Examining Barriers to Implementing Web-Based Technologies in Texas Secondary Agricultural Education Classrooms: A Modified Delphi Study

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the perceived barriers to implementing web-based technologies in secondary agricultural education. Constantly evolving technology necessitates frequently updated research. This study addressed a gap in the literature spanning a period which included the global coronavirus pandemic. Teachers’ attitudes were examined using the Teachers' Attitudes Toward Information Technology (TAT v. 2.0), and perceived barriers that may hinder the implementation and use of web-based technologies in agricultural education classrooms were identified using a modified Delphi method. The motivation behind this exploration and the in-depth description yielded by this study was to provide information for future research and to ultimately eliminate any barriers to using web-based technologies in secondary agricultural classrooms. This study sampled agricultural science teachers in Texas serving on the Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas (ATAT) Board of Directors the spring semester of the 2021-2022 school year. Thirteen ATAT board members made up the panel of experts and identified five main barriers to implementing web-based technologies in secondary agricultural education, three of which were unique to this study. Teachers participated in three rounds of data collection which resulted in consensus of agreement on 10 items. Descriptive statistics were used to quantitatively analyze the data. The findings of this study ultimately revealed secondary agricultural science teachers have a favorable attitude toward the use of the World Wide Web in their teaching practices. Agricultural science teachers think web-based technologies are beneficial to student learning and enjoy using them. However, student use of web-based technologies for things other than learning, availability of web-based technologies, hinderance of hands-on application for students, access in rural areas, and faculty age are a cause of concern.