Perceptions of Agriculture Teachers Regarding Educationabout Biomass Production in Iowa

摘要

With the growth of biorenewable energy, biomass production has become an important segmentin the agriculture industry (Iowa Energy Center, 2013). A great workforce will be needed for thisburgeoning biomass energy industry (Iowa Workforce Development, n. d.). Instructional topics inagricultural education should take the form of problems and questions faced by the agricultureindustry itself (Phipps, Osborne, Dyer, & Ball, 2008). This study sought to determine theperceptions of agriculture teachers regarding biomass production education in Iowa. Results ofthis study indicated that teachers held strongly to moderately positive perceptions towardbiomass production and teaching about biomass production. In addition, participations inworkshops related to bioenergy were found to have a positive impact on teachers’ perceptionsregarding teaching about biomass production. Teachers indicated a need for in-service trainingon teaching about biomass production education. It is recommended that institutes, extensionorganizations and corresponding professional organizations hold more workshops and trainingprograms related to biomass production education for teachers.