Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2346/521

About: Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are the graduate research outputs of Texas Tech University. They represent years of work from our Master's and Doctoral graduates. If you find the ThinkTech digital repository useful, please tell us! Share how open access to scholarship benefits you. Your story matters to us.

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A case study on the hybrid learning experience in the Agricultural Communications Block
(2022-05) Davidson, Dylan Sloan; Irlbeck, Erica; Fischer, Laura; Meyers, Courtney
This case study explored the perspectives of a hybrid learning experience in the 2021 Texas Tech University agricultural communications Block capstone experience. This study utilized a qualitative, intrinsic case study design featuring a student questionnaire as well as student, teaching assistant and faculty interviews. Both the questionnaire and interviews focused on the participant’s perspectives of the hybrid learning experience used in the 2021 Block and questions for each were created using the Five R’s and capstone elements in Andreasen’s (2004) Model for the Integration of Experiential Learning into Capstone Courses (MIELCC). Results indicate participants achieved several components of the Andreasen’s Five R’s and Capstone Elements of the MIELCC with the hybrid learning experience but that some elements, such as communication and teamwork, need improvement. This study also shows that the instruction method, face-to-face, hybrid, or online, impacts a student’s ability to apply the capstone elements and incorporate the Five R’s and affects the student’s success of a capstone course. This study recommends modifications be made to the MIELCC to represent common instruction methods and how one, or a mix, can be applied in capstone courses to apply the capstone elements. This study also recommends that the Block return to a face-to-face structure with hybrid lessons and assignments that provide students a chance to build digital and remote skills to reflect a hybrid or remote workforce. Future research should be conducted to evaluate the hybrid learning experience in other capstone courses, particularly in agriculture communications or education. Future research should evaluate student camaraderie and its impact on capstone courses.
Assessing Barriers to College Entrance Among Underrepresented Students in a College of Agriculture
(2023-05) Vela, Ellora; Burris, Scott; Meyers, Courtney; Headrick, Jason
The race and ethnicity percentages in Davis College and other colleges of agriculture are disproportionately lower and do not reflect the same diversity of the university, state, and national populations. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, the purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to assess barriers to college entrance among underrepresented students within a college of agriculture. Second, the purpose of this study was to describe the perceived level of barriers among these underrepresented students. Self-Efficacy, Role Models, Financial Cost, Familial Support, Social Support, Cultural Difference, Campus Climate, General Knowledge, and Resources were the nine emerging barrier constructs found in literature. These constructs were separated into personal, distal contextual, and proximal contextual factors based on Social Cognitive Career Theory framework. The Underrepresented Students College Barriers Scale (USCBS) was created based on these emerging barrier constructs in literature to quantitatively measure the perceptions of barriers among underrepresented students in the Davis College. The questionnaire was distributed to all undergraduate students in the Davis College via email and shared on social media. A sample of N = 76 was collected. SPSS was used to run scale reliability for each barrier construct and the USCBS instrument. Mean comparison based on participant demographics and barrier construct. Results, conclusions, and recommendations are discussed.
Competencies of extension workers promoting agroforestry to smallholders in the global south
(2023-08) Flanagan, Brian K.; Boren-Alpizar, Amy; Wingenbach, Gary; Lawver, David; Strong, Robert
Smallholder farmers in the Global South are confronted by a wide array of challenges. Challenges smallholders encounter range from a shifting climate to economic uncertainties. Agroforestry, the intentional integration of trees with crops and/or livestock, has been one strategy promoted by institutions to address some of the challenges realized by smallholder farmers. As an organization promotes this dynamic agricultural practice and natural resource management strategy, organizations must ensure that their extension staff is competent to promote agroforestry to smallholders in the Global South. To better understand the agroforestry knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) of extension workers promoting agroforestry in the Global South, research for a three-article dissertation was conducted. The three unique but related studies included: (a) a modified Delphi study, (b) focus groups, and (c) a Ranked Discrepancy Model (RDM) needs assessment. Results from the first study provided a comprehensive list of technical and human relation KSAs that an agroforestry expert panel agreed was important. The identified list of KSAs was used for the next two studies. The second study produced an organizational agroforestry extension competency model for the Nongovernmental Organization (NGO), Plant with Purpose, using focus groups. Seven core competencies were identified, along with key actions staff must display. The final study was a needs assessment that used a snowball sample of global agroforestry extension workers to prioritize their top training needs based on their Ranked Discrepancy Score (RDS) of the KAS items. The top ranked training needs were in the areas of agribusiness and pests and disease. All three studies combined provide a fuller understanding of competencies required of extension workers promoting agroforestry in the Global South.
