Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- 4-H (3)
- Evaluation (3)
- Mentoring (3)
- Professional development (3)
- Beginning farmers (2)
-
- Coaching (2)
- Collaboration (2)
- Community development (2)
- Horticulture (2)
- Leadership (2)
- Needs assessment (2)
- Online learning (2)
- Physical activity (2)
- Program evaluation (2)
- Public value (2)
- Technical assistance (2)
- Youth (2)
- Youth development (2)
- 4-H animal judging (1)
- 4-H competencies (1)
- 4-H curriculum (1)
- Adult learners (1)
- And math (STEM) (1)
- Baby-Friendly designation (1)
- Behavior change (1)
- Bilingual volunteers (1)
- Bistate position (1)
- Breastfeeding (1)
- Capacity building (1)
- Career development (1)
Articles 1 - 30 of 53
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
"Easter, 1916" At Its Centennial: Maud Gonne, Augusta Gregory And The Evolution Of The Poem, James Pethica
"Easter, 1916" At Its Centennial: Maud Gonne, Augusta Gregory And The Evolution Of The Poem, James Pethica
International Yeats Studies
No abstract provided.
Ya4-H! Youth Advocates For Health: Impact Of A 4-H Teens-As-Teachers Program, Mary E. Arnold, Jeffrey M. Flesch, Carolyn Ashton, Lynette Black
Ya4-H! Youth Advocates For Health: Impact Of A 4-H Teens-As-Teachers Program, Mary E. Arnold, Jeffrey M. Flesch, Carolyn Ashton, Lynette Black
The Journal of Extension
This article reports the results of an evaluation of the YA4-H! Youth Advocates for Health—Teens as Teachers program. Consistent with previous research on the impact of teen teaching, the teens participating in the program gained confidence and skill with regard to teaching younger youths. The program also affected the teens' understanding that they are role models for younger youths and their desire to be role models. Additionally, the teens learned the content they taught and adopted new healthful behaviors. These results are promising and add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that teens learn and adopt practices they teach …
Collaborative Writing As A Scholarship Activity: A Framework For Extension Faculty, Dan Teuteberg, Anamaria Diaz Martinez, Jenn Crawford, Lauren Hrncirik, Renee Overath, Drew Lenore Betz
Collaborative Writing As A Scholarship Activity: A Framework For Extension Faculty, Dan Teuteberg, Anamaria Diaz Martinez, Jenn Crawford, Lauren Hrncirik, Renee Overath, Drew Lenore Betz
The Journal of Extension
As Extension faculty and staff work to meet the requirements for increased scholarship activities through multiple outlets, a collaborative writing activity can be an important instrument in one's academic toolbox. Writing collaboratively allows colleagues to support one another's individual strengths and work through concerns together. This shared endeavor can help Extension professionals translate and disseminate the impacts of and findings from Extension programming for academic and practitioner audiences.
Transforming The Knowledge Gap For Local Planning Officials: Impacts Of Continuing Education In A Master Citizen Planner Program, Wayne Beyea, Rohit Menon, Pat Crawford
Transforming The Knowledge Gap For Local Planning Officials: Impacts Of Continuing Education In A Master Citizen Planner Program, Wayne Beyea, Rohit Menon, Pat Crawford
The Journal of Extension
In an era of increasing complexity, the majority of local land-use decisions in the United States are made by volunteer citizen planners. Often these elected or appointed volunteers enter their positions with a passion for their communities but without appropriate background training. The Michigan Citizen Planner Program was developed to address this gap. The study described in this article investigated the self-assessed impacts on graduates of basic and advanced training. Findings suggest that training conducted as the result of collaboration by university Extension, other state agencies, and nonprofit groups is essential to realizing the positive community development impacts expected by …
Sharing Resources: A Bistate Extension Specialist Position, Londa Nwadike, Jo Britt-Rankin, Paula Peters
Sharing Resources: A Bistate Extension Specialist Position, Londa Nwadike, Jo Britt-Rankin, Paula Peters
The Journal of Extension
As Extension budgets across the United States continue to tighten, sharing a specialist between states could become an increasingly effective way to provide high-quality programming at a lower total cost. This article describes the working modalities, benefits, challenges, and outputs of an existing two-state Extension consumer food safety specialist position. Overall, this bistate position has been beneficial to both states involved. The model could be implemented in other states, and the descriptions of aspects of the position provided in this article may be instructive for states considering such an option.
