Agricultural Safety and Health Education Analysis of Texas' First Year Agriculture Teachers

Abstract

First year agriculture education teachers in Texas were surveyed during the 1998-1999 school year. The number of first year teachers surveyed was 118 and 74 (63%) participated. Of the 74 respondents, 57 were males and 17 were females with the mean age being 27.3 years. Fifty-seven percent of the teachers taught safety and health as separate independent units of instruction while the most common type of technology used was TV/VCRs and overhead projectors. It was determined that the most useful formats for new educational materials were videotapes with study guides. Over half of the teachers (51.4%) had received CPR training and 52.8% had received first-aid training. Only 22.2% held current CPR certifications while 21.1% had current first-aid certifications. Generally, teachers have a solid understanding of safety and health issues but fail to "practice what they preach."

This study recommends that teacher education programs place a much higher emphasis on safety and health issues during teacher preparation. Furthermore, professional development workshops and seminars need to be implemented to help teachers develop necessary skills and educational materials that are easily useable in modern classrooms. A compilation of easy-to-use, interactive agricultural education safety education media materials needs to be developed and disseminated.