Transcript Slide 1

Attracting Academically or
Intellectually Gifted Students to
Career and Technical Education
Elizabeth Gray
Dr. Gary Moore
Dr. Barbara Kirby
Dr. Beth Wilson
North Carolina State University
Importance of the study
 NCGS Article 9B, 1996
 “[AIG] students require differentiated
educational services beyond those
ordinarily provided…”
 Cognitive damage
 Lack of appropriate instruction may
cause cognitive harm (Coleman &
Gallagher, 1995)
 Use it or lose it (Tomlinson, 1999)
Importance of the study
 Affective wellbeing
 Attitudes, emotions, moods (Coleman &
Gallagher, 1995)
 Do not thrive, potential diminishes
 Agriculture Industry
 More complex & technologically advanced
(Houser & Baker, 1991).
 Demand for qualified individuals will soon
surpass supply (Goecker, Gilmore, & Smith,
2005).
 Career choice based on values and perceptions
(Overbay & Broyles, 2008).
Purpose of the Study
 Learn more about:
 Attracting students who are gifted to
Agricultural Education programs.
 Serving students who are gifted in
Agricultural Education Programs.
 The perceptions of Agricultural
Education
Theoretical Framework
 Prosser’s 14th Theorem
Vocational education will be socially
efficient in proportion as in its
methods of instruction and its
personal relations with learners it
takes into consideration the
particular characteristics of any
particular group which it serves
(Prosser & Allen, 1925, p. 207).
Theoretical Framework
 AAAE National Research Agenda
Priority 4
 Meaningful, Engaged Learning in All
Environments
 “…how to reach all students.” (Doerfert,
2011, p. 22)
Methodology
 Qualitative study
 Focus Groups
169, 087
gifted in NC
(NCDPI, 2010)
 Selecting Participants
 Audio transcription
 Analyzed transcripts in search of
reoccurring themes
 Developed a list of potential themes
based on literature
 Emergence of new themes
Trustworthiness
 Credibility
 Peer debriefing
 Member checking in 3 stages
 Transferability
 Detail and description
 Dependability & Confirmability
 Raw data retained for audit purposes
Lincoln & Guba, 1985
What attracts students who are
AIG?
 Atmosphere of the classes
 Relaxed, less stressful
 “A breath of fresh air”
 Fun, Variety of Activities, Hands on
Learning
 “Each day is new.”
What attracts students who are
AIG?
 Design of Agricultural Education
 Hands-on curriculum
 “Instead of learning from a book you learn
from what you do. And it sticks.”
 FFA
 “…learn and socialize outside the class.”
 CDE’s
 SAE
 Choose activities within interest area
 Resume builder
What attracts students who are
AIG?
 Influential People
 Teacher
 “…they really care about the kids.”
 Humor, enthusiasm, passion, expertise
 Friends and Family
 “…my friend told me it was fun…”
 “…my brother was in FFA…”
What deters students who are AIG?
 Lack of accurate information
 Lack of awareness
 “Kids just don’t know.”
 Limited awareness
 “…if they only knew what we really did
here…”
 Image
 “Cow, Sow, Plow” Stereotype
 FFA
What deters students who are AIG?
 Academic Pressure
 Weighted GPA
 “They think they need weighted credit
because they want to go to college.”
 Perceived rigor
 “…it doesn’t look as good on a resume…”
What deters students who are AIG?
 Scheduling
 Times classes are offered conflict
 “…it doesn’t fit in their schedule…”
 Students who “…don’t care…”
 “…they think it’s going to be an easy
class.”
 “…disruptive…”, “…hinders our
learning…”
Factors contributing to learning
 Learning by Doing
 Learn & remember better
 Opportunities for problem solving
 “He wants us to think it through and try to
figure it out on our own…”
 “relate agriculture [class] to real life.”
 Integrating the subject matter
 With FFA and SAE
 Art
 Technology
 GPS
 Computers for research
Factors contributing to learning
 Characteristics of the Teacher
 Entertainment Factors
 Humor
 Passion for students
 Enthusiasm
Perceptions of students who are
AIG
 Positive overall
 “Awesome!”
 “The one class I look forward to.”
 “It’s my favorite part of the day.”
 “…it’s something you enjoy, not
something you’re forced to do.”
 “Everything is a learning experience.”
Perceptions of students who are
AIG
 Balance of Challenge
 “Sometimes it comes easy, sometimes it
doesn’t.”
 “…a totally different kind of learning…”
 Choices
 Opportunities to work at individual pace
 High expectations of teachers
 “Shine.”
Perceptions of students who are
AIG
 “It all starts with the teachers.”
 “…she just understands kids…”
 “My teacher would marry agriculture if
he could…”
 “…you want a teacher who would still
care about it whether or not they got
paid for it.”
 “They expect more of us, not because
we’re AIG but because they know who
we are and what we can do.”
Perceptions of students who are
AIG
 Areas for improvement
 Attitudes of classmates
 “…the people who don’t care hold you back.”
 “I’m looked at funny by other students…”
 Challenges of Mixed ability classes
 “It’s tough to teach a class when you’ve got
six special needs kids…”
Conclusions
Conclusions
 Relaxed is GOOD (Medina, 2008)
 Resist “teaching to the test”
 Build and implement programs that
include all three components of
agricultural education (Baker and
Robinson, 2011)
 Use students to promote the program.
(Hook, 1993)
Conclusions
 Spread awareness
 Visit Middle School
 Recognize student achievements
 Community activities
 Revisit image of agriculture and FFA
 Emphasize STEM
 FFA Jacket? (Croom & Flowers, 2001)
 Name of the organization?
Conclusions
 Create honors level classes
 GPA/ Transcripts
 Time with academic peers
 Continue implementing hands on
learning opportunities
 Protect teachers from burnout (Davis,
2009)
Recommendations for further
research
 Perceptions of AIG students in other
CTE subject areas
 Perceptions of AIG students nationally
 Perceptions of AIG students who are
not in Ag Ed programs
 Teacher efficacy in serving and
engaging AIG
 Census of number of AIG students
served by Ag Ed programs