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National FFA officers are propelled into a very public position when elected to serve the organization. With an expectation to serve as leaders, officers spend the year interacting with FFA members, sponsors, legislatures, parents, teachers, and others. In order to perform in the highest capacity, they often turn to mentors to guide them through personal and professional development. Little is currently known about what makes mentorship effective for students who undergo an extensive, culminating leadership development experience. This qualitative study examined the mentoring experiences of 12 past national FFA officers over the course of four life stages, beginning the year prior to election as national officer and concluding at least two years following their year of service. Using a phenomenological approach through a lens of mentor relationship theory and leader-member exchange, a journey map was created to better understand how these individuals describe mentorship and the quality of mentorship experienced over the course of the four life stages. Findings indicated effective mentorship must have high affect and professional respect, with contribution and loyalty being less important to the relationship. Implications exist for protégés, mentors, and leadership practitioners who facilitate mentorship programs or have direct mentor-protégé relationships with college-aged students.

This study examined the motivating factors that influenced prospective graduate students' choice in pursuing an advanced degree and choosing an institution at which to study. This article articulates the qualitative piece of a larger study which sought to understand these reasons and why they were important. Interviews from 15 current graduate students at two land-grant universities were coded and thematically analyzed according to phenomenological reduction procedures. Results of the study indicate that prospective graduate students highly weigh (1) funding opportunities, (2) external factors such as career advancement or higher pay, (3) personal growth and learning opportunities, and (4) perceived flexibility within their program when applying for graduate programs in areas of agricultural education, agricultural communication, extension education or agricultural leadership development. Finally, doctoral students felt the opportunity to conduct research was also an important factor, although most master's degree students disagreed. Future recommendations for research included identifying differences in motivations for students of different demographics and more deeply exploring students' understanding of possible funding opportunities and processes.

The shortage of teachers in Illinois is reflective of a recent trend where agricultural education graduates of in-state post-secondary institutions have not met the need for the number of available teaching positions. The retirement of the many teachers from the Baby Boomer generation is looming over the profession, making recruitment efforts essential (Illinois Board of Education Report, 2014). With secure funding sources of higher education dwindling, efficiency and effectiveness of recruitment efforts are critical if agricultural education is to continue to survive and thrive by facilitating a steady stream of highly qualified teacher candidates into the field. The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing high school student consideration of agricultural education as a future career. We included students in grades 9 through 12 (n = 817) from 56 different agricultural education programs. Within the overall sample, parental support and a student's report of their agriculture teacher emerged as the most powerful predictors, while noteworthy differences arose across class years. These findings possess significant implications for the timing and focus of recruitment efforts.

