Perceptions of Georgia School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers Regarding the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in the Agriculture Classroom and Supervised Agricultural Experience

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived level of importance of and competence of Georgia’s SBAE teachers when working with Students with Disabilities in the classroom and Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs). The participants in this study were high school agricultural education teachers in the state of Georgia. This study used a post-positivist, descriptive correlational research design. The data was analyzed and reported utilizing mean weight discrepancy scores (MWDS), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), frequencies, mean, standard deviation, percentages, as well as personal demographic characteristics such as years’ experience, degree completion, and gender. The resulting data can be used to determine any changes that need to made during pre-service, undergraduate courses, along with any professional development opportunities that can be provided to inservice teachers. The data illustrates that teachers identify that working with students with disabilities in the area of Individualized Education Programs and assisting them in the classroom and during Supervised Agricultural Experiences to have high importance however they perceive themselves to have lower competency levels across all constructs. The tasks associated with each construct were rated by level of perceived importance and competency in completing that task. These scores were evaluated using MWDS. By evaluating and ranking the MWDS data, recommendations were made to guide professional development and future research.