Abstract:
Forty-eight students currently enrolled at North Central Texas College were asked about factors
influencing their decision to enroll in summer school agriculture courses. Identifying significant factors
may help educators improve the scheduling and feasibility of summer school courses for both their
institutions and students. This study investigated students' levels of interest in agriculture courses
during summer school, preferred subject area(s), and delivery format. The results showed that common
factors influencing students' choices to attend summer school have changed very little over the past
few decades. This study also found that a large percentage of students who had never enrolled in
summer school courses were interested in such courses to satisfy one of three current educational
goals: associate's degree, core curriculum basics for university transfer, or technical certificate.
Additional analyses revealed that many students who were not interested in agriculture summer courses
had never enrolled in any non-agriculture summer school courses. Students indicated animal science
and equine science as the most preferred subject areas and Monday through Thursday for five consecutive
weeks as the most preferred delivery format. Community college educators and administrators
should continue investigating students' preferences for summer school agriculture courses and use the
findings from this study to evaluate their current course offerings for summer school.
Keywords:
summer school agricultural courses, student preferences
 Keith_December 2010 NACTA Journal-8.pdf | [ ] | 108 kB |
