An Examination of Kentucky University Freshmen Attitudes Regarding Agricultural Education and the Agricultural Industry

This study assessed the attitudes of university freshmen majoring in agriculture at a land grant and three non-land grant institutions in Kentucky. Perceptions of high school agricultural programs, university agricultural programs, and the agricultural industry were analyzed, along with demographics of university agriculture freshmen. Demographics indicated that freshmen students majoring in agriculture within Kentucky were white, female, had agricultural experience, completed high school agriculture course work, had a farm background, participated in 4-H, and were members of the National FFA Organization. Freshmen majoring in agriculture in Kentucky are supportive of high school agriculture programs; however those students with personal experience in secondary agricultural education expressed more positive attitudes than those who did not experience agricultural education firsthand. Students with an agricultural education experience agreed that more students should be encouraged to enroll in high school agriculture programs, and high school agriculture is a good preparation for college study in agriculture. Students who had taken agriculture in high school believed that college-bound students should b