A workforce of people versed in technical agriculture and core scientific ideas is needed to meet the challenges continually faced by the ever-changing agricultural industry. Further, an understanding of core scientific ideas is needed to be an informed and engaged citizen, regardless of career choice. Unfortunately, students in the United States are behind their global counterparts in science achievement. Curriculum, such as the "Next Generation Science Standards," allows students to gain a deeper understanding of a wide breadth of core scientific ideas through continuous engagement with these topics throughout their K-12 education. However, the application of core scientific ideas where students can problem-solve and engage with concepts hands-on is needed. School-based agricultural education courses can provide a context for applying core scientific ideas while supporting students' learning of core academics. However, in order for science to be illuminated within the school-based agricultural education curricula, teachers must know core scientific ideas and technical agriculture concepts. This study investigated in this study was students' lack of knowledge and motivation to learn in the scientific core ideas in SBAE curricula. Three concurrent studies were completed to investigate the overall phenomena. The first study focused on agriculture teachers' intentions to integrate science into their courses and explored perceived science knowledge, attitude, perceived norms, and barriers. The remaining two studies centered on students in school-based agricultural education courses, with the first examining students' motivation to learn science in agriculture. Finally, students' achievement in core scientific ideas and technical floriculture concepts was investigated. Results indicated that teachers who participated in a content-specific professional development focused on science integration had more positive attitudes toward integration and perceived fewer barriers. While the motivation to learn science in agriculture was not influenced by an illuminated science curriculum, students' achievement in both core scientific ideas and technical floriculture concepts was improved with an illuminate curriculum. Recommendations include teachers seeking content-specific professional development to have the science and agricultural knowledge needed to illuminate science within school-based agricultural education effectively. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]