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   Advancements in Agricultural Development 
  Volume 4, Issue 3, 2023 
  agdevresearch.org 

1. Joseph L. Donaldson, Associate Professor, North Carolina State University, Department of Agricultural and Human 
Sciences, 1 Lampe Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695-7607, joseph_donaldson@ncsu.edu, 

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9276-3747 
2. Kimberly D. Gwinn, Professor, University of Tennessee, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Department of 

Entomology and Plant Pathology, 2505 E. J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-4560, kgwinn@utk.edu,  

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3517-3433 
3. Carrie Stephens, Professor, University of Tennessee, Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and 

Communications, 2640 Morgan Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-4500, cfritz@tennessee.edu,  

 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5592-2377   
4. Stephen C. Chmely, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania State University, Department of Agricultural and Biological 

Engineering, 225 Ag Engineering Building, Shortlidge Road, University Park, PA 16802, sc411@psu.edu,  

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2637-9974 
5. Tess Moody, Doctoral Student, North Carolina State University, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, 

2820 Faucette Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695, tmoody2@ncsu.edu 
41 

A Summer Agricultural Research Program Enlarges Community 
College Students’ Perceptions of Agricultural Careers 

 
J. L. Donaldson1, K. D. Gwinn2, C. Stephens3, S. C. Chmely4, T. Moody5 

 
 

Article History 
Received: March 24, 2023 
Accepted: July 17, 2023 
Published: July 31, 2023 
 
 
Keywords 
career development; undergraduates; 
program evaluation   

Abstract 
This study examined the REACH program, a Research and Extension 
Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) program, aimed at improving 
agricultural literacy and career development among community college 
students. This study employed a one-group pretest-posttest design using 
the Perceptions of Agriculture and Agricultural Careers questionnaire 
(quantitative) and participants’ written responses to an open-ended 
question about agricultural career and academic plans (qualitative). Data 
were collected on the first and last day of the program to compare 
benchmarks to student achievement. The scaled responses were 
analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, a nonparametric test. The 
open-ended responses were analyzed using content analysis. REACH 
Scholars developed more specific career plans and more favorable 
perceptions of personal job opportunities and their own capabilities in 
agriculture during the program. Regarding occupational requirements, 
the scholars’ perception that many agricultural leaders had a college 
education significantly improved over the course of the REACH program. 
Despite these improvements, their views about agricultural occupations 
in general, including food processing, food inspection, forestry, and 
natural resources management, were not significantly different from 
pretest to posttest. This study demonstrated an effective evaluation 
strategy for evaluating undergraduate research programs in agriculture 
and the allied sciences. Recommendations include strategies for greater 
outcome evaluation of REEU programs.   



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Introduction and Problem Statement 
 
Community college is an empowering opportunity for many low-income, underrepresented, 
and marginalized populations (Denning, 2017; Weiss et al., 2019). Community college 
completion is an important issue for the individual student’s financial future and the entire 
nation’s economic vitality (Buchanan & Wilson, 2017). Many community college students face 
remedial instruction and financial concerns that may contribute to historically low retention 
and graduation rates among community colleges. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these 
needs with community college enrollment declining as much as 9.4% in fall 2020 over the 
previous year. In comparison, enrollment among public four-year institutions declined 1.4% 
(National Student Clearinghouse, 2020; Sutton, 2021).  

Unfortunately, many community college students need opportunities for access to colleges of 
agriculture to explore career pathways in food and agriculture, and a number of initiatives have 
been pursued to address this need, including summer agricultural courses at community 
colleges (Keith et al., 2010), spring admissions program at four-year institutions (Jones et al., 
2021), and online baccalaureate degree programs for community college students with applied 
associate degrees (Williams et al., 2010). 

To connect community college students to agriculture, we launched an 8-week, summer 
residential agricultural research program. The program, called REACH, was offered to students 
from Tennessee’s 13 community colleges in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Thus, the purpose of this 
study was to understand perceptions of the REACH participants, known as REACH Scholars, 
toward food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANHS) careers.   

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework 
 
The social-cognitive career theory (SCCT) developed by Lent, Brown, and Hackett (2002) 
undergirded this study. SCCT explains individuals’ educational and career interests and the 
choices they make. Specifically, the ways that these interests and choices develop and change 
over time as well as how individuals parlay personal interests and choices into school and work 
competencies (Walsh et al., 2023). SCCT has been useful for describing contextual factors such 
as interests, social support, and academic performance that guide career development (Gysbers 
et al., 2013). The use of SCCT is of paramount importance in understanding career selection. 
Respectively, an individual expressing a primary interest or choice, taking action on this primary 
interest or choice, and experiencing successes and failures that influence “the shape of future 
career behavior” leads to career selection (Lent et al., 2002, p. 273).    

