Ethnic minority students traditionally pursue degrees and careers in the food and agricultural sciences at rates lower than their non-minority counterparts. To help improve upon this situation, the Food and Agricultural Sciences Institute (FASI) was created to expose academically talented high school students to opportunities within the food and…

Five scenarios are used to depict possible negative consequences of applying a bipolar tolerance model to gender and ethnicity issues in higher education. The ITAP model is proposed, which ranges from Intolerance to Tolerance to Appreciation to Proactive behavior. Strategic actions for appreciative and proactive behavior are recommended. (Contains…

Responses from 49% of 649 agricultural sciences graduates indicated that most were interested in distance education courses; interest was correlated with attitude toward distance education and possession of a teaching certificate. Most preferred self-paced study. (SK)

Site visits to 11 agriscience high school programs and interviews with 11 teachers showed that (1) teacher attitudes had significant impact on African-American enrollment in agriscience; (2) high-tech, science-based programs enrolled more African-American students; and (3) schools with an African-American agriscience teacher had higher…

Study of 380 secondary students (55% agriscience, 45% biology) indicated that agriscience students were more positive about the image and future of agriscience; African Americans had more negative attitudes about agriscience; and those most likely to enroll in agriscience were male, more positive about the future of agriscience, or had agriscience…

A study explored the occupational aspirations of 300 (of 503) students with high levels of participation in Future Farmers of America's (FFA) Computers in Agriculture (CIA), Proficiency Award (PA), and Prepared and Extemporaneous Speaking (PES) contests. CIA and PES winners aspired to professional occupations more than PA winners. PES winners…

Responses from 709 Ohio eighth graders indicated that self-esteem and self-perceived development of competence, coping, and contributory life skills are complementary. Participation in 4-H and other clubs positively influences perceived development. (SK)

Responses from affiliates and nonaffiliates of AG*SAT, a consortium of land-grant universities, indicated a desire to deliver more instruction via satellite; satellite courses focus primarily on emerging topics for which there is presently limited capacity. Results suggest that distance education technologies may exceed the current land-grant…

Comparison of responses from 128 of 154 agricultural education faculty to a 1980 study found that (1) job satisfaction varied little over the 10 years; (2) demographic and situational variables were not good indicators of satisfaction; and (3) Herzberg's motivation factors were better indicators than hygiene factors. (SK)

Usable needs assessment data from 66 agribusinesses and 61 associations showed they preferred distance education programs that were individually targeted or general programs on contemporary issues or for certification/licensure. Proprietary programs were desired on training, new products, and marketing strategies; however, there was concern about…