Suchergebnisse

Of the almost six million youth reported as 4-H members in 2014, only 610,161 were listed as students in grades 9–12, compared to 1,941,406 in grades 4–8. This great disparity has been a long-held concern of 4-H professionals. Identifying both barriers to and contributing factors for continued 4-H membership is critical in understanding membership trends. This study employed the theoretical framework of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to uncover such barriers and contributing factors. Qualitative analysis showed that a desire to terminate 4-H membership during the middle school grades was common, yet perceived behavioral control among 4-H members had the largest impact on whether or not a 4-H member continued involvement. These findings suggest that parents have a large impact on whether a youth continues 4-H membership. Thus, parental education programs related to the importance of 4-H dosage and duration as it relates to positive youth development are key to retaining 4-H members. The researchers conclude with recommendations for putting the findings of this study into action to increase 4-H member retention.

The relationship between a supervisor and his/her employee has a direct effect on the employee's level of job satisfaction and decision to remain in the organization. Extension agent retention has been shown to increase when a positive relationship and supervisory support exist between an Extension agent and his/her supervisor. Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory was used to examine relationships with and impacts of supervisor management on Extension agent job satisfaction. A census of Florida Extension agents were asked to describe their relationships with their County Extension Directors (CED). Significant positive relationships were found between agent job satisfaction and ratings of the hygiene factors of Effective Senior Management and Effective Supervisor. A significant positive relationship was also found between these two hygiene factors. A significant difference was found between effective senior management and the agents' CEDs gender, with agents with male CEDs reporting higher average levels of satisfaction with Effective Senior Management than agents with female CEDs. Significant differences also existed between agents' Effective Senior Management satisfaction and years of working relationship between agents and CEDs. Extension supervision and leadership training should be a focus of Extension administration as effective supervision and management have a positive impact on Extension agent job satisfaction.

County Extension offices are responsible for the majority of programming delivered in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore assets influencing the quality of county Extension programs. A basic qualitative research design was followed to conduct constant comparative analysis of five Extension county program review reports. Using the appreciative inquiry process as the lens through which to view the county program review reports revealed multiple assets leading to quality programming. Assets of the reviewed county Extension programs were found to cluster within the following themes: competent and enthusiastic Extension faculty, community partnerships, engaged and supportive stakeholders, effective resource management, sufficient and stable workforce, meeting stakeholder needs, positive reputation, access to facilities, positive relationships between county and state faculty, and innovative practices. The use of both needs-based and assets-based paradigms will provide Extension organizations with a more holistic understanding of its assets and a research-based foundation from which to make decisions about strengthening the organization at all levels.

The purpose of this article was to explore the concept of urban Extension as perceived by Extension agents within the Tampa Bay area, one of Florida's fastest growing metropolitan areas. From a theoretical perspective, it is critical to understand Extension agents' beliefs about urban Extension because behaviors are directly related to attitudes (Ajzen, 2012). In 2016, a qualitative investigation was undertaken to explore the perspectives of 23 agents working within the Tampa Bay area. Results showed the majority of agents believed that context and client needs are unique for urban Extension, and that to a lesser extent, unique agent expertise is required. Further, these beliefs impacted how agents reported their approach to programming, with an emphasis on providing convenience and seeking partnerships. Difficulties were identified related to identifying the role of Extension in a resource-rich environment of service providers, which contributed to the existence of a perceived disconnect between urban audiences and Extension. Opportunities exist for Extension leadership to provide strategic organizational support that will enhance agents' abilities to succeed in the metropolitan environment.

The relationship between a supervisor and employee has a direct effect on the employee's job satisfaction, work productivity, and efficiency. Understanding the interactions between Extension agents and County Extension Directors is critical to maintaining positive relationships and providing adequate support to Extension supervisors through professional development and training opportunities. This article examined the dyadic relationships between Extension agents and County Extension Directors in Florida. The majority of Florida Extension agents have high-quality relationship with their County Extension Directors. In addition, over half of relationships of five years or less are in the partner phase, suggesting new employees of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service progress through the leadership making process in a relatively short amount of time. UF/IFAS Extension Administration should provide increased leadership training for County Extension Directors to ensure all dyads progress through the leadership-making process to the partner phase, such as relationship building, and management and supervisory training.