SCCT establishes a tripartite, interactive model for understanding career selection. First, 
individuals explore their own self-efficacy by asking themselves if they have the aptitude for a 
certain career. Then, individuals consider the outcomes of deciding on a certain career such as 
educational requirements and salary. Finally, individuals appraise their own personal goals, 
ponder the relative importance of their different goals, and ask the question, “how much do I 
want to do this?” when making their career selection (Buthelezi et al., 2010; Lent et al., 1994).  



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The SCCT theory and research expounding on the theory have pointed to the need to provide 
career development programs for young adults to expand career options, build support, 
promote work satisfaction, and encourage goal setting (Wang et al., 2022). Importantly, Walsh 
et al. (2023) has called for greater attention to translational research whereby educational and 
career development programs are designed using SCCT.     

Purpose 
 
The overall purpose of this study was to understand perceptions of the REACH Scholars toward 
FANHS careers. The study was guided by two objectives:  
1. Describe the REACH Scholars’ perceptions of agriculture and agricultural careers both 

before and after the program.     
2. Describe the REACH Scholars’ perceptions of FANHS for their own career plans both before 

and after the program.     
 

Methods  
 
This study, part of a broader program evaluation of the REACH program (Donaldson et al., 
2022), was designed as an outcome evaluation with the goal to describe results of the REACH 
program (Patton, 2015). This study was a one-group pretest-posttest design (Campbell & 
Stanley, 1963). The pretest and posttest instrument included both scaled responses and open-
ended responses.     

The REACH program, a USDA-funded Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates 
(REEU) program, aimed to help community college students explore FANHS careers and address 
the students’ needs for undergraduate research, mentoring, and leadership development. The 
Tennessee community college system consists of 13 community colleges, and faculty and 
administrators at each community college recruited students through targeted and blanket 
announcements. To apply for the program, students submitted: (1) the application form, 
containing basic name and contact information; (2) their community college transcript; (3) a 
letter of recommendation from a community college faculty member; and (4) a signed letter of 
interest that summarized the student’s qualifications, educational goals, and career goals. 
Selection considered all of the application materials and prioritized students with academic 
potential in chemistry, biology, engineering, and other STEM disciplines who were economically 
disadvantaged, racial/ethnic minorities, and first-generation college students. (Notably, 
chemistry and biology are required courses in FANHS baccalaureate degree programs.) REACH 
program applicants and selected scholars represented diverse academic majors including 
biology, chemistry, engineering, nursing, and pharmacy. No agricultural students applied for the 
REACH program.    

Over three years, REACH engaged 23 students as research assistants with agricultural faculty at 
the University of Tennessee. Knoxville. Additionally, REACH Scholars participated in weekly 
workshops to develop workforce essential skills such as teamwork, career adaptability, and 
leadership to support FAS academic and career goals.    



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Study participants were REACH Scholars for 2018, 2019 and 2021. All participants signed 
consent forms for participation in the study. Of the 23 REACH participants, all agreed to 
participate in the study, although not every participant answered every item.   

The pretest was completed on the first day of the REACH experience and the posttest was 
completed on the last day of the REACH experience in each respective year of the program. 
Both the pretest and posttest were administered using paper and pencil. Part one of the 
instrument used the Perceptions of Agriculture and Agricultural Careers questionnaire (Talbert 
& Larke, 1995a; 1995b). This instrument had 18 items used for this study with the following 
Likert scale: 1 (strongly disagree), 2 (disagree), 3 (neither agree nor disagree), 4 (agree), and 5 
(strongly agree). A sample question was: “It takes people with special training to work in 
agriculture.” Talbert and Larke (1995a) validated the instrument with Texas high school 
students, demonstrating three distinct scales, and Cronbach’s alpha for each scale was reported 
as follows: personal career (0.80), agricultural occupations (0.85), and occupational 
requirements (0.73). The personal career scale had five items, the agricultural occupations scale 
had seven items, and the occupational requirements scale had six items. The scales had been 
used to measure perceptions of students (see Talbert, 1996; 1997; 1999). While the scales were 
validated with high school students, the questions were aligned with the REACH program goals 
and the limited agricultural academic experiences of the REACH participants who did not have 
any college-level agricultural coursework. Part two of the instrument asked for open-ended 
responses to this question: “How do you see the food, agricultural, natural resources, and 
human sciences incorporated into your career plans, if at all?”   

