Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Sydney Brown

Abstract

This study is a mixed-methods program evaluation of an agricultural literacy innovation in a local school district in rural eastern North Carolina.

This evaluation describes the use of a theory-based framework, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), in accordance with Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model by evaluating the implementation and use of Dig into learning: An agricultural Literacy Innovation. This study evaluated teacher perceptions and use of agriculture as a context for teaching and learning in Grades K-5 by utilizing Stages of Concern (SoC) and Levels of Use (LoU) components of CBAM in relation to the CIPP model for program evaluations.

The following research questions were the basis for this study: (1) What needs for professional learning are expressed by elementary teachers with regard to agricultural literacy curriculum integration; (2) How is professional learning developed and implemented based on elementary teachers’ expressed needs with regard to agricultural literacy curriculum integration; (3) What are elementary teacher perceptions of the impact of professional learning of agricultural literacy curriculum integration; and (4) What are elementary teacher perceptions of the impact of initial implementation of agricultural literacy curriculum integration?

The findings of this study are significant because they align with previous research on agricultural literacy and evaluation methods of both CBAM and the CIPP model. This study provided the framework in which change facilitators can support teacher participants and encourage them to utilize agriculture as a context for teaching and learning to contextualize STEM education.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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