ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence high school agriculture teachers’ motivations to teach, personal and professional needs that influence high school agriculture teachers’ intentions to continue teaching, and career satisfaction of high school agriculture teachers. This was a descriptive census survey study of all high school agriculture teachers in Iowa. The study addressed three objectives: 1) Describe the factors that motivate high school agriculture teachers to teach; 2) Describe the personal and professional needs that influence high school agriculture teachers’ intentions to continue teaching; and 3) Evaluate the career satisfaction of high school agriculture teachers.

The online validated questionnaire was sent to teachers in Iowa (N = 252) via Qualtrics. Completed questionnaires were received from 119 participants. A four-point Likert-type scale with response options ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree was used to measure teachers’ motivation factors, personal and professional needs to continue teaching, and career satisfaction for teachers to stay in teaching.

Findings indicated intrinsic and extrinsic factors most likely influenced agriculture teachers’ motivation to teach. Results from maximum likelihood factor analysis found only two factors underlying agriculture teachers’ motivations to teach, which are intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. Findings from this study support the Self-Determination Theory.

Furthermore, the findings revealed that personal and professional needs variables slightly influenced teachers’ intentions to continue teaching. Multinomial stepwise logistic regression was used to predict teachers’ plans to stay in teaching from personal and professional needs variables, which showed the model was statistically significant (χ2 = 39.97; p = 0.01). Two variables: feeling good of oneself and identifying teaching as a right career significantly predict teachers who planned to stay more than 11 years.

In addition, multinomial stepwise logistic regression was used to predict teachers’ plans to stay in teaching from career satisfaction variables in teaching and demographic characteristics, which showed that the model was statistically significant (χ2 =27.51; p < 0.00). Looking forward to continue teaching and years of teaching experience were significant predictors of teachers’ plan to stay in teaching more than 11 years. Further analysis of years of teaching experience found a substantial proportion of late-career teachers (>16 years of teaching experience) planned to teach for one to five years, whereas mid-career teachers (>6 years of teaching experience) planned to stay for 11 or more years. Substantial proportion of early-career teachers planned to teach 11 or more years. Findings from the study supported the Chapman model, Grissmer & Kirby’s theory, and were consistent with previous studies.