Secondary agriculture teachers' attitudes and ability regarding the application of mathematics to secondary agriculture instructional programs

The purpose of this ex post facto study was to explain variance in the mathematical problem-solving ability of agricultural education teachers. The study further sought to describe agriculture teachers' attitude toward including mathematics concepts in the curriculum and instruction of agricultural education and to describe relationships between teachers' attitude and selected variables.;The population consisted of all production agriculture teachers in Ohio (N = 281). A convenience sample of production agriculture teachers (n = 34) was studied. Teachers participating in the study were compared to representative samples of non-participants on seven background characteristics. Participants and non-participants differed significantly on only one of the background characteristics--final college GPA.;A mathematical problem-solving test and an instrument designed to measure agriculture teachers' attitude toward including mathematics concepts in the curriculum and instruction of agricultural education were developed by the researcher. Content and face validity were established by panels of experts. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the reliability of each instrument. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the mathematical problem-solving test was.85, and the coefficient for the attitude scale was.87. The researcher was present during the administration of all instruments. The alpha level was set a priori at.05.;On a five point Likert type scale, teachers' attitude scores ranged from a low of 3.67 to a high of 5.00. The average attitude score was 4.47. None of the selected variables were significantly related to teachers' attitude toward including mathematics concepts in the curriculum and instruction of agricultural education. Agriculture teachers' scores on the 15 item mathematical problem-solving test ranged from a low of 4 (27%) to a high of 15 (100%). The average mathematical problem-solving score was 9.97 (67%). Data indicated that teachers with higher mathematical problem-solving scores had more years of teaching experience, higher ACT math scores, higher final college grade point averages, and more positive attitudes toward including mathematics concepts in the curriculum and instruction of agricultural education.;The following conclusions were offered. (1) Agriculture teachers had positive to strongly positive attitudes toward including mathematics concepts in the curriculum and instruction of agricultural education. (2) Agriculture teachers were not proficient in solving mathematical word problems written in an agricultural context.