J. Bunch

The integration of science and agriculture has been discussed since the inception of agricultural education. However, the standards-based focus in public secondary education and changing climate of agriculture has brought science integration back to the forefront. Though research has indicated that the integration of science into agricultural education is effective in improving student achievement in science, there are still challenges. The instrumental case study sought to understand how Mr. Lee effectively integrated science into a traditional program while maintaining the benefits and purpose of agricultural education. Six issues, deduced from literature related to the integration of science in agricultural education, were identified. Six themes emerged that elucidate the process of successful science integration. First, agricultural educators’ science content knowledge must be strengthened. Second, the pedagogy of scientific inquiry lacked components necessary for a rigorous curriculum. Third, agricultural educators who desire to integrate science should dig into their curriculum for existing science content. Fourth, collaboration among agriculture and science teachers can be fostered through involvement in the science department, and fifth the agricultural educator plays a fundamental role in curriculum planning to increase secondary science achievement. Finally, actual integration occurred in a more segmented way than proposed by Robert’s and Ball’s (2009) content and context dual-model.

In today’s technological age, visions for technology integration in the classroom continue to be explored and examined. Digital game-based learning is one way to purposefully integrate technology while maintaining a focus on learning objectives. This case study sought to understand agriscience teachers’ experiences implementing digital game-based learning in an introductory animal science course. From interviews with agriscience teachers on their experiences with the game, three themes emerged: (1) the constraints of inadequate and inappropriate technologies, and time to game implementation; (2) the shift in teacher and student roles necessitated by implementing the game; and (3) the inherent competitive nature of learning through the game. Based on these findings, we recommend that pre-service and in-service professional development opportunities be developed for teachers to learn how to implement digital game-based learning effectively. Additionally, with the potential for simulations that address cross-cutting concepts in the next generation science standards, digital game-based learning should be explored in various science teaching and learning contexts.