PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONALS IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION REGARDING THE AGRICULTURE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN SWAZILAND (EVALUATION, ADEQUACY)

The purpose of the study was to describe professionals in agricultural education and determine their perceptions regarding the agriculture teacher education programs in Swaziland. The target population included 128 professionals in agricultural education consisting of 11 teacher educators, nine state supervisors (inspectors) and 108 teachers. The study was a census. Descriptive correlational research employing a questionnaire was used. Content validity was established using a panel of experts. Cronbach's alpha was used to establish the reliability of the instrument, which ranged from .76 to .95. Frame, selection, measurement, and non-response errors were controlled.;Descriptive statistics were used to organize and summarize the data. Analysis of variance was performed to compare groups on selected variables. Correlational techniques (Pearson product moment, point biserial, and Spearman rank-order correlations) were used to describe the direction and magnitude of relationships.;Results revealed that the majority of professionals in agricultural education were teachers in secondary schools, were males, were relatively young, were working in rural areas, held the associate degree, had low levels of experience in their work, received their training in Swaziland, and had not studied agriculture while in secondary school.;Professionals in agricultural education perceived the agriculture teacher education programs to be credible in terms of admissions standards, qualification of faculty, technical and professional courses taught, but doing less than adequately in the areas of student teaching, conduct of inservice courses for agriculture teachers, coordination and linkage with other institutions, general courses taught, and skill training.;Findings and conclusions were based on a data sample of 116 professionals in agricultural education (90% response rate). The population was assumed to be a sample of Swaziland professionals in agricultural education at a point in time, thus, permitting the use of inferential statistics.;Level of education slightly influenced the way professionals in agricultural education viewed the agriculture teacher education programs, whereas gender, work experience, age, type of profession, place of training, and place of work had no major influence.