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Influential Factors on Choice of Home Economics as a Major for Black and White Women Attending Land‐Grant Colleges in the Southern Region
Author(s) -
Stout Betty L.,
Huber Anne L.,
Babcock Treva M.,
Lyson Thomas A.,
LeNoir Victoria R.,
Adams Leola
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
home economics research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.372
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1552-3934
pISSN - 0046-7774
DOI - 10.1177/1077727x8100900305
Subject(s) - preference , white (mutation) , family and consumer science , curriculum , variables , economics education , psychology , social psychology , sociology , demographic economics , demography , mathematics education , economics , pedagogy , primary education , biochemistry , chemistry , machine learning , computer science , gene , microeconomics
The relative importance of selected significant other, social origin, and curricular‐related educational and work experience variables on choice of major was determined. A stepwise form of discriminant analysis was used to distinguish black women ( N = 1198) majoring in home economics at predominantly black land‐grant colleges from white women ( N = 1005) majoring in home economics at predominantly white institutions in the Southern region. The most important discriminating social origin variables were parents' income, father's occupa tion, and father's political preference. Mothers were the most important significant other variable to differentiate the two groups. For the curriculum‐related variables, prior home economics experience, high school course, and participation in Future Homemakers of America manifested some discriminating power between the two groups. The results of the combined discriminant analysis for all variables indicated that social origin variables, i.e., father's education and parents' income, were the most important variables separating the two populations. The most important curriculum‐related experience and significant other factors to differentiate the two groups were high school home economics course and high school counselor, respectively. Each of the variables was more important for black home economics students' choices of a major than for their white counterparts.