Identifying values among stakeholders in Colorado school-based agricultural education

Abstract

To better understand the relationships between shared community values and experiences in School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE), a mixed-methods study was conducted on the core values of SBAE in Colorado identified by three stakeholder groups. To inform programmatic decisions from the state's Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Program and Colorado Team Ag Ed, this study highlights both the philosophical and practical applications of core values respective to SBAE stakeholder engagement in Colorado. Qualitative survey instruments were used across three sample groups to question community stakeholders, high school agriculture instructors, and state agricultural education leadership. Findings represent the values that stakeholders hold as most important in SBAE and the aligned activities that demonstrate these values. Arranged in three parts, this paper identifies values in relation to 1) stakeholder identification, 2) cooperative decision-making, and 3) educational motivation and autonomy. A pragmatic approach to implications throughout each part seeks to deliver an easily applicable strategy for stakeholder engagement—both for readers and the author. A discussion on the relationships between values, motivation, and other educational and organizational theories is included. While results and suggestions from this study are specific to Colorado's SBAE programs, they could serve as frameworks for informing further agricultural education research and SBAE methods in other states.