Journal of Agricultural Education - Vol. 37, No. 3, 1996

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between Arkansas agriculture teachers’ perceptions of the effects of offering science credit for agriculture and their support for offering science credit for agriculture. Vroom’s (1964) expectancy theory of human motivation formed the theoretical framework for the study. The results indicated that: (a) Arkansas agriculture teachers strongly support granting science credit for agriculture, and (b) that a practically significant portion of the variance in support for science credit could be explained by a linear combination of five perceived effect components. Teachers’ perceptions of the Student Benefits effect component was the most powerful predictor of support for science credit, followed (in descending order) by the Negative Impact, Program Benefits, Enrollment, and Science Content effect components. The results of the study support the efficacy of Vroom’s (1964) expectancy theory of human motivation. Recommendations are made for professional practice and for further research. During their July 1994 business meeting, Vroom's (1964) expectancy theory of human members of the Arkansas Vocational Agriculture motivation offers a promising model for studying Teachers Association (AVATA) voted to the acceptance of educational change and formed investigate the possibility of science credit for the theoretical framework for this study. According agriculture. An ad hoc committee, composed of six to Robbins (1993), expectancy theory posits the teachers, was charged with the responsibility of following relationship between motivation, evaluating the feasibility and possible methods of expectation and outcome: securing science credit. The committee met for the first time in to act in a certain way [motivation] August 1994. During the course of the meeting, depends on the strength of an committee members realized that meaningful plans expectation that an act will be could not be made until more information was followed by a given outcome and on available concerning Arkansas teachers' perceptions the attractiveness of that outcome to concerning science credit for agriculture. Due to an individual. (p. 226) this need, the AVATA requested and funded a statewide study. This article is based on further In this study, teacher support for science analyses of a portion of the data collected to provide credit was considered to be a form of motivation in the information requested by the AVATA ad hoc that support represented a "tendency to act in a committee. Specifically, this article explores the certain a way" (Robbins, 1993, p. 226). Teachers' relationship between teachers' support for science perceptions concerning the effects of offering credit and their perceptions concerning the effects of science credit for agriculture were considered to be offering science credit for agriculture. a measure of the attractiveness of the outcome. The strength of a tendency Since, for the purpose of this study, the outcome (science credit for agriculture) was assumed a priori,