Digital Commons Network^™

Promoting Organic Seed Systems: Directions For Extension Programming In Northeast Seed Systems, Megnot Mulugeta, Daniel Tobin, Carina V. Isbell

The Journal of Extension

Despite the importance of seed availability to food and agriculture, seed systems have received scant attention within Extension research and practice. To address this gap, we designed a participatory needs assessment revolving around the 2021 Northeast Organic Seed Conference to assess individuals’ experiences within Northeastern organic seed systems and their opinions concerning their resource access, challenges, and sense of empowerment. Based on a post-conference survey, our findings suggest that Extension’s future efforts should focus on facilitating partnerships between and among community-based/non-profit seed groups, at-home gardeners, seed companies, university researchers, and legal scholars to promote equity and inclusion.

An Evaluation Of Capacity For Cooperative Extension To Implement Evidence-Based Programming In Two Rural Communities, Karen A. Vines, Laura A. Nelson, Sophie Wenzel

The Journal of Extension

The implementation process of an evidence-based program related to substance prevention was evaluated in two rural communities. Data included interviews with Extension agents and surveys of community leaders partnering on the program. Challenges to program fidelity were primarily associated with limited human resources in the small, rural communities. Community context must be considered when developing similar programs to determine opportunities for adjustment that will not undermine the success of the program.

An Exploration Of Learning And Teaching Methods In Agricultural Extension, Jeremy Levinson, Dave Lamie, Michael Vassalos, Chris Eck, Juang Chong, Francis P. F. Reay-Jones

The Journal of Extension

Abstract

The Train-the-Trainer approach is widely used in Cooperative Extension education to efficiently disseminate research-based information to many clientele groups, including farmers. This paper compares the traditional Train-the-Trainer model to a comprehensive Collaborative Train-the-Trainer model and discusses weaknesses of the traditional model that are addressed in the Collaborative model. Sources of information used by farmers (growers) and overall effectiveness were measured through a survey instrument created and distributed to farmers in South and North Carolina. The Collaborative Train-the-Trainer model, which emphasizes peer-to-peer interaction and feedback loops, represents an enhanced approach for conceptualizing and implementing Extension educational programs.

Insights Into Impact: Evaluating An Adult Leadership Program Offered Through Michigan State University Extension, Aaron J. Mckim, Jordan Pusateri Burroughs

The Journal of Extension

Agriculture, food, and natural resource (AFNR) systems need leaders to catalyze positive change. Thus, Extension professionals have consistently developed innovative and impactful leadership programming. In the current study, the alumni of one such program in Michigan were surveyed to evaluate the sustained impact of the program. Program alumni rated themselves highest in Empowerment and Perspective Development and perceived the strongest programmatic impact in Empowerment and Emotional Resilience. These data were further analyzed to create a “Leadership Impact Factor,” which illuminates the impact of a program using a single number. Recommendations are made for Extension professionals facilitating similar leadership education programming.

A Needs Assessment Of Extension Staff To Implement Inclusive Programming For Adults With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, E. Andrew Pitchford, Christine Hradek, Jody Gatewood, Debra M. Sellers

The Journal of Extension

This study is a needs assessment of Extension staff in the state of Iowa to implement inclusive programming for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Electronic surveys were completed by Extension staff on their attitudes and beliefs toward people with IDD, inclusive programming, and training needs. Results showed that Extension staff had positive views, but that staff reporting personal experience with people with IDD had more positive attitudes and beliefs (p

Online Political Participation Among Younger Generations: A Case Study Of The Nigerian Presidential Election, Bowale Odukale

All Theses

The 2023 presidential elections in Nigeria represented a significant milestone in the nation's democratic progression, capturing the interest of observers both within the country and abroad. This study identifies the key online opinion leaders who participated in the electoral discourse, their generational affiliation, and the role of social media in facilitating youth engagement throughout the political process. Using Sprinkl, an online monitoring tool to harvest publicly available tweets containing the hashtag #NigeriaDecides2023 from February 11 to March 15, coupled with interviews, the study identified the prominent opinion leaders with significant influence, their types of messages and the motives behind youth …

Understanding The Experiences Of Para-Collegiate Student- Athletes: A Mixed Methods Study, Derek Whaley

