Beyond the Classroom: Secondary School Agriscience Educator Perceptions of Secondary Administration

Abstract

Agriscience education teachers are supported in their duties as teachers by secondary school administrators. Though these administrators are often seen as the direct supervisors of agriscience education teachers, little research has been done to investigate the support that agriscience educators receive from administration. This study captures the perceptions of agriscience education teachers toward their administrators. Secondary agriscience educators from the state of Alabama served as the population (N=318) and sample (n=10) for this study. A qualitative study was conducted in which secondary school agriscience teachers stated their perceptions of what constituted a supportive administration as both an in-classroom teacher and less formal teaching environments (FFA, SAE, Livestock Shows, etc.). A constant comparative method yielded themes which supported that positive perceptions of administrative support of the teacher leads to career longevity.