In terms of data analysis, part one of the questionnaire was analyzed using the Wilcoxon 
signed-rank test, a nonparametric test. This test was employed as the data were positively 
skewed, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test is appropriate in comparing categorical data. 
Comparable to the paired-samples t-test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare 
the pre and posttest responses for the personal career, agricultural occupations, and 
occupational requirements scales (Talbert & Larke, 1995a). Significance was set a priori at the 
0.05 alpha level. Part two data were analyzed using content analysis, recognized as reducing 
data to “identify core consistencies and meanings” (Patton, 2015, p. 541). Researchers 
compared pretest and posttest responses from each individual participant. The responses were 
coded, and the codes were analyzed for themes.   

Findings 
 
Objective 1: Describe the REACH Scholars’ perceptions of agriculture and agricultural careers 
both before and after the program.    
As previously stated, the following Likert scale was used: 1 (strongly disagree), 2 (disagree), 3 
(neither agree nor disagree), 4 (agree), and 5 (strongly agree). To compare pretest and posttest 
responses for the personal career, agricultural occupations, and occupational requirements 
scales, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were conducted. Positive ranks indicated that agreement 
increased over the course of the program (higher posttest scores than pretest scores). Negative 



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ranks indicated agreement decreased over the course of the program (lower posttest scores 
than pretest scores), and ties indicated pretest and posttest scores were equal.  

For the personal career perceptions, two items showed significantly higher perceptions from 
pretest to posttest: “Agricultural industry has many job opportunities” (Z = 2.06, p < 0.039), and 
“I am capable of getting a good job in an agricultural occupation” (Z = 2.15, p < 0.03). See Table 
1.  

Table 1 
 
REACH Scholars’ Personal Career Perceptions for Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test Results  

Item N Z 2-tailed 
Agricultural industry has many job opportunities. 23 2.06 0.03* 
Negative Ranks 2   
Positive Ranks 11   
Ties 10   
    
There are good paying jobs in agriculture. 23 1.66 0.09 
Negative ranks 3   
Positive ranks 10   
Ties 10   
    
I am capable of getting a good job in an agricultural occupation. 23 2.15 0.03* 
Negative ranks 4   
Positive ranks 12   
Ties 7   
    
Someday I would like to manage a business in agriculture. 23 -0.81 0.41 
Negative ranks 7   
Positive ranks 4   
Ties 12   
    
Someday I would like to be the owner of an agricultural business, farm, 

or ranch. 
23 0.16 0.86 

Negative ranks 6   
Positive ranks 8   
Ties 9   

Note. Negative ranks indicate lower post scores than pre scores; positive ranks indicate higher 
post scores than pre scores; and ties indicate equal pre and post scores 
*p<.05 
 
For the agricultural occupations perceptions, no significant differences were found. In fact, five 
of the seven items had a greater number of ties in mean ranks indicating no change from 
pretest to posttest while two items had the same number of ties as positive ranks (Table 2).   

 



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Table 2 
 
REACH Scholars’ Agricultural Occupations Perceptions for Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test Results 

Item N Z 2-tailed 
Landscaping and floral design are a part of agricultural industry. 22 1.12 0.26 
Negative ranks 4   
Positive ranks 9   
Ties 9   
    
Agriculture includes marketing, merchandising, and sales of agricultural 

products. 
23 1.21 0.22 

Negative ranks 5   
Positive ranks 9   
Ties 9   
    
There are agricultural job opportunities in education, communication, 

and information. 
23 0.51 0.60 

Negative ranks 3   
Positive ranks 5   
Ties 15   
    
Many researchers and scientists are involved in the agricultural 

industry. 
23 0.23 0.81 

Negative ranks 5   
Positive ranks 6   
Ties 12   
    
Agriculture includes the design of farm machinery. 23 1.23 0.21 
Negative ranks 4   
Positive ranks 7   
Ties 12   
    
Food processing and food inspection are part of the agricultural 

industry. 
23 1.26 0.20 

Negative ranks 1   
Positive ranks 6   
Ties 16   
    
Forestry and natural resource management are a part of agriculture. 23 0.64 0.51 
Negative ranks 2   
Positive ranks 4   
Ties 17   

Note. Negative ranks indicate lower post scores than pre scores; positive ranks indicate higher 
post scores than pre scores; and ties indicate equal pre and post scores.  
 
