Organization Briefs Educator Needs Assessment

FFA Advisor and Agriculture Educator Needs Assessment Survey: 2023 Findings

Study Year: 2023

In spring 2023, the National FFA Organization distributed an online survey to all 14,158 FFA advisors in the national membership roster. The survey received 2,480 partial or complete responses, yielding an 18% overall response rate.

Key Points

  • Top areas of need for resources are developing SAE opportunities, filling out award applications, and filling out FFA grants.
  • 34% of teachers cited lack of student motivation as their biggest classroom challenge over the past two years.
  • 61% of respondents said National FFA provides enough resources to support advisors, and 81% reported positive perceptions of National FFA.
  • 89% of respondents would participate in a teacher mentorship opportunity if there were no barriers.
  • Nearly 90% of respondents' schools provide one-to-one technology in the classroom.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The National FFA Organization conducts a biannual survey of agriculture educators/FFA advisors. The purpose of the survey is to obtain a national representation of educators to participate and provide insight into what National FFA resources teachers are using in their classrooms and local chapters as well as what future resources they need. This document shares findings directly from agriculture teachers from 2023.

In spring 2023, the National FFA Organization distributed an online survey to all 14,158 FFA advisors in the national membership roster. The survey received 2,480 (partial or complete) responses, yielding an 18% overall response rate.

2023 Advisor Needs Assessment Findings

Top Three Areas of Need for Resources Identified by Agriculture Educators

  • Developing SAE opportunities for students (N=1,332)
  • Filling out award applications (N=1,167)
  • Filling out FFA grants (N=1,119)

Top Five Pathway Educational Resources Requested by Agriculture Educators

  1. Animal Systems
  2. Plant Systems
  3. Agriculture Technology
  4. Power, Structural and Technical Systems
  5. Agribusiness

FFA Advisors’ Greatest Challenges and Barriers

Respondents were asked what their biggest challenge has been trying to navigate their classrooms within the last two years.

  • Thirty-four percent of teachers (N=2,002) selected lack of student motivation as their biggest challenge within the last two years.
  • Sixteen percent (N=954) indicated a lack of support from students’ parents/guardians, and 12% (N=710) said a lack of teacher morale.
  • Eleven percent reported a lack of resources in the classroom (N=622) and lack of support from administration (N=617).
  • Four percent selected adjusting to teaching online (N=257) and lack of technological resources (e.g., Wi-Fi, broadband) (N=227).
  • Three percent (N=202) reported a lack of in-person interaction with students.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said National FFA provides enough resources to support advisors.

Technology in the Classroom

  • Almost 90% (N=2,004) of respondents indicated their school provides one-to-one technology, while 11% (N=239) did not.
  • Of respondents who noted their schools do not provide one-to-one technology, 45% (N=107) use a computer lab, while 55% (N=132) do not.

Professional Development Needs

  • The top five professional development topic areas chosen by advisors were SAE for All, implementation of FFA as intracurricular, cross-curricular projects, game-based learning and self-care for teachers.
  • Over half (60%) of respondents indicated they strongly or somewhat agree that they “have access to a variety of valuable professional development opportunities,” while nearly one in four respondents (22%) strongly or somewhat disagreed.
  • The highest percentage of respondents felt availability (scheduling) had a great deal of influence on their decision to participate in professional development opportunities, followed by 64% who indicated the content of the professional development.
  • Eighty-nine percent of respondents indicated they would participate in a teacher mentorship opportunity if there were no barriers.

Perceptions of National FFA

  • 81% of respondents said they have positive perceptions based on their interactions with FFA.
  • 13% have neither positive nor negative perceptions of National FFA.
  • 6% of respondents reported they have negative perceptions of National FFA based on their interactions.

National FFA Listens to Your Feedback!

Since 2017, the National FFA Organization has solicited feedback from FFA advisors nationwide. Consistency in data points and survey questions allows for comparison across years and allows the organization to identify trends and inform decisions.

Consistent feedback from FFA advisors through this biannual survey directly guided the following efforts from National FFA:

  • Providing high-quality resources in varied formats (ex., Word/PDF/Google, etc.)
  • Offering a larger variety of resources in specific AFNR pathways
  • Just for Owls monthly emails

We can happily answer any questions regarding our free resources for agriculture educators. For more information, please email education@ffa.org.

Footnotes