Call For Volunteers, Steve Oberg
The Future Of Extension Leadership Is Soft Leadership, Jamie Seger, Paul Hill
The Future Of Extension Leadership Is Soft Leadership, Jamie Seger, Paul Hill
The Journal of Extension
Over the next decade, if Extension can attract and retain young professionals, the current leadership will have the opportunity to select the most creative and bright among them to serve in leadership positions across the country. Extension needs a paradigm shift—the most influential leaders beat to a different drum. We must collectively adopt the leadership practices that work and stop doing things that do not add value. Future leaders must possess soft skills, be adept communicators, be proactive while quick to respond, and be willing to create a flattened organizational structure that encourages creativity and innovation from the bottom up.
Uncovering Transdisciplinary Team Project Outcomes Through Ripple Effect Mapping, Catherine H. Daniels, Linda Chalker-Scott, Nicole Martini
Uncovering Transdisciplinary Team Project Outcomes Through Ripple Effect Mapping, Catherine H. Daniels, Linda Chalker-Scott, Nicole Martini
The Journal of Extension
The Garden Team at Washington State University is a transdisciplinary, geographically dispersed group of faculty and staff. As with many such teams, member retention requires effort, as busy individuals may not see the overall benefits of active team membership. Ripple effect mapping is a strategy that can illustrate the tangible and often unexpected results of virtual team efforts. Not only are the data-rich results useful to individuals during their annual reporting activities, they also serve to strengthen collegial ties and enhance esprit de corps.
Marathon Month Promotes Healthful Lifestyles For Extension Employees, Joseph L. Donaldson, Beth A. Bell, John J. Toman, Shirley Hastings
Marathon Month Promotes Healthful Lifestyles For Extension Employees, Joseph L. Donaldson, Beth A. Bell, John J. Toman, Shirley Hastings
The Journal of Extension
This article describes Marathon Month, a workplace wellness program for Extension employees. The program promoted physical activity by challenging employees to walk or run the length of a marathon (26.2 mi) or half marathon (13.1 mi) over the course of 1 month. Of the 317 participants, 90% achieved a self-set goal of completing a full or half marathon, and 31% reported losing weight, with an average weight loss of 4.2 lb per person. Another reported benefit was increased workplace camaraderie. A number of practical ideas, such as sending email reminders and using social media, are provided to facilitate replication in …
Evaluating The Feasibility Of A Gardening And Nutrition Intervention With A Matched Contact-Control Physical Activity Intervention Targeting Youth, Ramine Alexander, Jennie Hill, Karissa Grier, Lorien Macauley, Alisa Mckenzie, Tadashi Totten, Kathleen Porter, Jamie M. Zoellner
Evaluating The Feasibility Of A Gardening And Nutrition Intervention With A Matched Contact-Control Physical Activity Intervention Targeting Youth, Ramine Alexander, Jennie Hill, Karissa Grier, Lorien Macauley, Alisa Mckenzie, Tadashi Totten, Kathleen Porter, Jamie M. Zoellner
The Journal of Extension
The study reported here involved Cooperative Extension as a key research partner and was guided by a community-based participatory research approach and a feasibility study framework. The research objective was to assess four indicators of feasibility (i.e., acceptability, demand, implementation, and limited-effectiveness) of a gardening and nutrition program delivered at three youth community sites as compared to a matched contact-control physical activity intervention delivered at three different youth community sites. Conducted in a medically underserved region, the mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study revealed numerous opportunities for and barriers to increasing youths' willingness to try fruits and vegetables and increasing physical activity among …
Growing Our Own: A Longitudinal Evaluation Of A Professional Development Program For Early-Career 4-H Professionals, Gary F. Varrella, Brian P. Luckey, Jacqueline S. Baca, Curt Peters
Growing Our Own: A Longitudinal Evaluation Of A Professional Development Program For Early-Career 4-H Professionals, Gary F. Varrella, Brian P. Luckey, Jacqueline S. Baca, Curt Peters
The Journal of Extension
We present the results of a longitudinal evaluation of the Western Region 4-H Institute, a 5-day training program designed to enhance the skill sets of early-career Extension professionals organized around the 4-H professional research, knowledge, and competencies model. Programs such as this often are assessed for their short-term relevance and effectiveness; we expanded the scope of our evaluation by following up with program participants 12 months after the program. Both short- and medium-term results indicated that networking and developing effective programs for youth were paramount for participants, suggesting the importance of providing professional development opportunities for early-career professionals.
