Using Popular Media and a Collaborative Approach to Teaching Grounded Theory Research Methods

Popular movies were used in a doctoral-level qualitative research methods course as a way to help students learn about how to collect and analyze qualitative observational data in order to develop a grounded theory. The course was designed in such a way that collaboration was central to the generation of knowledge. Using media depictions had the practical advantage of enabling the group to create fieldnotes from a common set of data collected simultaneously in a short period of time. Fictional representations in popular media can provide the basis to learn about both the methods and foundational assumptions for conducting qualitative research, including the challenges of bracketing prior assumptions

The Relationship Between Employee Motivation and Evaluation Capacity in a Community-Based Education Organization

Background: Evaluation capacity building (ECB) has gained popularity among organizations due to the increased importance of accountability and organizational effectiveness. While the ECB literature has occasionally addressed the notion of motivation, it has usually been in terms of motivation to do or use evaluation (Clinton, 2014; Taylor-Ritzler et al., 2013); this study sought to ascertain whether general overall employee motivation in an organization is itself related to evaluation capacity. By better understanding this relationship, those who are involved in administering, implementing, evaluating, or researching ECB can be better equipped to understand one of the ‘mediating conditions’ or ‘antecedent conditions’ (Cousins et al., 2014) affecting an organization’s ability to do and use evaluation, and, in turn, can more efficiently and effectively craft their ECB work. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between: (a) employee motivation and individual evaluation capacity; (b) employee motivation and evaluative thinking, and (c) evaluation capacity and evaluative thinking. Setting: The study focused on the Cooperative Extension System, a non-formal community-based education organization linked to public land-grant universities throughout the United States. Specifically, this study drew participants from two state Extension systems, Virginia and Maryland. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: This quantitative study used a descriptive correlational design (Creswell, 2003) to uncover the relationship between the variables: motivation and evaluation capacity, motivation and evaluative thinking, and evaluation capacity and evaluative thinking. Data Collection and Analysis: To investigate the relationship between the factors of interest (motivation, evaluation capacity, and evaluative thinking), three instruments were used: the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS), the Evaluation Capacity Assessment Instrument (ECAI), and the Evaluative Thinking Inventory (ETI). STATA MP 13.1 quantitative software was used to analyze the collected data. Findings: Employees with lower overall motivation in doing their work have lower evaluation capacity, and employees with higher motivation which is triggered by no external means but driven by internal factors have higher evaluation capacity

Cooperative Extension’s Capacity to Address Food Insecurity by Supporting Food Recovery Organizations

Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) educators are uniquely positioned to support the food recovery organizations (FROs) which address hunger-related needs resulting from food insecurity. Based on an online survey to measure how VCE educators have engaged with FROs and their experiences, respondents who previously supported FROs did so across multiple programming areas, and those who had not indicated an interest while also experiencing barriers. Respondents also reported the need for context- and audience-specific resources particular to the spectrum of food recovery. Addressing barriers and resource needs through a transdisciplinary eXtension Food Recovery Community of Practice may support educators in doing this work

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Experiential Learning in Cyberbiosecurity and Agriculture Through Workforce Development

Cyberbiosecurity and workforce development in agriculture and the life sciences (ALS) is a growing area of need in the curriculum in higher education. Students that pursue majors related to ALS often do not include training in cyber-related concepts or expose the ‘hidden curriculum’ of seeking internships and jobs. Exposing students through workforce development training and hands-on engagement with industry professionals can provide learning opportunities to bridge the two and is an area of growth and demand as the workforce evolves. The objectives of this work were 1) to learn key concepts in cybersecurity, including data security, visualization, and analysis, to name a few, through class activities and engagement with professional partners and 2) to understand what knowledge students gained from participating in the course could transfer over for when they enter the workforce. Three themes emerged from the study where students, through direct engagement with industry partners, gained more insight about the industry applicable to their studies; they established work environment expectations for entering internships and official job placements and established ways in which the workforce development training informed their future careers