Moderator: Bonnie Walters

An Assessment of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Internship Program (12:15-12:30pm)
Lisa McCormick
Virginia Polytechnic and State University

In 2019, the Virginia Cooperative Extension conducted an assessment of the internship program to gain insight from the perspectives of participants and supervisors in order to identify ways to improve the internship program. Data was collected through a survey of interns, and focus groups with internship supervisors. The survey of interns determined why they participated in the program, needed resources , and information about internship projects. The interns generally chose internships based on proximity to home and specific subject areas. The interns expressed a need for more communication in regards to the interview process. An identified concern by the interns was the long period of time required to learn about hiring decisions. All interns reported that they planned and delivered an educational program as part of their internship experience. Program leadership was effective in supporting the internship by providing resources that helped guide the internship experience. Identified strengths of the internship program were university affiliation, the perceived value of the student experience, state funding support, and community acknowledgement. Identified weaknesses were scheduling interview times, students obtaining university credentials, and recruitment of interns. Opportunities were found such as providing overtime so students could experience time-intensive experiences such as 4-H camp, having orientation , reducing burden on localities by providing state-level travel funding, providing additional resources to support the intern and supervisor, and increasing program advertising. Program threats were found to be unsuitable applicants, lack of professionalism in interns loss of state funding support. Recommendations include having a state-wide orientation, keeping cost share funds with the addition of travel funding, creating additional intern and supervisor resources, and broadening advertising and recruitment. 

Impact of Teacher Self-Efficacy on Elementary Agriculture Curriculum (12:30-12:45pm)
Elizabeth Simmermeyer
Purdue University

Teachers may be hesitant to implement STEM-based agriculture programs due to their perceived low self-efficacy in the subject area. More deliberate professional development resources for educators can be refined by understanding how their beliefs impact students' learning and interest. The objective of this study is to determine how teachers' previous knowledge and self-efficacy in agriculture impacts student interest in the turkey industry. The primary goal of the program was to create awareness of the turkey industry through STEM-based online curriculum. Four hundred seventy-two students enrolled in the POULT program across 23 Indiana classrooms (17 teachers) in the fall of 2021. Students completed the program (online modules, interactive notebook, and class project) over 6 consecutive school days. Student situational interest was measured two times throughout the program. Teacher self-efficacy, previous agricultural experience, and knowledge of turkey industry were assessed at the start of the program (70.6% response rate). All questionnaires were self-report scales administered online. At the start of the program, 21.4% of teachers had poultry experience and 28.6% had knowledge about turkey production prior to program implementation. Teachers reported low self-efficacy in poultry content knowledge, but high self-efficacy in engagement. Their agriculture and turkey knowledge positively increased their self-efficacy to motivate students to learn about turkey production. Additionally, teachers' instructional self-efficacy impacted students' situational interest. In conclusion, teachers' prior agriculture experience impacts their self-efficacy in teaching, which impacted students' interests in the turkey industry. In order to increase student interest in agriculture topics, effective professional development programs can be created to provide teachers the resources and self-efficacy they need to teach students effectively.

Creating Awareness of the Turkey Industry Through an Online STEM-Based Curriculum (12:45-1:00pm)
Elizabeth Simmermeyer
Purdue University
 

Elementary students have minimal exposure and understanding of the farm to fork process, as there is limited availability of agriculture curriculum for teachers to implement in the classroom. However, exposure to this curriculum is critical to increasing agricultural literacy and awareness of where food comes from. The objective of this study is to investigate student interest, awareness, and literacy gains after completing an online STEM-based turkey curriculum. In Fall 2021, the POULT program was implemented in twenty-three 4th and 5th grade classrooms across Indiana with a total of 472 student enrolled and a 53.8% response rate. Students completed the program over 6 consecutive school days - which consisted of 5 online modules, an interactive notebook and concluded with a class project. Prior to its start, demographic information and individual interest was surveyed, as well as content knowledge assessed via a 15 question quiz. Student situational interest was measured two times throughout the program and content knowledge was re-assessed after completion of the last module. All surveys were administered online via self-reported scales. Results indicated that student content scores increased at the end compared with beginning scores (6.94 vs 9.70; P < 0.001). Additionally, students individual interest, prior agriculture knowledge, and agriculture experience impacted their situational interest. Situational interest subscales novelty and attention demand were both high throughout completion of the POULT Program. Students enjoyed completing the online digestion simulation game and learning about the farm to fork process of turkey production. In conclusion, online STEM-based agriculture programs can be a positive way to increase students' interest and knowledge in agriculture.