Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1961

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Education

Abstract

The aim of vocational agriculture is to train both present and prospective farmers for proficiency in farming. Instruction should be provided for high school students, out-of-school youth, and adults. The bases for instruction include the needs of the community and the farming programs of the individuals enrolled in the vocational agriculture classes in the high school of that community. Skills and abilities in planning, operation, appraisal, use of approved practices, and record analysis are developed by means of instruction in the classroom, in the farm mechanics shop, and on the enrollees’ home farms. The rooms and the equipment for a program of vocational agriculture differ considerably from those needed in other phases of secondary education. A successful program of instruction in vocational agriculture depends, to a large extent, on the physical facilities and the equipment available for instruction as well as on the capabilities of the instructor. The area of the classroom and the shop in relation to the number of students in each class has a direct influence on the quality of instruction. Crowded conditions in vocational agriculture facilities add to the disciplinary problems, minimize the number and size of shop projects, and lower the students’ quality of work. The lack of proper equipment makes it difficult, if not impossible, to carry on a successful program of farm mechanics. Students in vocational agriculture learn by doing; this cannot be accomplished without adequate facilities and equipment. The capabilities of the instructor have a direct bearing on the type and scope of instructional program that is in operation. This thesis attempts to investigate the physical facilities of the vocational agriculture departments in South Dakota. What size are the classes in the average vocational agriculture departments in South Dakota? How many square feet of floor space are there in the average classroom, shop and other facilities used for instructional purposes in vocational agriculture? Does the number of square feet of floor space per student in the largest class fulfill the minimum requirements recommended by authorities in the field of vocational education? What tools are located in the vocational agriculture departments in South Dakota? The foregoing questions prompted the writer to conduct a study of vocational agriculture departments in South Dakota aimed at the following purposes: (1) To determine the number of students in all vocational agriculture classes. (2) To ascertain the number of square feet of floor space in each component part of the vocational agriculture departments. (3) To determine the number of square feet of floor space per student in the largest class to use the classroom and shop for each department. (4) To calculate the mean or arithmetic average number of square feet of floor space per student in the largest class to use the classroom and shop in the vocational agriculture departments in South Dakota. (5) To ascertain the number and kind of tools and equipment that is contained in each department.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Agriculture -- Study and teaching
Agriculture -- South Dakota
Vocational education -- South Dakota

Description

Includes bibliographical references

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

66

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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