Rick D Rudd

• Ph. D., Vocational Education, Virgina Tech
• Chair at Virginia Tech

Youth have the capacity to drive positive change in their communities through active and engaged citizenship (AEC). Teen leadership programs provide youth with opportunities to develop the skills necessary to participate as partners in community problem-solving efforts. Situated in relational developmental systems metatheory, this study examined ho...

Postsecondary education research on LGBTQ+ student engagement is rarely field-specific and has yet to reflect the unique nature of agriculture and rural identities within postsecondary agricultural learning environments. Bullying toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning and all other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQ+) youths i...

The lack of representation of LGBTQ+ agriculture students in higher-education may reflect the cultural assumption that these youths are not present in agricultural or rural communities. LGBTQ+ rural identities are unique because of the historical framing and this absence of rural LGBTQ+ identity has occurred in research leading to little being know...

Abstract The call for agricultural education programs to integrate more rigorous scientific and technology driven content has left many secondary agricultural education teachers unprepared (Baker, 2015). New content that addresses the changes in the agricultural industry has required secondary agricultural teachers to seek continuing professional e...

While research has been done on many aspects of evaluation within a variety of contexts and organizations, there is a lack of research surrounding the culture of evaluation. This study set out to examine this evaluative culture in one of the world's largest non-formal educational organizations through the use of an online survey and quantitative me...

Virginia Cooperative extension is a part of US cooperative extension system operated through Virginia State University and Virginia tech with the support of federal, state and local governments. The structure and function of the Virginia extension has changed to serve the people in changing time, need and space. Unlike other countries, Virginia coo...

Many colleges and universities have responded to the National Research Council’s (1984) call for educational reform by turning to experiential learning environments. Due to its heightened importance from this perspective, this study reviewed literature pertaining to experiential learning programs in animal agriculture. While Kolb’s (1984) model of...

Educational institution building for agricultural education and training (AET) in sub-Saharan African has struggled, leading to many false starts and only islands of success. This review examines relevant literature related to carrying out AET in developing countries, the historical successes or challenges of developing AET institutions, and the ne...

p>The purpose of this study was to explore ways that higher education institutes (HEI’s) that offered agriculture education and training (AET) in their curriculum could change the behavior to improve the quality of education offered to students. Faculty at a regional conference in Africa participated in a daylong focus group workshop aimed at addre...

Concerns associated with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have led to an increased consumer demand for sweetener alternatives that are functionally (and taste) equivalent to sucrose without the associated health risks. Measuring consumer emotions has the potential to aid the industry in subsequent ingredient decision-making. The purpose of this stu...

Abstract Programs in agricultural leadership are continuing to enjoy success in several institutions around the country. Tot his point, no research has been conducted to 1) identify consensus objectives for these programs, 2) identify courses that should be taught in these programs, 3 )identify program resource needs, 4) identify the need for and o...

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine if there are differences in pre-service teachers’ depth of reflection when using a written self-reflection form, a written self-reflection form and a thinkaloud protocol, and collaborative reflection. Twenty-six pre-service teachers were randomly assigned to fourteen teaching teams. The teams...

Agricultural science programs have provided many opportunities for leadership education through classroom, supervised agricultural experience (SAE), and FFA Organization activities. Past studies have focused on leadership developed through activities such as career development events (CDE), SAE activities, FFA Organization conventions, and other in...

Programs in agricultural leadership are continuing to enjoy success in institutions around the country. To this point, there has been a lack of research conducted to (a) identify objectives for these programs, (b) identify courses that should be taught in these programs, (c) identify the need for and objectives of an internship requirement, or (d)...

This study was conducted to determine if the dissimilarity of cognitive style between the instructor and the student was related to student engagement in nine undergraduate classes. Kirton's Adaption-Innovation Inventory was used to measure cognitive style as a preference to a method of solving problems: either more adaptively or more innovatively....

Volunteer administrators recognize that development of volunteers is both an art and a science. This paper outlines a seven-step approach that was successfully applied when planning and implementing a professional development program for volunteers who serve in leadership roles with a grassroots, nonprofit organization in the USA. The steps are bas...

Goal-setting theory is based on the premise that conscious goals affect action and is supported by four decades of research and more than 1,000 scholarly publications. Although the theory has been widely applied in management settings, it is an underused framework in the broader field of leadership development. This study considers the effects of g...

