Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Barbarick, K.A
• Anderson, W.A
• Hicks, D.R
• Hopper, N.W
• Joliff, G
• Loynachan, T.E
• Post, D.F

Titel

Survey results evaluating the Journal of Agronomic Education

Ist Teil von

• Journal of agronomic education, 1988, Vol.17 (2), p.63-68

Erscheinungsjahr

1988

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• ABSTRACT The American Society of Agronomy committee A335.4 was established and charged to evaluate and recommend ways to enhance the effectiveness of the Journal of Agronomic Education (JAE). The objective of this article is to present the surveys and survey results used to evaluate JAE. Of approximately 12 800 surveys printed and distributed in Agronomy News (AN), only 234 (about 2%) were returned. Respondents were asked to compare the importance of JAE with Agronomy Journal (AJ), Crop Science (CS) and Soil Science Society of America Journal (SSSAJ). The ratings used ranged from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), with AJ, CS, and SSSAJ being assigned a relative rating of 3. Surveys from AN indicated that the rating by JAE subscribers (2.50) was significantly higher than the rating for those who did not subscribe (1.91). A second set of surveys plus four complimentary copies of JAE were mailed to 125 departments. One survey was to be completed by the department head and a different survey by a top resident‐instruction educator, an outstanding researcher, and an excellent extension educator. Department heads were asked to rate JAE relative to other ASA journals before and after perusing the complimentary copy. The 63 forms (50%) returned indicated that the rating for JAE increased from 2.32 in the preliminary rating (before perusing a complimentary copy) to 2.54 (P level = 0.094) for the rating after viewing the JAE issue. Major area of previous department head responsibility did not affect the responses. Faculty participants returned 170 out of 375 forms (45%). Reviewers involved primarily in research gave significantly lower ratings (2.05 versus 2.58), tended to consider JAE articles less important for tenure and promotion (51% vs. 84%), and subscribed at a lower frequency (8% vs. 66%) than those in teaching. The 10 recommendations presented by the committee were unanimously accepted by the ASA Board of Directors at the 1987 Annual Meetings.