Building the House: Agricultural Educators’ Perceptions of Planning and Managing Agricultural Education Facilities

Facilities are a critical component of an agricultural education program. Yet, there has been limited research done on agricultural educators’ perceptions of facilities, especially since the facilities and resources of every agricultural education program can be highly variable. The purpose of this study was to understand the participants’ perceptions of agricultural education facilities for both secondary and post-secondary agricultural education. A series of individual interviews were conducted among a group of certified agricultural education teachers at both the secondary and post-secondary level in Minnesota. The findings revealed: 1) the importance for support from key partners, such as advisory boards and community businesses, 2) the need for additional training for both in-service and pre-service teachers to better understand how to effectively plan and utilize facilities, and 3) the need for facility upgrades and maintenance to ensure student safety and preparation for the agriculture, food, and natural resource workforce. Additional research is recommended to better understand participants’ perceptions of facilities in both secondary and post-secondary teacher preparation programs, which can lead to additional professional development or the creation of helpful resource guides to inform educators or administrators about agricultural education facility design and management.