Knowledge, Skills, or Attitudes/Beliefs: The Contexts of Agricultural Literacy in Upper-Elementary Science Curricula

Agricultural literacy connects knowledge, skills, and attitudes/beliefs (KSABs) about agriculture to KSABs in environmental education, education for sustainable development, and science education identified in recent reform initiatives. This study conducted a content analysis of 12 current upper-elementary U.S. science textbooks and curriculum programs to examine the representations and contexts of agricultural concepts. The findings revealed the reviewed materials did not include thorough representations of agricultural concepts or a wide distribution of KSABs and lacked systematic development of agricultural concepts. Implications for integrating agriculture into the elementary science curriculum to promote environmental, agricultural, and scientific literacy are discussed, as well as recommendations to guide developers to redesign science curriculum and promote agricultural literacy.