Factors Related To Motivating Adult Somalis With Refugee Status To Volunteer For 4-H, Mitchell D. Mason, Kristy L. Ouellette
Factors Related To Motivating Adult Somalis With Refugee Status To Volunteer For 4-H, Mitchell D. Mason, Kristy L. Ouellette
The Journal of Extension
Focus group interviews were held with adult Somali immigrants to assess their likelihood of volunteering for 4-H in Maine. This qualitative study was undertaken to identify best practices for engaging the growing Somali-Mainer population as a volunteer base. Results of the study demonstrate that Somali immigrant adults are willing to volunteer for 4-H when the outcome will be higher academic achievement for their children and when volunteering matches their cultural expectation of helping others. Additionally, Somali adults reported limitations related to their ability to volunteer, particularly language barriers and child-care commitments.
Discover 4-H Clubs: The Essential Resource For 4-H, Stacey Macarthur, Cindy Nelson, Naomi Brower, Margie Memmott, Gaelynn Peterson
Discover 4-H Clubs: The Essential Resource For 4-H, Stacey Macarthur, Cindy Nelson, Naomi Brower, Margie Memmott, Gaelynn Peterson
The Journal of Extension
Obstacles facing new 4-H volunteers include time constraints and difficulty finding project-specific information, resources, and opportunities available for club members. As a solution to these obstacles and an aid for assisting volunteers in becoming confident in delivering information to youth, content experts produced Discover 4-H Clubs, a collection of curriculum guides. Volunteers across the globe have taken advantage of this free online teaching tool. As new curriculum guides are developed, more information is made available to meet the needs of 4-H volunteers. In this article, implications for Extension are outlined, and a call to action is extended.
Profile Of Nettie Lagace, Christian Burris
President's Corner, Anna Creech
Utility Of The Living (Well Through) Intergenerational Fitness And Exercise Program As A County-Delivered Extension Program, Ashleigh J. Sowle, Sarah L. Francis, Jennifer A. Margrett, Warren D. Franke
Utility Of The Living (Well Through) Intergenerational Fitness And Exercise Program As A County-Delivered Extension Program, Ashleigh J. Sowle, Sarah L. Francis, Jennifer A. Margrett, Warren D. Franke
The Journal of Extension
Rural-residing older adults are not participating in regular physical activity. Extension is in an excellent position to fill this programming void through transdisciplinary programming such as the Living (well through) Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise (LIFE) program. Qualitative evaluation was conducted to assess the LIFE program's utility as an Extension-delivered program. Nearly all LIFE program managers were satisfied with the program and were likely to recommend it to others. Best liked program features and attributes were the ready-to-use curriculum, corresponding training, and intergenerational and rural focuses. These results suggest that the LIFE program is viewed as appropriate for delivery by Extension.
The New Farm Program: A Model For Supporting Diverse Emerging Farmers And Early-Career Extension Professionals, J. R. Sirrine, Cheryl L. Eschbach, Erin Lizotte, N. L. Rothwell
The New Farm Program: A Model For Supporting Diverse Emerging Farmers And Early-Career Extension Professionals, J. R. Sirrine, Cheryl L. Eschbach, Erin Lizotte, N. L. Rothwell
The Journal of Extension
As early-career Extension educators challenged by societal, structural, agricultural, and fiscal trends, we designed a multiyear educational program to support the diverse needs of emerging specialty crop producers in northwest Michigan. This article presents outcomes of that program. We explore how Extension professionals can develop impactful programs that address the varied needs of the next generation of agricultural producers. We provide an overview of the New FARM program, addressing the rationale, program objectives, program logistics, evaluation results, and implications. We hope the New FARM program will serve as a useful model for early-career Extension professionals.
