| The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the name "Future Farmers of America" upon: a secondary students' decision to enroll in a vocational agriculture program; vocational agriculture students participation in the FFA organization; and upon sponsor participation in the National FFA Foundation program. The sample consisted of all state supervisors of agricultural education, two levels of National FFA Foundation sponsors, all state FFA executive secretaries, the head teacher educator from each university preparing vocational agriculture teachers, and a stratified random sample of 389 vocational agriculture teachers. A total of 415 usable opinionnaires (66 percent of the sample population) was returned.;The following conclusions were drawn from the analysis and interpretation of the data collected. While many reasons have been suggested for the decrease in enrollments, it does not appear the decline cannot be contributed to the name "Future Farmers of America." Although the name is appropriate for students in production agriculture, it is not an appropriate name for the areas of agricultural mechanics, ornamental horticulture, agricultural resources, and agricultural products. The name has not had a detrimental effect on the vocational agriculture students' decision to participate in activities of the FFA or the ability to obtain financial contributions. The majority of respondents indicated the letters "FFA" are an established trademark of the organization, therefore should be maintained. Regardless of the name of the student organization, much more emphasis needs to be placed on public relations at all levels in an attempt to inform the public of the nature, scope, and purpose of the vocational agriculture program and the FFA. The researcher recommended that the letters "FFA" replace the name "Future Farmers of America" and be used as the name for the student organization in vocational agriculture.;Data were collected by the use of a mailed opinionnaire that was developed by the researcher. Instrument items were validated by a group of individuals knowledgeable in both the FFA and vocational agriculture programs. Data analysis consisted of frequency counts, t-tests, and ANOVAs. Cronbach's coefficient alpha for instrument reliability was determined to be.84,.83, and.89 for enrollment, participation, and sponsorship, respectively. |
