A Phenomenological Study of Lubbock Independent School District's Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching with the Agricultural Education Sciences Approach
Agricultural Education, Texas Tech University
How they used Delve
A master's student in Agricultural Education at Texas Tech University coded semi-structured interviews with six Lubbock ISD elementary teachers in Delve, identifying codes and themes and pulling supporting quotes for a hermeneutic-phenomenological study of how teachers bring agricultural science into the elementary curriculum.
“Once the individual interviews are completed, the collected data will be analyzed using the software Delve coding analysis. This involves identifying codes and themes within the responses provided by the teachers. [...] The data analysis for this study will involve utilizing coding and theme analysis, the Delve software will help find the right quotes to support these.”
- Field
- agricultural education; Agri-STEM; teacher perceptions
- Data
- Semi-structured interviews with Lubbock ISD teachers in two studies: 7 high-school agricultural science teachers (Article 1) and 6 elementary teachers implementing agricultural science via a school garden (Article 2, the Delve-coded study)
- Approach
- Hermeneutic phenomenology (Lindseth & Norberg; Laverty); thematic analysis through open coding, theme selection and focused coding with integrative and reflexive memos (Emerson et al., 2011)
- Data types
- Interviews
Abstract
This phenomenological study explores the experiences of agricultural science teachers within Lubbock Independent School District’s Agri-STEM program. Through semi-structured interviews with seven teachers, key themes emerged, highlighting the collaborative nature of the program and its integration of academic and practical skills across disciplines. Teachers viewed the Agri-STEM approach as a valuable tool for enhancing students’ academic performance and personal growth, with a particular focus on critical thinking, leadership development, and career readiness. However, the study also identified challenges, including limited administrative support and resource constraints, which impact program delivery. These findings accentuate the importance of robust partnerships, resource allocation, and ongoing professional development to improve the efficacy of agricultural science education within the STEM framework.
Citation
Noily Alpizar Moraga (2024). A Phenomenological Study of Lubbock Independent School District's Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching with the Agricultural Education Sciences Approach. Texas Tech University Repository.