ITW: Changing Perceptions: Agriculture, Education, and Information Technology in Mississippi

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

Investigators

Abstract

This CISE Information Technology Workforce (ITW) proposal requests funds to determine if an early intervention program promotes students' interest in pursuing a career in IT. More specifically, this project will focus on the factors affecting students' decisions to enter the IT workforce in Mississippi's agricultural industry. The target population will be students, especially underrepresented groups and females, enrolled in a new curriculum in Agriculture and Environmental Science and Technology (AEST). The schools using the AEST curriculum are primarily small, rural, comprehensive high schools and have an average of 45% minority student population. AEST program schools will be matched with non-AEST schools with similar demographics. This project has the potential to provide valuable insight about the impact of a culturally relevant intervention program on the interest of women and underrepresented groups in pursuing IT careers.