All Dissertations

Experiences are the impressions developed through gaining, using, fostering, and sometimes disposing of a service or product. Recent years have shown an ongoing emphasis placed on experiences and their impacts; one of particular interest for this study are the experiences of para-collegiate student-athletes. Using the Experience Type Framework (ETF) and the Extraordinary Impact Scale (EIS), the purpose of this study was to understand the experience of involvement in intercollegiate sports among adaptive student-athletes. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, using quantitative and qualitative data to understand the adaptive student-athlete experience. Phase I (n = 30) used the …

Shift Schedule Justice And Clinician Outcomes: A Quasi-Experimental Approach, Caroline George

All Dissertations

Emergency Physicians (EPs) work in stressful and unpredictable work environments. Due to these factors and the nature of their work scheduling (in shifts), EPs experience heightened levels of adverse work outcomes. As such, it is important for EPs to believe their shift schedule is fair, and for them to have adequate recovery time away from work. The present research examined the effects of Emergency Department leadership approving a 1-hour increase to EP shifts, equating to roughly two fewer shifts per month (8-hour shifts will become 9-hour shifts). As such, EPs should experience more time off from work per month, allowing …

Essays On The Labor Market Outcomes And Location Choices Of Military Veterans, Brian Bifulco

All Dissertations

The economic outcomes of military veterans are a persistent source of interest for economists, policy analysts, and the public in the United States. Veterans' outcomes bear directly on the decision of prospective recruits to join the military and current service-members to exit the military, informing policymakers about the long-term sustainability of the all-volunteer force. This dissertation focuses on veterans' economic outcomes by examining their relationship with market entry conditions and the location decisions veterans make when they exit the military.

Chapter 1 examines the earnings and employment outcomes of new military veterans associated with market entry conditions. This chapter intersects …

Going, Going, Gone: The Influence Of Job And Home Demands And Resources On Emergency Department Nurse Turnover, Jordan Gail Smith

All Dissertations

Nurse turnover, which challenged healthcare organizations even before the pandemic, reached alarming rates across hospitals worldwide during COVID-19. Due to the unprecedented and stressful nature of the pandemic, recent investigations have focused primarily on exploring job demands and nurse turnover intentions. While job demands are critical to understanding turnover, this narrow scope ignores the possible influence of other factors such as job resources and demands and resources external to the work domain. This study utilized archival qualitative data from a longitudinal survey of Emergency Department clinicians to analyze research questions and hypotheses. The first aim of this study was to …

Emotional Labor Performed Among University Faculty Responding To Student Sexual Assault Disclosures, Cadi Imbody

All Theses

Given the barriers to formal help-seeking and the prevalence on college campuses, students who experience sexual assault may turn to faculty for assistance, as they are familiar faces they trust and can provide access to university resources. In these cases, faculty may become the frontline for providing official help within the university setting. Responding to these student sexual assault disclosures requires great emotional capacity and the ability to provide empathetic, supportive responses. In these interactions, faculty may need to perform what Arlie Russell Hochschild (1983/2003) theorized as “emotional labor” to handle such sensitive information appropriately. Initially focusing on the service …

Understanding Road Users’ Use And Misuse Of Fluorescent And Retroreflective Materials At Night, Savana King

All Dissertations

Nighttime pedestrian fatality rates in the U.S. continue to rise. Nighttime visibility aids – including retroreflective garments – can enhance the conspicuity of pedestrians to drivers at night. Yet, pedestrians rarely take advantage of retroreflectivity and instead often wear fluorescent garments that are not useful at night. This research explored whether road users’ misunderstandings of two critical principles – retroreflectivity and fluorescence – support the misuse of visibility-enhancing garments. This project also explored whether materials that combine retroreflectivity and fluorescence (“combined-performance materials”) circumvent road users’ misconceptions. Two experiments quantified observers’ expectations for how bright fluorescent, retroreflective, or fluorescent-retroreflective materials will …

The Relationship Between Wisdom As Self-Transcendence And Employee Adaptive Performance: The Mediating Role Of Openness, Saeed Andaji Garmaroudi

