Presented By: Kevin Curry, Pennsylvania State University
Co-Authors: Bob Mikesell, Pennsylvania State University

Agriculture has plentiful examples of how misconceptions or plain ignorance can have real-world impacts on how people perceive the industry. The purpose of the study was to measure the degree to which students increased their agricultural literacy after completing an introductory general education course in the College of Agricultural Science at [university]. An introductory animal science course and introductory issues in agriculture course at [university] taught by different faculty members were chosen to examine their impact on improving agricultural literacy. Students (n = 63) were assessed pre and post completion of their respective courses on an instrument measuring their perceptions of agricultural issues and their approach towards voting on agricultural policy. A paired samples t-test revealed a significant gain from 3.05 to 3.75 (5-point likert scale) on the knowledge of agricultural issues scale between the start and end of the course (t = 9.33, p = <.001, d = 1.05). Seven of the eight individual items on the scale (eg. Small-scale, locally-produced food is healthier and safer than food produced from large-scale farms) had significant positive differences in perceptions between pre and post assessment. No differences were observed pre to post on the agricultural policy construct (t = .34, p = .73). Results indicate that both courses measured in the fall of 2023 made positive, significant impacts on the agricultural literacy of students, particularly regarding misconceptions in agriculture. Future research is needed to unpack the degree to which those gains in knowledge on agriculture issues ultimately impact consumer decision and behavior on said issues. Discussion to include the design elements common to both courses that contributed most to gains in agricultural issue perceptions.