Evidences Of Effectiveness Of Instruction In Vocational Education In Agriculture In Houston County, Texas

Author

Henry Clay Langrum, Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College

Date of Award

8-15-1944

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Degree Discipline

Agriculture Economics

Abstract

During the past several years which have been marked by an increasing demand on part of the American public for economy, the field of secondary education has not been overlooked. Numerous questions respecting the extent to which the adoption of improved farm practices, general farming and farm improvements are and have been influenced by vocational agriculture instruction are being raised relative to the effectiveness of vocational agriculture instruction in the eight Negro school districts of Houston County, Texas, where vocational agriculture has been taught from three to twenty-two years.

A. Historical Background of Vocational Agriculture Education In The United States

There have been vast changes in agriculture in the United States in the past 150 years. These changes have been characterized by attitudes, institutions,and, as Paul H.Johnstone^ points out, have influenced the very essence and character of rural living and even the philosophies, the ideas of right and wrong. In agriculture, new methods of cultivation were developed. Washington and Jefferson were among the first to put aside traditional prejudices and tackle agricultural problems scientifically.

One element in the background of rural America was a vigorous movement for self-education as a means of enriching life. There was an agitation for public schools and colleges to teach agricultural science. The Morrill Act of 1862 established the agricultural colleges. Education by this time had become more than a means of attaining culture. It was considered the road to social and economic advancement.

The "Success Philosophy" had begun to take root in this country. Thus farming came to be considered increasingly as a commercial pursuit rather than primarily as a way of living. Agricultural journals, schools, and colleges urged farmers to take the businessman as a model. As this viewpoint was more widely accepted, the whole picture of the farm enterprise changed. The farmer found himself faced with the business problems of the commercial world. He was forced to accept the methods of that world even though the frequent inequalities under which agriculture was practiced placed him at a disadvantage.

Committee Chair/Advisor

E.M.Norris

Committee Member

H.A.Bullock

Publisher

Prairie View Agricultural And Mechanical College

Rights

Date of Digitization

4/12/2022

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Langrum, H. C. (1944). Evidences Of Effectiveness Of Instruction In Vocational Education In Agriculture In Houston County, Texas. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/1471