All Dissertations

This dissertation delves into the exploration of wisdom as self-transcendence within organizational contexts. Self-transcendence is characterized by qualities such as a sense of connectedness with others and the world, moral maturity, the experience of emotions such as peace and awe, and a sense of life's meaningfulness. While self-transcendence is shown to be generally associated with positive outcomes, this dissertation takes a specific focus, aiming to empirically investigate whether these positive consequences of self-transcendence extend to organizational settings to positively impact organizationally-desired outcomes. Specifically, the study seeks to investigate the relationship between employees’ wisdom as self-transcendence and their adaptive performance. Given …

Engineering Team Success: Evaluating Perceptions Of Teamwork Processes And Emergent States Effects On Team Outcomes, Lauren Kistler

All Dissertations

The increasing reliance on teams in modern organizations demonstrates the value and relevance of teamwork in the professional world (Porter et al., 2003). Despite the substantial amount of team research focused on team effectiveness (Mathieu et al., 2008), further investigation is warranted to provide more nuanced insight into team dynamics. The present study examined perceptions of team processes and emergent states to assess how they impact perceptions of team satisfaction and potency. Perceptions of strategy formulation, role clarity, team monitoring and backup, monitoring goal progression, coordination, trust, psychological safety, team potency, and team satisfaction were measured with a sample of …

Designing Social-Ecological Programs To Support Extension Participants In Civic Engagement, Angela S. Gupta, Nathan Meyer, Michelle Prysby, Shelly A. Johnson, Gail Epping Overholt

The Journal of Extension

To address a need to support volunteer and citizen engagement with decision-makers in addressing social-ecological challenges, we designed and tested a “flipped classroom” training to teach civic engagement processes in the context of invasive species management. We pilot-tested the curriculum in seven states. Using results from in-course and delayed surveys, we demonstrate that participants increased their capabilities for engaging decision-makers and took civic engagement actions related to invasive species issues. Although participant recruitment and retention were lower than expected, the overall results suggest that the training approach is an effective design for satisfying participant needs and achieving learning outcomes.

Evaluation Of The Michigan Water School: Water Education Program For Local Leaders, Heather A. Triezenberg, Jennifer Hunnell, Erick Elgin, Bindu Bhakta, Mary Bohling

The Journal of Extension

Local leaders are essential for helping Michigan achieve its 30-year water strategy goals. The Michigan Water School is an Extension nonformal educational program to address the knowledge gap of local leaders. We evaluated programs conducted from 2017-2019. Results revealed program outcomes in knowledge, attitudes, perceptions of criticalness to work, and stewardship and behavioral intentions aligned to water quality, water quantity, and field experience units. Growth areas for program improvement include water policy, economics, planning, and finance as well as expanding the focus of the program for transformational leadership and to broaden recruitment efforts.

An Instrument To Evaluate 4-H Cloverbud Stem Programming, Alisha M. Hardman, Donna J. Peterson, Mariah S. Morgan, H. Elizabeth Solace

The Journal of Extension

Evaluation data is needed to demonstrate the impact of 4-H science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programming on children and youth. However, collecting evaluation data from cloverbuds (ages 5-7) is particularly challenging given their developmental age. We adapted an observational Cloverbud evaluation tool to measure basic life skills, essential elements of positive youth development experiences, and, unique to this tool, STEM specific experiences. We developed the STEM items using educational science standards allowing Extension to document STEM in addition to youth development outcomes. Doing so, may increase the adoption of 4-H STEM programming by teachers in the school setting.

Storytelling Through A Critical Positive Youth Development Framework: A Mixed Methods Approach, Maru Gonzalez, Michael Kokozos, Katherine Mckee, Christy Byrd

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Vol. 19, Issue 1

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

4-H Volunteers Leaders’ Turnover Intention, Suzanna R. Windon, Mariah K. Awan, Rama Radhakrishna

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Targeting Social-Emotional Learning And Activity Attitudes During After-School Programming Post Covid-19 Restrictions, Kelly L. Simonton, Victoria N. Shiver, Aimee Gray, Katie Juarez, Angela Simonton

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

“We Are Protected”: Examining Youth Perceptions Of Safety Within A Faith-Based Positive Youth Development Program In El Salvador, Samuel Hay, Jonathan M. Tirrell, Jacqueline Lerner, Elizabeth Dowling, Alistair T. R. Sim, Pamela E. King, Jennifer M. Vaughn, Guillermo Iraheta, Richard Lerner

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Benchmarking Strategies Used To Increase Diversity, Equity, Inclusion At Summer Camps, Lisa Meerts, Tyler Wycoff, Jim Sibthorp