Preferred Knowledge Sources For Beginning Farmers: The Case Of Kentucky, Lilian Brislen, Keiko Tanaka, Krista Jacobsen
Preferred Knowledge Sources For Beginning Farmers: The Case Of Kentucky, Lilian Brislen, Keiko Tanaka, Krista Jacobsen
The Journal of Extension
This article presents an analysis of preferred knowledge sources for beginning farmers and differences in knowledge networks between "heritage" and "nonheritage" farmers. The purpose of the analysis is to support the reassessment of training, technical assistance, and other needs of beginning farmers to be able to develop more precisely targeted training and educational programming for them. Data were drawn from a series of six listening sessions conducted across Kentucky from January through July 2013. We present three concluding recommendations for enhancing the relevance of Cooperative Extension by emphasizing its role as a "connector" of available resources to beginning farmers.
Using Youth Participatory Evaluation To Improve A Bullying Prevention Program, Adrienne M. Duke, Donna L. Sollie, Kelcie Silva
Using Youth Participatory Evaluation To Improve A Bullying Prevention Program, Adrienne M. Duke, Donna L. Sollie, Kelcie Silva
The Journal of Extension
We conducted a youth participatory evaluation of a bullying prevention curriculum before the curriculum was implemented in communities. We partnered with youths from a young women leaders' program to reduce the number of lessons in an existing curriculum and determine which activities were likely to have the greatest impact. To evaluate the curriculum, we used star-sticker surveys and written feedback provided by the youths and observational field notes recorded by adults. We found that the youths endorsed activities involving active learning approaches, we should include summaries at the beginnings of lessons, and we should include wording alternatives for implementers to …
Program Standards And Expectations: Providing Clarity, Consistency, And Focus, Keith G. Diem
Program Standards And Expectations: Providing Clarity, Consistency, And Focus, Keith G. Diem
The Journal of Extension
The effort described in this article resulted from requests for clarity and consistency from new and existing Extension/4-H educators as well as from recommendations by university auditors. The primary purpose of the effort was to clarify standards for effective county-based 4-H youth development programs and to help focus the roles of 4-H professionals in developing and maintaining effective programs that contribute to the 4-H mission and highest priority statewide needs. Five major categories of expectations for all county 4-H programs were identified on the basis of a related model for 4-H program delivery. The approach described may be useful across …
Inside The Black Box—An Implementation Evaluation Case Study, Patricia Rector, Michele Bakacs, Amy Rowe, Bruce Barbour
Inside The Black Box—An Implementation Evaluation Case Study, Patricia Rector, Michele Bakacs, Amy Rowe, Bruce Barbour
The Journal of Extension
The case study presented in this article is an example of an implementation evaluation. The evaluation investigated significant components of the implementation of a long-term environmental educational program. Direct observation, evaluation-specific survey data, and historical data were used to determine program integrity as identified by adherence to original expectations, dosage, quality of delivery, participant responsiveness, and differentiation from other programs. The evaluation provided key information for replicating and expanding a successful program and exploring areas in which positive changes can be made. The article illustrates how the evaluation methodology that was applied can be useful for other Extension programs.
Collaboration Of Extension And Grape Industry Members To Create A New Extension Publication, Eric T. Stafne, George And Jane Ingels, Becky Carroll
Collaboration Of Extension And Grape Industry Members To Create A New Extension Publication, Eric T. Stafne, George And Jane Ingels, Becky Carroll
The Journal of Extension
Collaboration is an important part of the interaction between Extension and industry. Successful sharing of workload can provide benefits for both parties. A project to create a workbook to address vineyard sustainability was initiated by members of the Oklahoma grape industry with assistance from land-grant university Extension. Productive interaction between Extension workers and industry members included quick turnaround of rough drafts, praise and constructive criticism, give-and-take on ideas for content, active listening relative to problems and suggestions, and offering of advice when needed. The collaboration led to incorporation of new perspectives in a helpful final publication.
