| The primary purpose of this study was to ascertain the change in the level of job satisfaction over time of certified teachers of secondary agricultural education in Missouri who began teaching agriculture full-time in the fall of 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, or 1999. Secondary purposes were to ascertain if differences existed among those who remained teaching in the same school district, those who moved school districts but continued to teach secondary agriculture full-time, and those who left the profession. The accessible sample consisted of 123 current and former teachers, of which there were 32 leavers, 50 movers, and 41 stayers.;Teachers in the three subgroups were found to be very comparable in their level of job satisfaction during the first year teaching experience and their current employment positions. A repeated measures test revealed a significant increase in levels of job satisfaction for all respondents.;Chi-square tests for independence revealed no significant relationship between personal variables (marital status, first year teaching position distance from hometown, current employment position distance from hometown, current employment position distance from spouses' hometown, gender, highest FFA degree received, prior agricultural work experience, and initial commitment) and teachers' decision to remain in one location, change teaching locations, or leaving the profession. Multiple analyses of variance revealed significant differences among the three subgroups of teachers with regard to their level of like or dislike for various job responsibilities of an agriculture teacher. Leavers reported the lowest scores for “agricultural mechanics laboratory instruction” and “dealing with administrators,” while movers rated these two responsibilities highest.;Multiple analyses of variance revealed significant differences between genders with regard to the like or dislike for various job responsibilities. Females reported lower scores than males for “agricultural mechanics laboratory instruction” and “SAE visitations.” Males reported lower scores for “planning lessons/learning activities” and “keeping student records/grades.”;Open-ended responses indicated that nearly half of the leavers were employed in some facet of agricultural business or production. Reasons stated for leaving the profession included lack of administrative support, spousal job relocation, raising children, family health issues, and other career goals. Most leavers (81%) left the profession with fewer than three years experience. The most frequent reason for changing teaching locations was moving closer to home and moving to a “better” program. Reasons why movers and stayers remain in the profession include “I enjoy working with students and making a difference.” Respondents indicated a high school agriculture teacher (71%) had the most influence on their decision to originally enter the profession, followed by a college professor (17%). |
