Department Identification, Professional Identification, and Attitudes Toward Agriculture in Agriculture College Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the department identification, professional identification, and attitude toward agriculture of agriculture students. As the scope of agricultural higher education has been readjusted to focus on a system of content-related innovations instead of primary production, it is also an aim of the study to probe how students see themselves in agriculture. A total of 632 survey questionnaires were obtained from 349 sophomores and 283 seniors, equaling 25 % of the total amount of students (N = 2,554) enrolled in a college of agriculture. The results revealed the backgrounds of the agriculture students as well as their responses on all scales, and the responses of different groups of students were compared. Differences in department identification and professional identification and student attitudes toward agriculture were found among students of different ages, class levels, and study areas. Admission pathway and agriculture-related experience showed no significant differences in three study variables. Advanced SEM analysis showed that department identification significantly affects professional identification, and the effect of department identification on attitudes toward agriculture is mediated by professional identification. Consequently, the department identification of agriculture college students affects their professional identification and attitudes toward agriculture. To change college students' attitudes toward agriculture, an effective intervention could be to focus on social identity or group cohesion.