The Extension Storyteller: Using Stories To Enhance Meaning And Catalyze Change, Nancy Franz
The Extension Storyteller: Using Stories To Enhance Meaning And Catalyze Change, Nancy Franz
The Journal of Extension
Many cultures share and pass on norms through storytelling. Extension as a culture also creates and shares stories to pass on history, provide information about Extension work and experiences, and develop the organization. However, Extension as a culture less frequently uses storytelling to enhance meaning and catalyze related change. This article provides a brief review of relevant literature on types of stories, purposes of storytelling, and effective storytelling techniques and describes qualities of successful stories. This information provides a basis for best practices that Extension professionals can apply when using storytelling to enhance meaning and catalyze change.
Welcoming Immigrants: An Opportunity To Strengthen Rural Communities, Athena K. Ramos
Welcoming Immigrants: An Opportunity To Strengthen Rural Communities, Athena K. Ramos
The Journal of Extension
Rural communities matter. Almost a quarter of the Midwest's population lives in rural communities, but emerging demographic patterns, including the increase of Latinos, are changing the landscapes of rural Midwestern communities. Often, the rise in the Latino population is the deciding factor between growth or decline for a rural community. This circumstance presents a unique opportunity for Extension professionals and communities to initiate best practices around community building and welcoming of newcomers, especially immigrants. We need to harness the strength of all rural residents to create vibrant, healthy, sustainable communities that are centers of creativity and innovation.
Delphi Survey Of Needs For On-Farm Research: Forecasting Changes In A Farm Organization, Elena Yu. Polush, Nancy Grudens-Schuck, Derrick N. Exner, Robert Karp
Delphi Survey Of Needs For On-Farm Research: Forecasting Changes In A Farm Organization, Elena Yu. Polush, Nancy Grudens-Schuck, Derrick N. Exner, Robert Karp
The Journal of Extension
The forecasting abilities of Delphi technique worked well when a farmer organization wanted to predict on-farm research topics for its farmer membership. This article provides evidence—after 10 years—that Delphi successfully predicted ideas for research that lasted long into the future, including a compelling unanticipated result that changed the face of the organization. Would you want to use a research tool that was this powerful in organizational settings? This article contains details about setting up, conducting, and interpreting the Delphi.
Better Crunching: Recommendations For Multivariate Data Analysis Approaches For Program Impact Evaluations, Marc T. Braverman
Better Crunching: Recommendations For Multivariate Data Analysis Approaches For Program Impact Evaluations, Marc T. Braverman
The Journal of Extension
Extension program evaluations often present opportunities to analyze data in multiple ways. This article suggests that program evaluations can involve more sophisticated data analysis approaches than are often used. On the basis of a hypothetical program scenario and corresponding data set, two approaches to testing for evidence of program impact are compared. These approaches are (a) a bivariate approach involving contingency table analysis (chi-square, Kendall's tau tests) and (b) a multivariate approach involving logistic regression. Both approaches address the primary evaluation questions, but the multivariate approach introduces additional variables, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of program dynamics. Multivariate approaches …
Rural Health Inequities And The Role Of Cooperative Extension, Lauri Andress, Cindy Fitch
Rural Health Inequities And The Role Of Cooperative Extension, Lauri Andress, Cindy Fitch
The Journal of Extension
Health inequities affect communities through adverse health outcomes, lost productivity, and increased health care costs. They arise from unequal distribution of social determinants of health—the conditions in which people are born and live. Health outcomes, tied to behaviors and health care, also are rooted in location and social status. Cooperative Extension provides culturally appropriate programs that touch the places where individuals and families live. A history of promoting democracy through education makes Extension uniquely positioned to address health inequities and foster greater equality among groups that experience hardships as a result of differences in social, economic, and environmental determinants of …
Mentoring Adult Learners: Implications For Cooperative Extension As A Learning Organization, Marina D'Abreau Denny
Mentoring Adult Learners: Implications For Cooperative Extension As A Learning Organization, Marina D'Abreau Denny
The Journal of Extension
A comprehensive summary of the existing literature on mentoring of adult learners, in the context of the Cooperative Extension System as a learning organization, reveals that structured organizational mentoring is needed in Extension to prepare and develop individuals to be future leaders in the organization. Further inquiry is needed regarding Extension as a transformative learning organization, the role of mentees in Cooperative Extension as adult learners, training needed for veteran Extension agents to effectively serve as mentors, and orientation processes for new hires on making the most of the relationship with a mentor.