Outcomes from Farm-Based Learning Experiences Among North Carolina Youth

1. Bringing Home More Than the Produce:
Outcomes from Farm-Based Learning Experiences Among North Carolina Youth
Caitlin Reilly, Kathryn Stevenson, Sara Brune, Whitney Knollenberg, and Carla Barbieri
North Carolina State University
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management

2. Study Background
Students harvest vegetables on a field trip.
Agricultural literacy is the ability to understand,
think critically about, and communicate key
concepts surrounding food and fiber production.1
Agriculturally literate consumers can make
informed food choices that support their
personal health, decrease negative
environmental impacts of agricultural systems,
and engage with local economies.2
Agritourism is visiting a farm for recreational or
educational purposes. Experiential learning
through agritourism as part of school field trips
may help to boost agricultural literacy among
students.3
Why does this matter?
Understanding the impacts of different types of
educational experiences can help both educators
and agritourism operators provide the most effective
interventions to boost youth agricultural literacy.
Research Questions
1. Can agritourism experiences through schools
increase agricultural literacy among children?
2. Do supplemental classroom lessons increase
those literacy gains?
1Frick, M., Kahler, A., & Miller, W. (1991). A definition and the concepts of agricultural literacy. Journal of Agricultural Education, 32(2), 49-57.
2Hubert, D., Frank, A., & Igo, C. (2000). Environmental and agricultural literacy education. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 123(1), 525-532.
3Barbieri, C., Stevenson, K. T., & Knollenberg, W. (2019). Broadening the utilitarian epistemology of agritourism research through children and families. Current Issues in Tourism, 22(19), 2333-2336.

3. Research Methods
Map of North Carolina with all participating schools marked.
Data Collection
• We recruited 55 teachers from 48 schools
across North Carolina to administer surveys to
their students (ages 9-12)
• Surveys assessed literacy in terms of
agricultural knowledge, attitudes, and
behaviors towards local food systems
• Quasi-experimental pre/post treatment
comparison design used
• Treatment 1: students engaged in a farm
field trip and in-classroom lessons
• Treatment 2: students engaged in a farm
field trip only
Students tour farms that grow food for their community.
Analysis
• 170 student pre-post survey pairs
• 79 from treatment 1
• 91 from treatment 2
• One tailed t-tests used to compare average
student gains between pre and post surveys
• One tailed t-tests used to compare changes in
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors between
treatment groups
• For this preliminary analysis, we did not adjust
for repeated measures

4. Results
• Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals
• When considering the entire sample, students enrolled
in study saw significant gains in knowledge (mean
difference = 0.565, t = 2.796, p = 0.029)
• Trends between pre and post scores were positive, but
no changes were statistically significant within individual
treatment groups
• Change in scores for treatment one were significantly
greater in student attitudes (mean difference = 0.945, t
= 1.83, p = 0.035) but not knowledge or behaviors
10
10.5
11
11.5
12
12.5
13
13.5
14
Field Trip & Lessons
(n = 79)
Field Trip Only
(n = 91)
Entire Sample
(n = 170)
CompositeScore
MaxScore=19
Student Knowledge
Pre
Post
14
14.5
15
15.5
16
16.5
17
Field Trip & Lessons
(n = 79)
Field Trip Only
(n = 91)
Entire Sample
(n = 170)
CompositeScore
MaxScore=20
Student Attitude
Pre
Post
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Field Trip & Lessons
(n = 79)
Field Trip Only
(n = 91)
Entire Sample
(n = 170)
CompositeScore
MaxScore=35
Student Behavior
Pre
Post

5. Discussion
• Students gain knowledge about agriculture by
participating in experiential learning on farms, and
larger samples may find similar trends with attitudes
and behavior
• Supplemental classroom activities amplify attitude
gains, and future research should examine if this trend
holds for knowledge and behavior
• Support for attitudes is important, as early formation of
attitudes can predict lifelong engagement and behavior1
• Overall, we find support for agritourism-based field trips
as a strategy to build youth agricultural literacy, and
suggest classroom activities to enhance educational
benefits
Experiential learning on farms shows promise for increasing
student knowledge and changing food-related behavior.
Students pet a goat while visiting a farm.
1Ernst, J., Blood, N., & Beery, T. (2017). Environmental action and student environmental leaders: Exploring the influence of
environmental attitudes, locus of control, and sense of personal responsibility. Environmental Education Research, 23(2), 149–
175. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1068278; Dahm, M. J., Samonte, A.V., & Shows, A. R. (2009). Organic foods: Do
eco-friendly attitudes predict eco-friendly behaviors? Journal of American College Health, 58(3), 195–202.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07448480903295292

6. Implications & Future Research
What can we do now?
• Promote agritourism in schools to support
agricultural literacy
• Support farmers and teachers in using
classroom-based activities to supplement
farm trips
What’s next?
This is an early study on the educational impact of
agritourism among children so there is much more
work to be done including:
• Year two of data collection to create more robust
sample sizes
• Comparison against control group
• Analysis focused on sociodemographic discrepancies
in initial agricultural literacy & learning gains
Kids meet all kinds of farm animals on their field trips.
Students learn about conservation practices and local
economies when they visit farms.