Examining Likeness among Secondary Agriculture Youth

Likeness, also known as homophily, describes the tendency for individuals to seek out others who are socially similar to themselves. As a society, we are attracted to "like" behaviors, but subconsciously the value placed on likeness can lead to undesirable outcomes including segregation, reduced diversity in peer groups, and narrower social interactions. Homophily behaviors present major limitations to multicultural group interaction and can negatively impact the recruitment and retention of diverse groups. The purpose of this study was to determine if homophily behavior exists among Kentucky secondary agricultural education youth toward three binary variables: a) farm background/non-farm athlete; b) Black student/white student; and c) gay student/straight student. Senior level high school students throughout the state were randomly assigned two, of eight, mock student profiles to determine if they were "like" them or "different" than them. Student participants reported homophily-likeness toward students who were white and perceived differences in likeness from students who were Black or gay. Further analysis suggested that students were open to likeness if the mock student profile reflected a minimum of two similar variables to their own demographic. Continued critical research, conversation, and professional growth in homophily is necessary to avoid particular group extraction and to promote inclusion and diversity initiatives in secondary agricultural education.