4-H—Going Beyond Life Skill Development

The investment of tax dollars means 4-H must distinguish itself from its youth-development peers. Such an argument can be developed by examining organizational research, the historical contributions and tradition of 4-H, and the contributions of the modern 4-H program. Although the context of 4-H has broadened beyond food production, it continues to contribute positively to the development of the U.S. economy. Extension\u27s challenge is to prove 4-H\u27s worth by demonstrating a clear return-on-investment to stakeholders. Doing so may be exactly what is required to justify the continuation of public funds

An In-Depth Look at 4-H Enrollment and Retention

The membership of 4-H is a highly fluctuating, variable body, with youth coming and going at all ages. A more complete understanding of this fluctuation can be obtained by examining enrollment and retention trends, allowing agents to identify key strategies to increase membership in their own counties. By using the ES 237 data for Colorado from 2002 and 2003, it was possible to recognize patterns that have implications for the ways agents handle recruitment. Increasing retention in 4-H is most closely linked to enrolling youth at an early age and preventing the loss of first year members

An Examination of Trinidadian Officer\u27s Behavioral Beliefs and Intent to Participate in an International Extension Experience

Participation in an international extension experience empowers extension professionals to meet the needs of diverse clientele in an increasingly global world. A survey of governmental extension workers in Trinidad was conducted to understand how their behavioral beliefs about an international extension experience influenced their intention to participate in such an experience. Behavioral beliefs can be positively or negatively modified based on an individual’s perceptions of the components (time, location, activities) of a specific international extension experience, so manipulating the components should cause corresponding changes in behavioral beliefs and ultimately intent to participate. This study found positive behavioral beliefs about international extension experience participation are held by Trinidadian extension officers. They are willing to travel to a wide variety of locations and are most interested in acquiring hands-on experience and working one-on-one with another extension professional. The most desirable locations and activities should be integrated into international extension experiences in order to positively influence behavioral beliefs, and thereby intent to participate. Future research is needed to more closely examine the impact of participation on extension officers in Trinidad

Developing Strong International Agricultural Education Programs by Understanding Cognition

International experiences provide culturally rich, complex situations for learners to process in both the affective and cognitive domains. By better understanding how learners process the information they receive in international settings, educators can develop quality international programs that encourage learners to more fully develop their cognitive abilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the cognitive relationships between participants’ learning styles, problem solving styles, and critical thinking dispositions in an international setting. Relationships were found between learning style preferences and critical thinking disposition, and learning style preferences and problem solving style. Given these results, instructors working in international settings should expect students to differ in terms of their cognitive processes and associated cognitive styles such as learning style. Instructors should be prepared to address these differences in style as they would in a traditional instructional setting. Further, instructors can use assessment tools to group students to work together most effectively and/or to achieve diversity in their thinking styles and approaches to solving problems

Identifying Best Practices for Engaging Faculty in International Agricultural Education Experiences

Universities are being called upon to internationalize curriculum as the need for a globally competent workforce increases. Without globally-competent faculty, international integration within higher education cannot occur. Literature indicates that participation in short-term international agricultural education experiences is important to increasing agricultural faculty members’ cultural awareness. However, the best way to design and implement such experiences for faculty is uncharted. The purpose of the study was to identify best practices for facilitating a short-term international agricultural education experience for faculty in the agricultural and life sciences that encouraged learning, discussion, and reflection leading faculty to further integrate international perspectives in their agricultural courses in the U.S. Through a qualitative research design, reflective observations and statements from a planning team conducting a shortterm international agricultural education experience in Ecuador were used to provide a thick, rich description of the successes/challenges faced while designing and implementing the experience. The results provided a list of best practices future planning team members can use to emphasize learning before, during, and after a short-term international agricultural education experience for faculty

Expressions 2004-2006

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/expressions/1022/thumbnail.jp

The Comprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) study: design and methods for a cluster-randomized pragmatic trial

Background: Patients discharged home after stroke face significant challenges managing residual neurological deficits, secondary prevention, and pre-existing chronic conditions. Post-discharge care is often fragmented leading to increased healthcare costs, readmissions, and sub-optimal utilization of rehabilitation and community services. The COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) Study is an ongoing cluster-randomized pragmatic trial to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive, evidence-based, post-acute care model on patient-centered outcomes. Methods: Forty-one hospitals in North Carolina were randomized (as 40 units) to either implement the COMPASS care model or continue their usual care. The recruitment goal is 6000 patients (3000 per arm). Hospital staff ascertain and enroll patients discharged home with a clinical diagnosis of stroke or transient ischemic attack. Patients discharged from intervention hospitals receive 2-day telephone follow-up; a comprehensive clinic visit within 2 weeks that includes a neurological evaluation, assessments of social and functional determinants of health, and an individualized COMPASS Care PlanTM integrated with a community-specific resource database; and additional follow-up calls at 30 and 60 days post-stroke discharge. This model is consistent with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services transitional care management services provided by physicians or advanced practice providers with support from a nurse to conduct patient assessments and coordinate follow-up services. Patients discharged from usual care hospitals represent the control group and receive the standard of care in place at that hospital. Patient-centered outcomes are collected from telephone surveys administered at 90 days. The primary endpoint is patient-reported functional status as measured by the Stroke Impact Scale 16. Secondary outcomes are: caregiver strain, all-cause readmissions, mortality, healthcare utilization, and medication adherence. The study engages patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders (including policymakers, advocacy groups, payers, and local community coalitions) to advise and support the design, implementation, and sustainability of the COMPASS care model. Discussion: Given the high societal and economic burden of stroke, identifying a care model to improve recovery, independence, and quality of life is critical for stroke survivors and their caregivers. The pragmatic trial design provides a real-world assessment of the COMPASS care model effectiveness and will facilitate rapid implementation into clinical practice if successful

Addressing climate change with behavioral science: a global intervention tournament in 63 countries

Effectively reducing climate change requires marked, global behavior change. However, it is unclear which strategies are most likely to motivate people to change their climate beliefs and behaviors. Here, we tested 11 expert-crowdsourced interventions on four climate mitigation outcomes: beliefs, policy support, information sharing intention, and an effortful tree-planting behavioral task. Across 59,440 participants from 63 countries, the interventions’ effectiveness was small, largely limited to nonclimate skeptics, and differed across outcomes: Beliefs were strengthened mostly by decreasing psychological distance (by 2.3%), policy support by writing a letter to a future-generation member (2.6%), information sharing by negative emotion induction (12.1%), and no intervention increased the more effortful behavior—several interventions even reduced tree planting. Last, the effects of each intervention differed depending on people’s initial climate beliefs. These findings suggest that the impact of behavioral climate interventions varies across audiences and target behaviors