Exploring Student Perspectives of Interactive Virtual Tours in an Agricultural Education Context
(2023-05) Harlan, Kylie; Meyers, Courtney; Fischer, Laura; Kennedy, Lindsay
Virtual tours have been used in many contexts during the last three decades. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of virtual tours as a way to fill the void many people felt being unable to travel as they wished. Prior to this, virtual tours were used extensively in the classroom by K-12 and higher education instructors to replace on-site field trips. Field trips are a common way for educators to facilitate experiential learning but are often difficult to execute due to a variety of logistical concerns. Interactive virtual tours (IVT) are a type of virtual tour that integrate a variety of content delivery methods and curriculum pieces to make the virtual tour mirror an actual tour as closely as possible. In the current study, undergraduate students’ perceptions of an IVT of a cotton gin were collected. While virtual tours are widely used, there is limited research pertaining to the use of virtual tours in an agricultural education context. To bridge the gap in research and gather valuable student input, the purpose of this research was to explore students' perspectives of virtual tours in an agricultural educational context. Specifically, this study sought to explore learners' perceptions of a virtual tour to learn about the cotton ginning process. With the Technology Acceptance Model as a theoretical guide, this research utilized a convergent parallel mixed methods design to quantitatively collect student scores on perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, and intention to adopt virtual tours. Focus group discussions collected rich qualitative data, which was then used to elucidate the results from the quantitative data collection. The results of this study indicated that students have positive perceptions of using IVTs as a learning tool; however, they are not a replacement to traditional field trip experiences. The findings of this study can be used to further inform researchers about the use of IVTs in an agricultural education context, as well as provide insight for the creators of future virtual tours on what students liked and did not like.
Finding the Right Balance: An Exploratory Study of Agricultural Deans at California Community Colleges
(2023-05) Vazquez, Jacob; Boren-Alpizar, Amy; Burris, Scott; Lawver, David
Agricultural deans at California Community Colleges (CCC) experience a diverse set of responsibilities and challenges. This study investigated the knowledge, skills, and abilities deans believed were required to be effective in their roles as well as what deans believed constituted an effective CCC agricultural program. Results showed that deans most valued an understanding of district and state policies, effective interpersonal skills, and programs grounded in their local agriculture industry, among other variables. This study leveraged a two-phase sequential mixed methods exploratory design and the Leader Development Across the Lifespan Framework (Liu et al., 2021). Participants for the qualitative phase included five purposively sampled deans. Participants for the quantitative phase included the population of deans who offer an agricultural AD-T program, with 21 out of 29 deans participating. Findings from this study can be used for recruitment, professional development, and evaluation purposes regarding CCC agricultural deans and programs.
Who Teaches and Why? Analyzing Why Individuals Choose to Pursue a Career Teaching Secondary Agricultural Science
(2023-05) Odom, Joshua; Rayfield, John; Ritz, Rudy; Hatch, Chelsea
The purpose of this study was to determine why individuals choose to pursue a career as a secondary agricultural science teacher, their beliefs about teaching secondary agricultural science, and their attitudes toward teaching secondary agricultural science. Also analyzed in this study was career satisfaction and demographics. The study was descriptive and utilized current secondary agricultural science teachers in Texas. Online surveys were distributed via email to secondary agricultural science teachers who were selected at random from the population. The survey contained four sections with a total of 95 statements/questions. From the 333 individuals who received the survey, 124 individuals started the survey, but only 116 individuals fully completed it, for a response rate of 34.83%. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that there are many different factors that can influence an individual’s decision to become a secondary agricultural science teacher. Overall, the participants in this study seemed to have favorable beliefs about teaching secondary agricultural science and positive attitudes toward their jobs. The level of the participant's job satisfaction was a welcoming surprise as more than three-quarters of the participants identified they were either satisfied or strongly satisfied with their job. The demographic data shows that there is a variety of secondary agricultural science teachers in Texas in terms of personal and career characteristics.

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Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations by Department "Agricultural Education & Communications"