Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Advancements in Agricultural Development
Author ORCID Identifier
Rose Judd-Murray https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2045-1015
Brian K. Warnick https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8608-1897
Daniel C. Coster https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4801-5637
Max L. Longhurst https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3227-800X
Volume
5
Issue
3
Publisher
Advancements in Agricultural Development Inc.
Publication Date
6-18-2024
Journal Article Version
Version of Record
First Page
91
Last Page
104
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
The National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) are knowledge benchmarks for school-aged youth and are used to improve agricultural literacy (National Agriculture in the Classroom, 2014; National Center for Agricultural Literacy, 2017). Despite educational efforts, prior research indicated that high school populations remained at low or deficient literacy levels. Additionally, no agricultural literacy assessment instruments using the NALOs as a standardization benchmark have been developed for the 9-12th grades. The purpose of the study was to validate a summative NALO-centered assessment that could provide baseline data on agricultural literacy following the completion of secondary education (12th grade). The study followed the framework established by Longhurst et al. (2020) for similar assessments in elementary grades. A Delphi team produced 45 items for validation that were reviewed using a convenience sample of Utah State University undergraduate students. Those items were evaluated using factor, item, and discriminant analysis. Results finalized two 15-item assessments and determined both had acceptable reliability, were adequate for model fit, and were valid for the NALOs and the three proficiency levels. The instruments are critical tools for providing a standardized approach to evaluation efforts. Researchers and educators should use these instruments to provide comparable agricultural literacy data across populations to better identify trends, program needs, and meaningful inferences.
Recommended Citation
Judd-Murray, R., Warnick, B. K., Coster, D. C., & Longhurst, M. L. (2024). Development and validation of a high school agricultural literacy assessment. Advancements in Agricultural Development, 5(3), 91-104. https://doi.org/10.37433/aad.v5i3.407
