A Comparison of Deterrents to College-bound Male and Female Enrollment in Secondary Agricultural Education Programs in Nebraska

Authors

Lloyd C. Bell, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Susan Fritz, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

April 1994

Comments

Published in The Journal of Agricultural Education, volume 35 (1994), pages 20-24. Used by permission.
The Journal of Agricultural Education (JAE) is a publication of the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE). Its back issues are available online at http://pubs.aged.tamu.edu/jae/

Abstract

Who influences students’ decisions to enroll in traditional and/or nontraditional programs? Encouragement from parents to succeed in math, science and technology is critical in a girl’s decision to enroll in these courses (Parsons, 1980). Beck (1989) contended that the greatest influence on anyone’s career decision, regardless of gender, is the mother. Kotrlik and Harrison (1987) reported in their study that “for agricultural education students as well as other seniors, parents influenced the students’ career choices more than any other person, with the mother being more influential than the father.” Guidance counselors had almost no impact on informing students about what was taught in agricultural education programs (Luft & Giese, 1991).