For the occupational requirements perceptions, most of the items demonstrated ties in mean 
rank with no significance in the difference between positive and negative ranks. One item, 



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“Many leaders in agriculture have a college education” showed significantly more positive 
ranks, indicating a positive change in perceptions from pretest to posttest (Z = 2.94, p < 0.00). 
See Table 3.  

Table 3 
 
REACH Scholars’ Occupational Requirements for Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test Results 

Item N Z 2-tailed 
Management positions in agriculture require training or experience. 23 1.18 0.23 
Negative ranks 3   
Positive ranks 8   
Ties 12   
    
It takes people with special training to work in agriculture. 23 -0.29 0.76 
Negative ranks 7   
Positive ranks 8   
Ties 8   
    
Agricultural jobs require basic skills such as reading, writing, or 

arithmetic. 
22 -0.06 0.95 

Negative ranks 4   
Positive ranks 5   
Ties 13   
    
Many leaders in agriculture have a college education. 23 2.94 0.00** 
Negative ranks 1   
Positive ranks 12   
Ties 10   
    
Jobs in agriculture are interesting and exciting. 23 1.5 0.13 
Negative ranks 4   
Positive ranks 9   
Ties 10   
    
Many ethnic groups and races of people are employed in agriculture 

industry. 
23 1.327 0.18 

Negative ranks 3   
Positive ranks 6   
Ties 14   

Note. Negative ranks indicate lower post scores than pre scores; positive ranks indicate higher 
post scores than pre scores; and ties indicate equal pre and post scores.  
**p<.001 
 
 
 



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Objective 2: Describe the REACH Scholars’ perceptions of FANHS for their own career plans 
both before and after the program.   
 
REACH Scholars were asked to provide written answers to the following question on pretest 
and posttest: “How do you see the food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences 
incorporated into your future career plans, if at all?” Pretest and posttest responses were 
compared and coded for each individual REACH Scholar. In analyzing the responses, four 
themes emerged: (a) changing career plans to specific FANHS plans, (b) making future career 
plans of a general nature, (c) planning with no specific FANHS career tie-ins, and (d) making no 
change in plans.  

Ten of the 23 REACH Scholars (44%) had changed to specific plan(s) for integrating FANHS into 
their academic and career plans. On the first day, these participants provided general answers 
which were not necessarily tied to careers nor to their own career plans. However, on the last 
day, they shared specific examples, including academic and career plans. A smaller proportion, 
six (26%) provided future plans of a general nature with no specific tie-ins to FANHS academic 
or career plans, and one (4%) planned to be a plant pathologist at both pre- and post-program. 
Another six (26%) provided no complete response to this question. See Table 4 for 
representative comments among those providing both a pretest and posttest response.  

  



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Table 4 
 
REACH Scholars’ Dispositions and Representative Comments for FANHS Career and Academic 
Plans 
Disposition Representative Responses Frequency, 

n (%) Pretest Response Posttest Response 
Changed to 
specific 
FANHS plans  

“They may play some roles at 
some times, but I am not 
certain.” (Participant 2021-6) 

“I plan to go for Food Science 
major…so food and 
agriculture play a significant 
role in my study and career.” 
(Participant 2021-6) 
 

10 (44%) 

Future plans 
of a general 
nature; no 
specific 
FANHS tie-in  

“…..I would very much like to 
be involved and gather as 
much hands-on experience 
and knowledge to help bring 
awareness and contribute my 
knowledge and labor to this 
field. (Participant 2018-3) 

“With…global warming, lack of 
natural resources, and 
overpopulation, I can 
definitely say that food and 
agriculture will become a 
huge part of my future career 
as the factors mentioned 
above are highly important to 
me.” (Participant 2018-3) 
 

6 (26%) 

No change in 
plans  

“As a plant pathologist, I hope 
to contribute to sustainable 
agricultural practices that 
reinforce the tools available to 
growers.” (Participant 2019-7) 

“I see myself working in the 
agricultural sciences as a 
researcher and contributing to 
crop sustainability and 
health.” (Participant 2019-7) 

1 (4%) 

 
No complete 
response 
provided for 
comparison 

 
“I don’t really know that 
[FANHS] will be incorporated 
with me in the future career 
plan…learn more and have 
experience more will help me 
with my future.” (Participant 
2018-2) 

 
[no response] 

 
6 (26%) 

Note. Participant numbers were randomly assigned each year. As an example, “Participant 
2018-3” indicates participant number 3 who was a REACH Scholar in 2018.  
 

