Abstract:
This study identified variables that differed between students planning to major in agriculture and students not planning to major in agriculture within the state of Utah. This information was identified as being critical to the future recruitment efforts of the College of Agriculture. Variables included in the study were taken from the 2002 ACT Assessment registration booklet that lists 177 questions in the Student Profile Section, Interest Inventory factors, and demographic information. The population of this study consisted of 18,177 students who completed the registration booklet, chose a specific college major, and went on to take the 2002 ACT Assessment in Utah. Analysis included a stepwise multiple regression with the choice of either agriculture (n=465) or non-agriculture (n=17,712) major as the outcome variable and the remaining Student Profile, Interest Inventory, and demographic factors as the predictor variables. Results yielded 19 variables which explained 3.3% of the variance in choice of college major.As a result of the relatively low amount of variance explained, results should be interpreted with caution. The variables could be used to target potential agriculture majors in Utah. The most critical areas to focus upon while recruiting included stressing the natural sciences, hands-on applications, and noting participation in community organizations such as FFA and 4-H. Recruiters should recruit potential agriculture majors regardless of gender, race and academic level.
Keywords:
college major, Utah, factors
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