UF/IFAS Extension launched a long-term strategic planning process in 2019 to create positive change within the organization and within Florida. Conducting an internal needs assessment was prioritized as an important component of the planning process to address concerns that the previous strategic plan did not sufficiently focus on the organization's needs, especially faculty needs. So, this study was conducted in 2020 to determine UF/IFAS Extension faculty's perceptions of selected hygiene factors associated with workplace motivation. An online survey consisting of 13 sections was distributed through Qualtrics to 612 UF/IFAS Extension faculty. Faculty tended to be slightly satisfied with the UF/IFAS Extension Roadmap, their job workload, and their salary and benefits. The faculty reported the greatest degree of dissatisfaction for items related to the performance appraisal system. Annual appraisal and reporting system policies need to be reviewed to improve the clarity of instructions, decrease the time burden, and adjust the document's format, as these actions should decrease faculty dissatisfaction and improve job performance. Then, UF/IFAS Extension will be well-positioned to focus its efforts on enhancing motivation factors for faculty and its overall organizational effectiveness as it heads into the next phase as an organization.

4-H, like all Extension programs, must answer the charge to demonstrate its long-term impact. This article introduces the idea of using IMPLAN, a software program that can be used to estimate economic impacts, to evaluate the impact of 4-H livestock projects. An example is provided based on data from a real county 4-H program. Using IMPLAN enables 4-H to describe the estimated economic impact from one of its largest project areas. Agents can and should use IMPLAN results to help communicate the value of 4-H to state legislators, county commissioners, and key stakeholders.

This study explored solutions to the issue of burnout and retention of Extension agents. Extension agents experience burnout for reasons such as long hours, stress, and organizational factors. As Extension administration addresses job satisfaction and performance of Extension employees, burnout and retention issues identified in this study can facilitate efforts to enhance the effectiveness of a statewide Extension program. Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory was the theoretical framework for this study. Researchers used the constant-comparative method of analysis to identify recurring themes from the open-ended items of an online-administered survey. Twelve primary themes emerged, including (a) compensation, (b) hiring practices, (c) promotion and advancement within Extension, (d) organizational support regarding agent development, (e) organizational support regarding administration, (f) organizational support regarding colleagues, (g) reporting, (h) recognition, (i) resources, (j) personnel and staffing, (k) evaluation of administration and specialists, and (l) workload. Results suggest that Extension administration should focus on the maintenance factors of compensation, workload, and internal promotion and advancement, as well as motivating factors, to improve retention of Extension agents.

The Cooperative Extension System has a high turnover rate. Studies indicate a need to improve collaboration and communication efforts between agents to improve their retention. This exploratory study used a social capital lens to investigate agents' collegial relationships and access to information. Cross-sectional data were collected from a nonrandomized sample of Extension agents from Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension. Results showed agents' engagement in professional associations depended on their programmatic responsibilities. Few agents were active members of associations that were not linked to their specific program area. Findings pointed to a low level of bridging capital and a higher level of bonding capital since agents had strong ties with colleagues in their own programmatic area. Agents mostly socialized with others in their own program area at statewide events, and most did not seek information from a district or regional director. This may adversely impact information sharing due to an overdependence on homogenous networks. This study suggested the social capital of MSU Extension agents could be more fully developed. Agents may benefit from opportunities to engage in national-level and heterogenous professional organizations to build bridging capital.

Forming positive relationships is an important part of the onboarding process for new Extension professionals. Often, formal mentors are assigned to new employees, but they also develop relationships with other colleagues in the organization. Past studies have found quality relationships with mentors and coworkers can positively influence job outcomes such as employee turnover, organizational performance, and organizational commitment. This study examined the perceptions that early career Extension agents in Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi had of their formal mentors and best-liked coworkers using a causal-comparative design and online survey. Results showed early career Extension agents tended to have marginally positive views of their relationships with their formal mentors but perceived high-quality relationships with their coworkers. Neither type of relationship was significantly related to organizational commitment, but increased frequency of contact with the formal mentor was significantly related to more positive perceptions of the mentoring relationship. Extension organizations should provide structured guidelines for frequency of interactions between mentors and mentees to help improve those relationships.

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.