ABSTRACT

Purpose: Global climate change (GCC) impacts agriculture through food production. Promoting the understanding about GCC among agricultural educators is imperative. While substantive research exists for the knowledge, conceptions, and beliefs of science teachers, few studies focus on agriculture educators. This research investigates the foundational state of secondary agricultural teachers’ knowledge, practices, and beliefs about GCC.

Design/methodology/approach: In this quantitative study, we used a 22-item survey to capture secondary agriculture teachers’ conceptions, beliefs, and practices about GCC. Total 258 secondary agriculture teachers from fourteen states completed the survey. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings: Overall, secondary agriculture teachers have a strong understanding about the basic science concepts that constitute the understanding for GCC. However, they are challenged in understanding data that forms the evidence for GCC, and whether this phenomenon is anthropogenic or natural, or both. Their teaching practices about addressing the content of GCC are diverse from spending a dedicated amount of time to none at all in their classrooms.

Practical implications: Information acquired will be used to support the agricultural educators needs for resources specifically designed and aligned for the GCC content relevant to agriculture.

Theoretical implications: This research informs the field of climate literacy and education through contributing an empirical assessment of one of the underserved population groups – teachers of agricultural education.

Originality/value: Very few empirical studies were available for teachers of agriculture, hence this study served as an exploratory foundational work towards future research efforts.

摘要

目的：全球气候变化（GCC）通过粮食生产影响农业。必须提高农业教育工作者对海湾合作委员会的认识。尽管对科学教师的知识，概念和信念进行了实质性研究，但很少有研究针对农业教育者。这项研究调查了中学农业教师关于GCC的知识，实践和信念的基本状况。

设计/方法/方法：在这项定量研究中，我们使用了22个项目的调查来记录中学农业教师对GCC的观念，信念和实践。来自十四个州的258名中学农业教师完成了调查。使用描述性统计数据分析数据。

调查结果：总体而言，中学农业教师对构成GCC的基础科学概念有深刻的了解。但是，他们在理解构成海湾合作委员会证据的数据以及这种现象是人为的还是自然的，或两者兼而有之时面临挑战。他们解决GCC内容的教学方法多种多样，从花费大量时间到在教室里根本没有花时间。

实际意义：所获得的信息将用于支持农业教育工作者对专门针对与农业相关的GCC内容设计和调整的资源的需求。

理论意义：这项研究通过对缺乏服务的人口群体之一（农业教育教师）进行实证评估，为气候素养和教育领域提供了信息。

原创性/价值：很少有实证研究可用于农业教师，因此该研究为未来的研究工作提供了探索性基础工作。