Overcoming Gender Bias With Self-Efficacy: A Case Study Of Women Agricultural Education Teachers And Preservice Students

Abstract

Women have been traditionally underrepresented in secondary agricultural education as teachers and students. Using critical theory as the lens for interpreting findings, this case study sought to explore female teachers' and preservice students' experiences in secondary agricultural education to better understand their perceptions of barriers to entry into the profession. Two-thirds of the women reported that they experienced gender bias from school administrators, community members, and peers; however, they exhibited a high degree of self-efficacy for teaching agricultural education that allowed them to persist in spite of any barriers. However, all discriminatory experiences are more likely to discourage women in preservice education from entering the profession. It is recommended that agricultural teacher educators prepare female preservice students with the knowledge and skills necessary to face and overcome gender bias in a variety of formal and informal educational contexts, especially job-seeking interviews, to increase their chances of career entry into secondary agricultural education in this state.