The Effect of Teacher Demographic and Personal Characteristics on Perceptions of Diversity Inclusion in Agricultural Education Programs

Agricultural education teachers' attitudes about the perceptions of diversity inclusion in their programs are variables that may have a strong influence on the number of students that enroll in agricultural education. This study examines the effect of teachers' demographic and personal characteristics on their perceptions of the benefits of diversity inclusion, perceived barriers to diversity inclusion, and proposed solutions to increase diversity inclusion in agricultural education programs. Using a web-based questionnaire, the researchers employed a nonproportional stratified random sampling technique and 232 agricultural education teachers participated in the study. Through comparative analysis, researchers found statistically significant differences existed in teachers' perceptions toward the benefits of diversity inclusion, the perceived barriers toward diversity inclusion, and the proposed solutions to increase diversity inclusion in agricultural education programs. Additional research should be conducted to understand better why these differences exist. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)