An assessment of student agricultural literacy knowledge based on the food and fiber systems literacy framework

Abstract

Over 11 years ago, agricultural literacy was nationally recognized as a need for every K –12 student (NRC, 1988), but in an already overloaded curriculum an appropriate and un-intrusive method of incorporation was needed. The Food and Fiber Systems Literacy (FFSL) Framework was designed to make connections to agricultural concepts through existing curricula. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to assess change in student knowledge after infusing the FFSL Framework in core academic subjects (Igo, Leising, and Frick, 1999; see also Igo & Leising, 1999). The treatment group was composed of 2 kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade schools in Montana and Oklahoma. A school in Nebraska was used as the control. Pretest and posttest mean score comparisons by grade groupings and the 5 thematic areas in the FFSL Framework resulted in significant knowledge gains in 3 of the grade groupings for the treatment group. No significant gains came from the control group. Three thematic areas yielded the most statistically significant knowledge gains in the treatment group: Understanding Agriculture; History, Culture, and Geography; and Science and Environment. The study concluded that the FFSL Framework can be used effectively to infuse instruction about agriculture in the schools studied.