We examined the mentor-protégé relationship and the foundational pillars that make the relationship effective. Through a phenomenological design, we conducted interviews with student leaders to discuss their relationship with their self-identified most significant mentor. Using leader-member exchange and mentor relationship theory as a lens, we used the protégé's perspective to find what was important for them as they were developed by a mentor. We found respect, trust, direct engagement and feedback, relationship maintenance, and shared values to be important components of effective mentoring. We used inductive analysis to develop a model that illustrates the qualities and phases that mentoring relationships go through, indicating which pillars should be present at each stage. We discuss implications of this for leadermember exchange theory and mentor relationship theory, as well as implications for practice in leadership education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted many aspects of education, as well as the lives of those involved in preparing and carrying out teaching and learning amidst the ongoing pandemic. At the collegiate level, while both students and faculty alike have navigated virtual learning spaces, one specific population has experienced stress of being both a student and educator – Graduate students. This study used internet-based photo-elicitation and interview methods to investigate the experiences of graduate students serving as teaching/research assistants during the abrupt transition to virtual teaching and learning at the onset of COVID-19. Study results weave together participant provided images with personal interviews. Data showed graduate students had minimal resources, mental health effects, and that humorous memes served as coping tools. Recommendations include increased resources, flexibility, and understanding of graduate student experiences must be centralized in higher education to benefit graduate students’ wellness through and beyond the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graduate students hold several roles and responsibilities (i.e., learner, employee, teaching assistant, researcher, caregiver, etc.). Due to COVID-19, and the abrupt transition to virtual workplaces and learning environments during the spring 2020 semester, many graduate students encountered complex experiences and the blending of roles and responsibilities. This qualitative study included interviews with 22 graduate students about their experiences during the COVID-19 online transition at a land grant university. The four emergent themes included: (a) graduate students' complexity of roles and experiences, (b) challenges and barriers experienced, (c) support structures available to graduate students, and (d) lessons learned and implications for the future. Recommendations for practice included creating opportunities for peer-connections and collaboration within virtual learning and work environments and professional development for course instructors in emergency remote teaching (ERT) and virtual settings. Recommendations for research included an investigation of best practices of online written interview methods, longitudinal study of graduate students as they move beyond graduate school to determine how ERT has affected their new roles, and further examination of graduate students' needs and preparedness for delivering and receiving ERT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National FFA officers are propelled into a very public position when elected to serve the organization. With an expectation to serve as leaders, officers spend the year interacting with FFA members, sponsors, legislatures, parents, teachers, and others. In order to perform in the highest capacity, they often turn to mentors to guide them through personal and professional development. Little is currently known about what makes mentorship effective for students who undergo an extensive, culminating leadership development experience. This qualitative study examined the mentoring experiences of 12 past national FFA officers over the course of four life stages, beginning the year prior to election as national officer and concluding at least two years following their year of service. Using a phenomenological approach through a lens of mentor relationship theory and leader-member exchange, a journey map was created to better understand how these individuals describe mentorship and the quality of mentorship experienced over the course of the four life stages. Findings indicated effective mentorship must have high affect and professional respect, with contribution and loyalty being less important to the relationship. Implications exist for protégés, mentors, and leadership practitioners who facilitate mentorship programs or have direct mentor-protégé relationships with college-aged students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the motivating factors that influenced prospective graduate students' choice in pursuing an advanced degree and choosing an institution at which to study. This article articulates the qualitative piece of a larger study which sought to understand these reasons and why they were important. Interviews from 15 current graduate students at two land-grant universities were coded and thematically analyzed according to phenomenological reduction procedures. Results of the study indicate that prospective graduate students highly weigh (1) funding opportunities, (2) external factors such as career advancement or higher pay, (3) personal growth and learning opportunities, and (4) perceived flexibility within their program when applying for graduate programs in areas of agricultural education, agricultural communication, extension education or agricultural leadership development. Finally, doctoral students felt the opportunity to conduct research was also an important factor, although most master's degree students disagreed. Future recommendations for research included identifying differences in motivations for students of different demographics and more deeply exploring students' understanding of possible funding opportunities and processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the extent to which leadership capacity gains differ between participants of a leader development session targeted towards Black men and (a) other Black men who participated in racially and gender-diverse sessions; and (b) a racially proportionate sample of other men in racially and gender-diverse sessions. We employed an anti-deficit achievement framework within this research. Findings suggested that Black men who attended an all-Black Male session made gains similar or greater than each comparison group, even considering elevated capacity levels prior to participating. This study addresses important implications for understanding how engaging with same-race, same-gendered peers in formal leadership programs can support Black men in continuing to develop leadership capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shortage of teachers in Illinois is reflective of a recent trend where agricultural education graduates of in-state post-secondary institutions have not met the need for the number of available teaching positions. The retirement of the many teachers from the Baby Boomer generation is looming over the profession, making recruitment efforts essential (Illinois Board of Education Report, 2014). With secure funding sources of higher education dwindling, efficiency and effectiveness of recruitment efforts are critical if agricultural education is to continue to survive and thrive by facilitating a steady stream of highly qualified teacher candidates into the field. The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing high school student consideration of agricultural education as a future career. We included students in grades 9 through 12 (n = 817) from 56 different agricultural education programs. Within the overall sample, parental support and a student's report of their agriculture teacher emerged as the most powerful predictors, while noteworthy differences arose across class years. These findings possess significant implications for the timing and focus of recruitment efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]