Education Commons^™

Family And Consumer Sciences Extension Agent Receptivenessto Innovative Caregiving Programming, Kristopher M. Struckmeyer, Gina Peek, Paula J. Tripp, Alex J. Bishop, Sarah R. Gordon

Faculty Publications - Teaching and Educational Leadership

Communities can adapt to residents' needs through innovative citizen-led initiatives. Extension can facilitate these innovation initiatives, but are Extension agents always receptive to such change? We conducted a study to examine the association between organizational change and personal factors and Extension family and consumer sciences agents' innovativeness regarding caregiving programming. Respondents rated their receptiveness to change and answered questions regarding psychosocial health factors. We found that years in current position, leadership self-efficacy, interoffice support, and social support were significant predictors of innovativeness. Results suggest that personal factors rather than organizational change factors may be the more crucial mechanisms for driving …