Student perceived self-efficacy as it relates to the case agricultural science-animal curriculum

With the topic of student-achievement taking the forefront in current education debates, it is vital for agricultural education teachers to discover innovative methods and techniques of connecting agricultural science courses to the core curriculum. The field of science presents ample opportunity to do so. According to Warnick, Thompson, and Gummer (2004), a number of studies have indicated that the integration of agricultural science with traditional science curriculum increased the value of learning opportunities. Curriculum for Agriculture Science Education (CASE) was developed to meet such curriculum needs by aiming “to implement a national curriculum for secondary agricultural education” (CASE, 2012, p. 1). \nDue to the impact of self-efficacy upon academic achievement, the purpose of this study was to understand the impact of the CASE Agricultural Science-Animal curriculum upon the self-efficacy of Advanced Animal Science students. Data was collected twice throughout the academic year. Students possessed elevated levels of efficacy, level 6 or higher, related to 13 of the questionnaire items for the first round of data collection and 15 for the second. Such findings should assist teachers in determining appropriate learning opportunities for students in regard to those areas of low efficacy in order to aid in overall academic achievement.