Developing a Competency Framework for Agricultural Science Educators' Professional Development

Thesis Abstract

The professional development of agricultural science educators is critical to enhancing the quality of agricultural education and fostering sustainable agricultural practices, yet there remains a lack of a comprehensive, context-specific competency framework to guide their development. This study endeavors to develop a validated competency framework tailored to agricultural science educators’ professional growth, aiming to bridge the gap between current training practices and the evolving demands of agricultural education in contemporary contexts. The specific objectives include identifying core competencies required for effective agricultural science teaching, exploring the factors influencing professional development among educators, and devising a structured framework that integrates these competencies into practical development programs. Employing a sequential exploratory mixed-methods research design, the study initially conducts a qualitative phase involving semi-structured interviews with 30 experienced agricultural science educators from diverse educational institutions to generate an initial competency model. The thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s methodology, is used to analyze interview data, identifying recurrent themes and competencies. Subsequently, a quantitative phase involves a survey administered to a stratified random sample of 300 agricultural science educators across the country, aiming to validate the identified competencies. The survey instrument, developed based on qualitative findings and existing literature, undergoes pilot testing for validity and reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.85 ensuring internal consistency. Data from the survey are analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, hierarchical regression, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to ascertain the relevance, structure, and influence of various competencies and factors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to confirm the fit of the proposed competency framework. The anticipated findings reveal a set of core competencies encompassing pedagogical skills, technological proficiency, mastery of agricultural content, assessment and feedback skills, communication, leadership, and innovation capabilities. The study also identifies influential factors such as institutional support, access to professional development resources, and ongoing mentoring that impact competency development. Results are expected to demonstrate that a structured competency framework significantly correlates with educators’ perceived effectiveness and motivation, thereby providing empirical evidence for policy development and curriculum design in agricultural education. This research contributes substantially to knowledge by offering a context-specific, empirically validated competency framework that serves as a tool for designing targeted professional development programs and informing policy on agricultural science education. It advances conceptual understanding by integrating existing theories such as Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Dreyfus and Dreyfus’ Skill Acquisition Model into the framework development, ensuring theoretical robustness. Moreover, it provides a practical model that can be adopted and adapted within different educational contexts to promote continuous professional growth. The main conclusions underscore the importance of a structured competency approach in elevating agricultural education quality and sustainability. Based on the findings, the study recommends establishing national standards for agricultural science educator competencies, embedding the developed framework in teacher training curricula, and fostering institutional support mechanisms to facilitate ongoing professional development. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term impact of competency-based professional development programs and explore similar frameworks in related disciplines. Overall, this study offers a significant step towards systematic improvement of agricultural science education through competency-based professional development.