Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Research exists to demonstrate the benefits of FFA membership and the three-circle model of agriculture education. FFA membership had shown minimal growth in the 20 years following the rebranding. The innovative approach of affiliation membership has ushered in a steady growth of FFA membership, but not all chapters are participating in affiliation. FFA membership is provided to every student who is enrolled in agriculture education classes with affiliation, and the dues collection process is eliminated. This study investigated the view of affiliation membership in Kentucky High School Agriculture Education programs by researching the enrollment, involvement, and educational outcomes of affiliated programs. Interviews were conducted with eleven agriculture educators in Kentucky to identify themes among their perceptions of affiliation membership. Findings included minimal to no impact on agriculture course enrollment, but a theme developed indicating that once students were affiliated with FFA, they became involved which in turn impacted the chapter’s involvement levels in both CDE/LDE and non-competitive events. Additionally, there was a theme that indicated no definitive change to instructional practices or learning outcomes, but a noticeable change in daily instruction with the removal of explanations, dues collection, and the barrier for students who were not members being able to be involved. These findings suggest further study is needed to determine if affiliation membership is found to be beneficial by all programs. This impact could vary among larger and smaller programs as well as programs that are unable to manage more students involved with a limited number of agriculture educators.

Year manuscript completed

2023

Year degree awarded

2023

Author's Keywords

Agricultural Education, FFA, Affiliation Membership

Dissertation Committee Chair

Kristie B Guffey

Thesis Advisor

Kristie B Guffey

Committee Chair

Kristie B Guffey

Committee Member

Teresa B Clark

Committee Member

Alyx Shultz

Document Type

Dissertation

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