Students' Perceptions of an Agricultural Communication Lesson and an Experiential Learning Activity in Secondary Agricultural Education Classrooms

Agricultural communications (ACOM) curriculum is important to prepare students for diverse, agriculturally-related careers. Due to lack of secondary ACOM curriculum, postsecondary initiatives have focused on instructional material development. This descriptive study examined secondary agriculture education students' perceptions of ACOM curriculum. Researchers' sought to determine how students received a writing lesson taught through traditional classroom delivery with an experiential activity. Students (N = 630) from nine agricultural science programs in Arkansas completed a four-part instrument at the conclusion of the lesson. Based on the findings of this sample, the majority (52.7%) of students enrolled in agricultural science courses were unfamiliar with ACOM. The majority (67%) of students enjoyed the writing lesson and would not change anything about the delivery or activity. For future instructional delivery, participants preferred to learn via hands-on (75.9%), group (64.1%), or project (42.1%) activities. Most students were not aware of the opportunities for careers associated with ACOM (52.7%), but were most interested in learning more about design (40.8%), multimedia (31%), writing (21.3%) and careers (18.3%). Students enrolled in agricultural science courses enjoyed experiential learning activities when used to complement traditional teaching delivery. Although, ACOM curriculum is not in place in Arkansas high schools, 42.1% of students were excited and interested in learning about the various aspects of this growing field.