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Communication and its effects on perceptions of agriculture in agricultural education courses versus non agricultural education courses
Abstract
The relationship between communication and agriculture is long standing and continues to expand. By understanding the relationship between the two variables we can nurture the relationship so that agriculture may be a positive entity for future generations. The purpose of the study was to determine if a relationship existed between students' perceptions of agriculture and the communication they receive in their daily lives. The researcher also determined if the perceptions of participants enrolled in agricultural related courses is different than those enrolled in non-agricultural related courses. The author used a sample of two classes that occurred at Texas A&M University during summer session 1, 2004. The courses were AGED 440, Principles of Technological Change and EHRD 489, Special Topics in Introduction to Distance Learning. The total sample for the study was 43; 25 respondents were from the AGED 440 course and 18 came from the EHRD 489 course. The instrument used was a questionnaire which included four sections of questions including: personal characteristics, current perceptions about agriculture, influences of communication in daily life and the role of communication in perception forming. The survey instrument consisted of thirty-five questions. The first section consisted of nine questions which dealt with background information and demographics. The remaining twenty-six questions were based upon a Likert scale model and the participants chose an answer from the following: Strongly Agree (SA), Mildly Agree (MA), Undecided (U), Mildly Disagree (MD), and Strongly Disagree (SD). Frequencies, t-tests, Cohen's d and Pearson's Correlation tests were performed on the data to analyze the relationship between the various variables. The findings concluded that all participants have an awareness of agriculture and realize its importance on some level. The data also showed that there is no direct link between perceptions and formal communication; however, many other factors such as culture, beliefs, values, family and demographics play a large role in the student's perceptions of agriculture. The researcher recommended a needs-based approach combined with innovative methods of communication to bridge the gap from agricultural awareness to agricultural literacy.
Description
Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to digital@library.tamu.edu, referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-50).
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Citation
Thompson, Jennifer Lynn (2004). Communication and its effects on perceptions of agriculture in agricultural education courses versus non agricultural education courses. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2004 -THESIS -T493.
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