The purpose of this study was to determine if academic program leaders in colleges of agriculture at land-grant institutions use transactional, transformational, and/or laissez-faire leadership styles in performing their duties. Academic program leaders were defined as individuals listed by the National Association of State University and Land-Gran...

Some researchers have argued that science classrooms must move away from rote and passive applications of memorized concepts to the use of critical thinking skills as a primary component in facilitating learning. Yet few studies have examined the effect of overtly teaching for critical thinking on subsequent skill development. The purpose of this s...

With millions of dollars being invested in adult rural leadership development, it is essential that research be conducted to determine the effectiveness of this investment. Such research can validate the investment and provide guidance for future programming. However, an extensive review of literature in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts yielded only...

This study sought to explain why agricultural education instructors teach leadership in their classrooms. The variables measured were instructor leadership teaching behavior, instructor attitude towards teaching leadership, instructor demographics, instructor leadership knowledge, and instructor expectations of students after the teaching of leader...

Creativity is multidimensional and still not completely understood by psychologists. Much research has given evidence that cognitive style of creative thinking is independent of cognitive level of creative thinking. However, is a student's learning style similar to their cognitive style of creative thinking? This study attempted to examine the pres...

Volunteer administration leadership is an important component of any successful 4-H program. Proficiency in competencies associated with volunteer administration can prove to be one's greatest asset in his/her ability to successfully develop the leadership of youth. With that, leadership style is also an important consideration because it provides...

This study sought to describe the demographics and leadership styles of current Extension leaders, the individuals responsible for the day-to-day operations of Extension in each state, and to explain the influence of demographic variables on leadership styles. Of the 47 participants, 70.2% were male. The majority (80.9%) reported their ethnicity as...

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the leadership expectations, needs, and interests of local Farm Bureau board members. Nine county boards were included in the study, with the chairperson and one other member being interviewed from each board. The focus of the interviews was identification of common leadership-related challenge...

The study described here sought to determine the perceived leadership style of 4-H county faculty. There were 238 county 4-H faculty randomly selected to participate. Participants completed three Web-based questionnaires, the Volunteer Administration Leadership Competency Instrument, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, and a demographic instr...

Volunteers play an integral role in supporting the mission of 4-H programs in the southern region. For this reason their proficiency in volunteer administration competence and perceived leadership style is important. The researchers sought to examine both the perceived proficiency of 4-H faculty in the southern region in seven competencies associat...

A major issue facing agricultural education is recruiting qualified young teachers to theprofession. Attempts have been made to recruit new teachers by offering scholarship incentives, highlighting teachers at the National FFA Convention, and producing recruitment brochures. This Delphi study attempts to answer questions about how current agriscien...

The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of and level of proficiency in six leadership skill areas as perceived by current Extension leaders. For the purposes of this study, Extension leaders were defined as the individuals from 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions that were most responsible for the day-to-day operations of Extens...

The purpose of this correlational study was to identify and explain the agricultural and leadership specific critical thinking skills of selected youth leaders in the National FFA Organization. From the conceptual model of critical thinking skills development in Figure 1, the following sets of variables were related to critical thinking skills: Gra...

This study examined why individuals may accept greater leadership responsibilities within organizations. A sample of active members of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, a voluntary agricultural organization, were given an instrument to measure their sources of motivation, attitudes towards volunteering, and their views on serving on county Farm B...

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the major leadership skill areas and specific leadership competencies within each skill area needed by Extension leaders. A purposive sample of administrative heads of agriculture from 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions was selected to participate in qualitative interviews. Seven individuals part...

The focus of this paper is to provide the profession of volunteer administration (VA) a model outlining theoretical dimensions of the discipline. The dimensions provided include the (a) processes, (b) discipline, (c) foundations, and (d) theoretical base. Volunteer administration is the set of associated processes of operating a volunteer program....

The purpose of this investigation was to explain the factors supporting the emergence of females in leadership roles in rural Florida FFA chapters. Six schools, seventeen female leaders, six agriscience instructors, and nine parents participated in the qualitative portion of the study, and 51 additional students provided quantitative data. The find...

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the major leadership skill areas and specific leadership competencies within each skill area needed by Extension leaders. A purposive sample of administrative heads of agriculture from 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions was selected to participate in qualitative interviews. Seven individuals part...

