Writing Success Stories for Program Enhancement and Accountability

Success stories showcase Extension program efforts. In a time of greater demand for accountability and performance measurement, success stories provide a qualitative measure of Extension program success. This article describes the rationale, the need, and tips for writing success stories. From the accountability standpoint, success stories serve as readily available piece of information for program impact. In addition, they also serve as a communication and marketing tool and also improving the communication and/or writing skills of Extension agents

Tips for Developing and Testing Questionnaires/Instruments

Questionnaires are the most widely used data collection methods in educational and evaluation research. This article describes the process for developing and testing questionnaires and posits five sequential steps involved in developing and testing a questionnaire: research background, questionnaire conceptualization, format and data analysis, and establishing validity and reliability. Systematic development of questionnaires is a must to reduce many measurement errors. Following these five steps in questionnaire development and testing will enhance data quality and utilization of research

4-H Experiences Contributing to Leadership and Personal Development of 4-H Alumni

The study reported here examined the contribution of 4-H experiences on leadership and personal development of Pennsylvania 4-H alumni. A total of 168 4-H alumni responded to a mail survey. Stepwise regression analysis identified six variables (challenges and responsibilities, benefits of 4-H participation, number of years in 4-H, animal science projects completed, usefulness and total number of 4-H projects completed) contributing to leadership and personal development. The variables explained 69.5% of the total variance. Pennsylvania 4-H alumni view their 4-H experience as very beneficial. The experiences they had in 4-H continue to influence them in later life

Experiences of 4-H Japanese Exchange Program on Participants: An Evaluative Study

The study described here assessed the 4-H Japanese Exchange Program in terms of arrival and departure orientation programs, 4-H program expectations, host family expectations, program coordination, and school and community experience. Overall, findings indicated that participants rated their exchange experience as excellent. The service received from 4-H, friendliness, and professionalism were also rated highly by participants. Seventy-one percent indicated that they would recommend the 4-H exchange program to others in their home country. As a result of participating in the 4-H Japanese Exchange Program, participants agreed that they better understand intercultural sensitivity and global perspectives

Identifying Extension Information Delivery Methods For Environmental Issues

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the types of information sources that farmers find useful, and the human resource organizations they depend upon when confronted with environmental issues

Information Sources and Extension Delivery Methods Used by Private Longleaf Pine Landowners

Reaching forest landowners with useful information has become a challenging task for Extension educators. This task is even more complex when landowners have differing perceptions about the delivery method and usefulness of the information delivered. A study was conducted to determine the preferred educational delivery methods of forest landowners in South Carolina. We found that landowners do have preferences for educational delivery methods and believe educators should consider the preferred methods to maximize program efforts. Further, findings reinforce the need to modify delivery systems to fit the demographic profile of the intended audience and the changes occurring in technology

Addressing climate change impacts on agriculture and natural resources: Barriers and priorities for land-grant universities in the northeastern United States

Climate change has serious implications for agricultural production, natural resource management, and food security. In the United States, land-grant universities and the U.S. Cooperative Extension System have a critical role to play in conducting basic and applied research related to climate change and translating findings into meaningful programming. However, land-grant universities and Extension have had difficulty maintaining their roles as the preeminent source of trusted information on complex topics like climate change. To help guide research and programming agendas of land-grant universities, the authors explored the barriers and priorities that researchers and Extension personnel at 16 northeastern land-grant universities perceive as they pursue climate change research and programming. Through an online survey, respondents indicated their perceptions of barriers related to information, workplace, and target audiences as well as the priorities they perceived as most important for land-grant universities to pursue. Statistical analysis indicated that lack of funding, lack of time, lack of locally relevant climate information, and challenges with target audiences were among the most critical barriers. In terms of future priorities, respondents indicated securing funding for applied research, training Extension educators, and developing locally relevant decision support tools as the most important activities northeastern land-grant universities can undertake. Based on these findings, this study concludes that land-grant universities will need to strategically pursue research and educational programming on climate change in ways that integrate research and Extension and simultaneously address climate change and other concerns of land managers

Persepsi Pemandu/petandu terhadap Pembentukan Kelompok Ipphti, Jawa Barat

IPPHTI (Ikatan Petani Pengendalian Hama Terpadu Indonesia) nasional berawal dari kegiatan-kegiatan terkait dengan Sekolah Lapangan (SL). Tujuan studi ini adalah meneliti persepsi pemandu/petandu IPPHTI berkaitan dengan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi pembentukan kelompok IPPHTI, Jawa Barat. Profil demografik dari survei menunjukkan mayoritas laki-laki (partisipasi wanita 30%), bersuku Sunda, berpendidikan SD dan telah menamatkan SL. Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi pembentukan kelompok IPPHTI adalah tersedianya sumberdaya manusia (SDM) dan adanya jaringan organisasi-organisasi. Kategori ilmu dan pengetahuan membuktikan ada kaitan dengan keinginan tahu dan hak-hak asasi manusia khususnya hak milik tanah. Jenis kelaminan, kesukuan, status kepemimpinan, dan penggarapan atas tanah tidak membuktikan adanya perbedaan berarti dalam persepsi antara berbagai status pendidikan dan pembentukan IPPHTI. Meskipun demikian, terdapat perbedaan berarti dalam persepsi antara berbagai status pendidikan dan pembentukan kelompok IPPHTI. Para pemandu/petandu siap berdiskusi dengan pemerintah setempat dan Dinas Pertanian terkait mengenai hasil survei ini. Hasil dari survei, yang dilaksanakan April 2004, sudah dilaporkan ke responden (IPPHTI, Jawa Barat). Diskusi yang berlangsung meliputi tiga pertanyaan: 1. Mengapa status pendidikan mempengaruhi hasil survei? 2. Apakah dasar dari korelasi antara pengetahuan yang diperoleh dan hak milik tanah? 3. Mengapa SDM lebih bernilai daripada bantuan ekonomi dalam mengembangkan IPPHTI? Pendapat yang muncul dari diskusi-diskusi adalah apabila pelatihan SDM tersedia, maka sumberdaya ekonomi dari pemerintah dan swasta serta penelitian universitas akan lebih baik dimanfaatkan yang dilatih SL. Memperoleh informasi yang secara konkret dapat memperbaiki penghidupan petani selalu menjadi tujuan utama dari IPPHTI

Strengthening Community Engagement Toward Sustainable Local Food Systems

Perspectives of Extension educators relative to local food system (LFS) issues are examined. These educators perceived consumer food safety, viable ag-related businesses, land use planning, farm land preservation, loss of family-owned farms, and access to quality foods as important issues. Extension educators viewed county Extension directors, regional directors, and program advisory boards as the strongest supporters for the local LFS. Lack of program resources to support and carry out LFS programming was identified as a barrier. Significant differences were also found between Extension educators\u27 demographic and program characteristics and important LFS issues

Professional Development Needs of State Extension Specialists

A study was conducted to determine professional development needs of state Extension specialists employed by Clemson University. Three constructs, program development and evaluation, research generation and synthesis, and communication and presentation, were examined. Specialists responded to a survey that contained 35 statements relative to the three constructs, measured on a Likert scale. Demographic information was also gathered. Matrix analysis was used to determine critical professional development needs of specialists. Overall, the matrix analysis yielded 3 critical needs and 11 low level needs. Critical needs identified were: 1) communicate program impact to key decision makers, 2) communicate client problems to researchers, and 3) view problems from different perspectives