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Youth Storytelling For Social Change: Guiding Questions For Effective And Ethical Delivery, Maru Gonzalez, Michael Kokozos, Nyawira Nyota, Christy Byrd

The Journal of Extension

Storytelling is a powerful medium through which to nurture and amplify youths' voices. When employed effectively and ethically, storytelling has been shown to foster connection, improve intergroup relations, promote socioemotional well-being, and motivate social action. Drawing on foundational research, Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals, and our experience pilot testing the #PassTheMicYouth curriculum, we developed ten guiding questions for effective and ethical youth storytelling for social change. 4-H professionals can use these questions with youths to guide them through social impact storytelling creation and delivery.

An Empirical Examination Of Consequential Factors Of Negative Program Culture As Determinants Of Affective Well-Being In Graduate Students, Morgan Chandler

All Theses

There is evidence of a crisis of low affective well-being troubling graduate students nationwide. Recent studies have shown that graduate students exhibit indicators of low affective well-being, such as levels of anxiety and depression six times greater than the general population (Galleo et al., 2021; Glover, 2019), high levels of being overwhelmed (Kaler & Stebleton, 2019), and overall increased psychological distress (Hacker, 2021). The prevalence and severity of these issues indicate that their causes may exceed personal factors (Bekkouche et al., 2022). Previous research has identified the quality of culture and culture-related factors within graduate schools and programs to be …

The Family Strength Wheel: A Strength-Based Visual Tool For Families, Genese Clark

The Journal of Extension

In 2017, data was collected from 59 African-Americans living in the northeastern United States to investigate the saliency of six family strength domains. The study results highlighted an emerging domain, Leadership, and led to the development of a visual family strength tool adapted from DeFrain's (2002) American Family Strength Inventory for family practitioners. With a supplemental worksheet, the Family Strength Wheel provides a self-rating scale illustrating baselines for strength-based family functioning while simultaneously showing benchmarks for improvement. The Family Strength Wheel offers immediate insight into individuals' perceptions of their family's functioning, opening areas for dialogue between family members and practitioners.

Table Of Contents

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

“It Takes A Village!”: Social Capital Building In A Remote Hawai‘I Community, Manca Sustarsic, Sothy Eng, Nancy Ooki, Heather Greenwood

Journal of Youth Development

In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the multi-level educational intervention among youth in a low-income, remote community in Hawai‘i, United States. The program aided with middle schoolers’ transition into adulthood through youth-adult partnerships, teen mentoring, and community sustainability. Drawing upon social capital framework, we explored participants’ experiences and how the intervention promoted positive developmental outcomes among the youth. We recruited youth from a rural Title I Middle School in Hawai‘i. Nine youth (n_boys=6, n_girls=3; M_age=13; 44.9% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 44.4% Black or African American, 33.3% White, 22.2. % Asian; participants …

Supporting Staff Supports Youth Well-Being At Summer Camp, Robert P. Lubeznik-Warner, Nila Rosen

Journal of Youth Development

Youth well-being is of central importance, now, perhaps more than ever before. In the wake of the covid pandemic, youth need emotional support and connection throughout the academic year and summer months. Camp is a primary method of summer programming in America and thus may be an important conduit for mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health for youth during the summer. Camp staff may be one mechanism for supporting youth well-being; however, relatively little is known about the relationship between camp staff well-being and youth camper well-being. To address this gap, this study used secondary cross-sectional data collected by a …

Trauma-Informed Youth Sport: Identifying Program Characteristics And Challenges To Advance Practice, Kayla Hussey, Lindsey C. Blom, Zenzi Huysmans, Dana Voelker, Matt Moore, Thalia M. Mulvihill

Journal of Youth Development

This purpose of this qualitative study was to explore shared characteristics and local challenges of trauma-informed youth sport program design and implementation through the voices of ten program facilitators (e.g., director, trainer; 8 women, 2 men; average age of 36.2 years, SD = 6.03) across four U.S. regions. Within a postpositivist approach and through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (average length of 53 minutes), shared characteristics identified by facilitators included promoting a safe and supportive environment, cultivating healthy relationships among adults and peers, and intentional psychological and social skill-building (e.g., attentional cues). Facilitators also explained the importance of understanding the …