SBAE Induction-Year Teachers’ Self-Perceived Professional Development Needs: A Mixed Methods Study

School-based agricultural education (SBAE), like many other subject areas, suffers from a critical teacher shortage. Many states have chosen to combat this shortage by offering temporary emergency teaching certifications with minimal qualifications and no requirements for professional development. Retention is also needed to stem the flow of novice teachers exiting the profession. Induction support through professional development is a necessary component to teacher retention. The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceived professional development needs of Oklahoma SBAE induction-year teachers using mixed methodologies. Using a convergent parallel model, preexisting instruments were used to gather Oklahoma induction-year SBAE teachers’ (N = 29) sense of self-efficacy. From this population, five case study participants were selected for the qualitative phase. Interview transcripts were collected during two site visits to each case study participant. The areas of professional development needs varied widely between individuals. Personal, environmental, and behavioral factors played a part in determining the professional development needs for each SBAE induction-year teacher. Therefore, it is recommended professional development be tailored to the individual induction-year teacher. Mentoring and online resource banks have the potential to provide the necessary individualized professional development support of SBAE induction-year teachers.