The primary purpose of this correlational study was to explain the relationship between discipline specific critical thinking skills in agriculture and leadership and critical thinking dispositions of selected youth leaders in the National FFA Organization. Voluntary participants in the study included 212 youth leaders from 50 states. The researche...

This study attempted to examine the relationship between College of Agricultural and Life Sciences student critical thinking disposition and career choice. The researchers measured critical thinking disposition using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (Facione, Facione, & Giancarlo, 1996). Demographic data were collected with a...

The authors conducted a meta-analysis of the youth leadership development literature and were able to construct a conceptual model for teaching, training, and developing leadership in youth. After citing the need for leadership education, and the lack of information regarding leadership development for young people in career and technical education...

Describes the Socratic questioning method and discusses its use in the agricultural education classroom. Presents a four-step model: origin and source of point of view; support, reasons, evidence, and assumptions; conflicting views; and implications and consequences. (JOW)

The purpose of this theoretical article was to stimulate professional discussion in our profession on creativity and how it relates to academic programs in higher education. Due to a dearth of research in an agricultural context, it was hypothesized that faculty are unclear on how to structure instruction to enhance creativity and encourage creativ...

Much work has been done with students in colleges of agriculture across the country to assess learning styles. Although this work has been an important point of departure for further research, very little research has been conducted outside of describing various populations of students. This study attempted to examine the presence or absence of rel...

This study examined the leadership practices employed by Florida county extension directors (CEDs) using the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes Posner International, 1997). The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) is the result of over 15 years of research in human leadership development conducted by the authors. At this time the instruments de...

Since the debut of the University of Florida's agricultural communication program in 1990, no study had been conducted to determine whether the curriculum adequately prepared graduates for the agricultural industry. The purpose of this study was to determine skills and knowledge needed by graduates of the University of Florida 's agricultural commu...

Middle school programs in agricultural education are unique educational experiences that provide 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in Virginia with a basic understanding of agriculture and its applied sciences. Curriculum innovations such as the one for Virginia middle schools provide guidance for teachers in the field and offer a base from which pr...

The purpose of this roundtable discussion was to provide insight into the question, Do subordinates and superiors seek the same leadership skills in Extension leaders? Using a nominal group technique, participants in the session generated a list of leadership skills needed by Extension leaders in each of six leadership skill areas. The list that wa...

Quantitative Abstract The study involved restructuring an undergraduate general education course in the food and agricultural sciences in order to focus on teaching students to think critically within the discipline specific context of food biotechnology. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the course restructuring by comparing it to a simila...

This five-year follow up study was conducted to assess the peer evaluation process in the University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The long-interview process was used with faculty who were peer evaluated, faculty who chaired peer evaluation committees, and administrators who interpreted the results of the peer evaluations. C...

The purpose of this theoretical article is to stimulate discussion in our profession on creativity and how it relates to academic programs in higher education. Due to a dearth of research in an agricultural or natural resources context, it is hypothesized that faculty are unclear on how to design instruction to enhance creativity and encourage crea...

This study examined the leadership practices employed by Florida county extension directors (CEDs) using the Leadership Profiles Index. The purpose of this study was to identify leadership strengths and weaknesses and look for gender differences in CED leadership practices. The results of the study indicate that Florida CEDs were near the 50th perc...

Abstract ,The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influenced the leadership development,of former State FFA officers in Florida. The objectives were to (1) Determine the demographic information of State FFA officers from the past 25 years, and to (2) Identify the self-perceived factors contributing the mostand least to leadershi...

The objective of this study was to measure the extent to which county Farm Bureau members practice the leadership expectations held by state Farm Bureau leaders and the level of importance they assign to those skills. This study examined the expectations that the Florida Farm Bureau Federation has of its local leaders who are members of county boar...

Of all the areas of agricultural science, plant biotechnology represents one of the most important "specific domains of knowledge" where the teaching of critical thinking skills will have great potential for enhancing the quality of education for students. But although there is significant research on critical thinking and its components as a set o...

The primary purpose of this descriptive study was to describe the discipline-specific critical thinking skills in agriculture and leadership of selected youth leaders in the National FFA Organization. The researcher-developed critical thinking skills test, which was distributed online and by conventional mailing procedures, indicated that selected...

This five-year follow up study was conducted to assess the peer evaluation process in the University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The long-interview process was used with faculty who were peer evaluated, faculty who chaired peer evaluation committees, and administrators who interpreted the results of the peer evaluations. C...