitudinal study

Abstract

This longitudinal qualitative study sought to understand the experiences of traditionally certified agriculture teachers in rural Kansas communities through their first three years of teaching. The research was guided by the following questions: 1) how do participants describe their feelings toward teaching as a career, 2) what do participants perceive as their accomplishments and challenges related to teaching and managing an agricultural education program and 3) how do participants describe their relationships and interactions with mentors? The study is guided by the theoretical framework of Ellen Moir’s (1999) The Stages of a Teacher’s First Year which shows teachers move through a series of stages during their first-year teaching. Fessler and Christensen (1992) proposed the Teacher Career Cycle including phases specific to the beginning teacher. Recent literature in the agricultural education field influenced the content including seeking teacher perceptions and attitudes toward teaching, accomplishments, challenges, school, and community support, FFA, SAE and their mentoring experience (Boone & Boone, 2007; Myers et al., 2005). The three-year phenomenological case study began with a ½ day researcher visit to each school scheduled between the 6th and 8th week of classes. The visit included a tour of the school and agriculture program, introductions with the administrator, an observation of the teacher teaching, and an interview. Data collected during the visit included photographs of the agriculture facilities, a documented observation of one class and a recorded 30-minute semi-structured interview. The researcher conducted monthly semi-structured phone interviews through the academic year with each individual participant. The year concluded with participants completing an individual reflection guide and a 1-hour semi-structured focus group held via Zoom. The same methods were used in years two and three except only teachers who initiated employment with a new school were visited. Data for the three-year study yielded 11 in-person teacher observations, 29 photos, 19 reflection guides, three focus group transcripts, and 129 individual monthly interview transcripts. A collective case study design was used to represent the experiences of this unique group of teachers. The findings address areas in which the profession should support beginning agriculture teachers including increased feedback and mentoring for teachers, resources on student management, work/life balance, seeking funding and community relations. Based on the individual and collective experiences of the teachers, at the beginning of the year their experiences followed a similar path to Moir’s phases of first year teachers’ attitudes toward teaching (1990). However, following the mid-fall semester “slump” the agriculture teachers in their first, second and third years had a different experience than Moir suggested. They experienced a second spring semester “slump” in the first, second and third-years teaching. While some teachers finished the year strong, others struggled to the end. The teachers described their feeling as more extreme in the monthly interviews but held an overall positive attitude toward teaching when reflecting on the year at the end of each of the three years. Implications for practice include proposing the structure and content to be considered when developing an induction program for beginning agriculture teachers including developing a supportive community among the teachers, as needed resources, multiple mentors, feedback on teaching, and structured reflection. Recommendations for future research suggests studying the shift from teacher centered to student centered learning, how novice teachers gauge their success, the impact of staff and administrator relationships on job satisfaction, challenges establishing SAE’s, work/life balance versus work/life integration and teaching resources utilized by novice teachers.