A descriptive study of agriculture teachers' awareness of biotechnology and the future of biotechnology education in Illinois.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to analyze agriculture teachers' awareness of biotechnology and the future of biotechnology education in Illinois. The objectives of the survey were to analyze the awareness level of biotechnology, benefits, barriers, and the future of biotechnology education in Illinois and the demographic characteristics of Illinois agricultural education teachers surveyed in this study. The population for this study consisted of Illinois Agricultural Educators in secondary schools.; When asked general statements regarding biotechnology, the majority of teachers answered 73% of the questions correctly. The research also revealed that the teachers were uncertain of the benefits of biotechnology, barriers to biotechnology and the future of biotechnology education in Illinois. Generally, Illinois agricultural education teachers were 44 year old Caucasian males with master's degrees. On average, the teachers had about 17 years of teaching experience. However, the respondents stated that they had no experience with biotechnology. Some respondents (n=13) did have practice with biotechnology, besides teaching. These respondents accounted for 6.38 years of biotechnology related experience. Recommendations from this study include incorporation of more biotechnology related curricula into the Illinois State Learning Standards, in-service training for teachers, and partnering between educational institutions and private industry to improve awareness of biotechnology.; Key words: Biotechnology, Education, Illinois, Teachers, Awareness, Perceptions, Future of biotechnology education