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Hendrix, Rachel

Rachel Hendrix
304-293-5488 Rachel.Hendrix@mail.wvu.edu 4424 Agricultural Sciences Building

Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education

Rachel Hendrix was born and raised near Nashville, Tennessee. She found an interest in agriculture while working in the family garden, landscaping around the house, helping her parents raise chickens and guinea fowl, and enjoying the abundant natural resources available in the Middle Tennessee area.


In elementary school she participated in 4-H, and learned to ride and judge horses. As a high school student, she became an active member of the Hendersonville FFA Chapter, where her interests turned to horticulture and plant sciences. In 2010 she earned her Bachelor of Science in Plant Science with a minor in Agricultural Education from Middle Tennessee State University. Rachel continued her education at Tennessee State University, where she earned a Master of Science in Agriculture in 2012. Her research work there involved the integration of GPS technology into agricultural education classrooms.


Rachel then became an agricultural educator in Tennessee for three years. She taught four different courses, hosted an in-class agriscience fair activity, helped to manage three greenhouses and several raised beds, and trained numerous competition teams. As an agricultural educator at the high school level, Rachel worked to make content relevant to students, and to integrate agriculture-related technology and science wherever possible. Her favorite teaching memory involves bringing chickens to class during an animal science unit and seeing the joy and curiosity on her students’ faces.


In 2015 Rachel began working on a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Extension Education at Mississippi State University. During this time she worked as a substitute teacher, florist, and graduate assistant. Her research examined agricultural educators’ efficacy levels towards and methods for integrating STEM content into their classrooms. She graduated in 2019, and has continued her work in STEM and agricultural education at West Virginia University. Rachel hopes to invest in the future of agricultural education by preparing future educators through meaningful coursework, practice, and research.


Publications

Hendrix, R. E., McCubbins, O. P., and Ricketts, J. C. (2022) GPS and Geocaching integration in agriscience: The impact on critical thinking. Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research, 72(1).


Hendrix, R. E. & Morrison, C. C. (2020). Student emotional responses to different communication situations. Journal of Applied Communications, 104(3), https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2322


Hendrix, R. E. & Morrison, C. C. (2018). Student perceptions of workforce readiness in agriculture.

Journal of Agricultural Education, 59(3), 213-228, https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2018.03213


Veach, T. & Hendrix, R. E. (2021). West Virginia Agricultural Educators’ Usage of Internet-Based Instructional Technology. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Association for Agricultural Education, Columbus, Ohio.

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