Conclusions, Discussion, and Recommendations 
 
Overall, the program enlarged the REACH Scholars’ perceptions of agricultural careers, and the 
major implications of this work were that community college students’ career development and 
research acumen were positively influenced by agricultural research and mentoring. REACH 



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significantly improved the Scholars’ personal career perceptions of agricultural job 
opportunities and their own capabilities, consistent with self-efficacy and outcome 
expectations components of SCCT (see Wang et al., 2022). Comparably, the REACH Scholars’ 
views about agricultural occupations (e.g., design of farm machinery and forestry), were not 
significantly different from pretest to posttest. The Scholars’ perceptions of occupational 
requirements did not significantly change except for their perception that agricultural leaders 
had a college education, which significantly improved over the course of the REACH program.  

The Scholars’ changed their academic and career plans. In fact, 70% of Scholars changed their 
plans with 44% of these creating specific plans within FANHS. The written responses about 
future plans at the beginning and end of the REACH program provide a useful juxtaposition with 
the Perceptions of Agriculture and Agricultural Careers questionnaire as the written responses 
examined agriculture in the broader sense of FANHS. Collectively, these conclusions point to 
the expansion of what REACH Scholars considered a “good job in an agricultural occupation” 
during the program. 

The REACH program may have been effective at influencing future plans toward agriculture and 
the larger view of FANHS, and the program should continue. This research was not designed to 
show cause-and-effect relationships. However, examining the REACH Scholars’ experiences 
since the program contributes to understanding and improving the program. Of the 23 
participants, 30% have graduated from or are currently pursuing degrees from the University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville in food sciences, engineering, microbiology, and plant sciences. Three of 
these students continue to conduct undergraduate research in FANH. Of the 2021 cohort, two 
students still attend community college but continue to work as laboratory assistants under the 
supervision of agricultural faculty—indicative that an REEU experience helps community college 
participants be more competitive for career opportunities (Ashcroft et al., 2020; Ashcroft et al., 
2021).  

Talbert and Larke (1995b) validated the Perceptions of Agriculture and Agricultural Careers 
instrument with Texas high school students. While the participants in this study were 
community college students, the researchers judged the scale as appropriate as the community 
college students had limited experiences in agriculture, and none were agricultural majors at 
the time of the study. In future studies, researchers should consider a specific instrument that 
would feature agricultural occupations that require Applied Associates (e.g., Pullet Supervisor) 
and bachelor’s degrees (e.g., Broiler Farm Manager). This specific, localized instrument would 
be advantageous to represent the different academic goals among community college students 
and the available, localized career opportunities in food and agriculture.  

Lent (2013) describes that career development processes are reflective of complex jigsaw 
puzzles. Certainly, academic aptitude, environmental influences, personal interests, and other 
factors all contribute to this complexity (Wang, 2022). However, REACH demonstrated an 
effective outcome evaluation strategy for understanding career planning in the context of an 
REEU and assessing the REEU program. Responses to the written question, “How do you see 
the food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences incorporated into your future 



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career plans, if at all?” were particularly important in understanding how the [REACH] 
experience may have affected career plans. Additional research is needed on how REEU 
programs may influence overall agricultural literacy. Likewise, research is needed to understand 
the lived experiences of the REEU participants, including REACH Scholars, to improve 
undergraduate career development and academic advising. Likewise, researchers have 
identified this lack of qualitative research as a challenge for the SCCT knowledge base (Wang et 
al., 2022).  

Undergraduate research programs should prioritize community college students, particularly 
linking community colleges with colleges of agriculture. In addition, college of agriculture 
faculty should explore ways to engage community college faculty in agricultural research. 
Building the research capacity of community college faculty would produce additional 
agricultural research opportunities and enhance community college students’ competencies.    

Acknowledgements 
 
This study was funded by Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Education 
and Literacy Initiative Grant no. 2018-67032-27703 from the USDA National Institute of Food 
and Agriculture. A portion of this study was presented at the 2022 North American Colleges and 
Teachers of Agriculture Conference.  

Author Contributions -  J. L. Donaldson - formal analysis, investigation, methodology, writing-
original draft; K.D. Gwinn - conceptualization, formal analysis, funding acquisition, project 
administration, writing-review and editing; C. Stephens - conceptualization, writing-review and 
editing; S.C. Chmely - conceptualization, funding acquisition; T. Moody - formal analysis. 

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