Identifying Student Cultural Awareness and Perceptions of Different Cultures

Abstract

The population of the United States is growing and increasing in cultural diversity. Of the total U.S. population in 2010, 50.48 million were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Colleges and universities must prepare students to be successful in this diverse work place. Agricultural college students must know how to navigate diversity in order to adapt to an ever-changing industry; one that employs a large number of foreign-born and possibly undocumented immigrants, and all the complexities of decisions made that involve this workforce. Bandura’s social cognitive theory provides the framework for teaching students to have a multicultural mindset leading to positive attitudes and behaviors toward immigrants. This study investigated the colorblind racial attitudes of undergraduate students in a College of Agriculture. The relationship between colorblindness and their attitudes toward undocumented immigrants was found to have a correlation. A regression analysis showed level of colorblindness as a significant predictor of attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. Therefore showing that if students adopt a colorblind racial attitude, it can be predicted they will have less favorable attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. Improving students’ attitudes of immigrants by teaching multiculturalism can lead to better engagement in the agricultural industry by up and coming professionals.