Teacher Characteristics Explaining the Extent of Agricultural Awareness Activities Integrated into the Elementary Curriculum

The exploratory correlational-regression study investigated the extent that the variability in the number of agricultural awareness activities conducted by elementary teachers in east-central Iowa could be explained by selected teacher characteristics—degree of education, grade level, agricultural classes, agricultural experience, and perceptions toward integrating agriculture. A sample of 689 teachers was systematically drawn from the target population of 2,067 elementary teachers. A survey was conducted using a mailed questionnaire. Forty-five percent of the teachers (311/689) returned the questionnaire, but because some questionnaires were unusable, the data sample consisted of 281 questionnaires (41% response rate). The four teacher characteristics (Degree, Grade Level (K-2), Agricultural Classes, and Agricultural Experience) and the perception of integrating agriculture domain (integration perception) were entered into a stepwise, multiple linear regression model. The full model was significant (p = .032) excluding the independent variable—degree. The variables of integration perception, grade level (K-2), agricultural classes, and agricultural experience explained 20% of the variance in the number of agricultural awareness activities conducted. According to Cohen (1988), this relationship (r = .20) had a large effect size. Unique variance was 7.8% for integration perception, 4.0% for grade level (K-2), 2.4% for agricultural classes, and 1.4% for agricultural experience.