Assessment of Egyptian agricultural technical school instructors’ ability to implement experiential learning activities

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of agricultural technical school (ATS) instructors in Egypt related to implementing experiential learning in the form of internships. In July 2007, 90 ATS instructors attended workshops focused on conducting internship experiences. Self–perceived competency of ATS instructors to implement internships was assessed immediately following inservice training. Approximately a year later (June 2008), ATS instructors’ self–perceived importance and application of internship competencies were assessed. A discrepancy score was also calculated. Results indicated that: (a) at the conclusion of the initial workshop, ATS instructors felt competent to implement internship activities with their students; (b) a year later, ATS instructors felt that all the competencies had high importance, but their ability to apply the competencies was slightly lower; and (c) there were discrepancies on all competencies, with the largest discrepancies focused on explaining internships.