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Full-Text Articles in Education

Assessing The Dimensional Validity And Reliability Of The Critical Thinking Inventory (Cti) In The Kenyan Higher Education System: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Millicent A. Oyugi, Kristin Gibson, Alexa J. Lamm Feb 2024

Assessing The Dimensional Validity And Reliability Of The Critical Thinking Inventory (Cti) In The Kenyan Higher Education System: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Millicent A. Oyugi, Kristin Gibson, Alexa J. Lamm

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The global importance of critical thinking in enhancing academic success, employability, civic engagement, and mental health is universally acknowledged. Yet, its cultivation in educational systems, particularly in Kenya, requires further attention. This gap is pronounced in Kenya's higher education, where more research is needed to develop and validate effective critical thinking assessment tools given the paradigm shift in its educational curricular. This study contributes to this need by evaluating the applicability of the Critical Thinking Inventory (CTI) model in Kenyan higher education. Using a convenience sample of 387 undergraduates from Egerton University, the study assessed the alignment between the CTI …


Farmer-Centered Pesticide Risk Reduction Education In Senegal: A Novel, Participatory Approach, Mary L. Halbleib, Berit Dinsdale Apr 2023

Farmer-Centered Pesticide Risk Reduction Education In Senegal: A Novel, Participatory Approach, Mary L. Halbleib, Berit Dinsdale

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

As pest pressures continue to intensify across Sub-Saharan Africa, many smallholder farmers are increasing their use of pesticides, including highly hazardous options, to meet the market demands for high-quality fresh produce. Many of these farmers, however, have not had access to pesticide risk reduction training or have participated in programs that have not enabled them to protect themselves and their families. Given the risks posed by dried and invisible though still toxic pesticide residues, new forms of information and realistic learning strategies are required. This study combined the innovative Adaptive Learner-Centered Education (ALCE) approach with the Farmer Field School (FFS) …


Building Global Leaders Through Field Research And Extension Experiences In Belize, Tom Gill, Adam S. Willcox May 2022

Building Global Leaders Through Field Research And Extension Experiences In Belize, Tom Gill, Adam S. Willcox

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

One of the most complex agricultural and natural resources challenges of our time is reconciling sustainable global food security and biodiversity conservation. Providing undergraduate students effective, learning experiences to develop technical and cultural competency prepares them to address this challenge and become global leaders in their disciplines. A three-year experiential research and extension project brought together 14 students and 10 faculty mentors to investigate smallholder farmers practicing conservation-compatible adjacent to the Vaca Forest Reserve in Belize. We used an agroecological approach to foster systems-level thinking and develop transdisciplinary skills of undergraduate students. Students completed applied individual research projects that explored …


Three Mini-Ethnographic Case Studies On Covid: Impacts On Greek Agricultural Sectors, Kim E. Dooley, Evangelos Vergos, Kyriaki Zinoviadou, Konstantinos Rotsios Jan 2022

Three Mini-Ethnographic Case Studies On Covid: Impacts On Greek Agricultural Sectors, Kim E. Dooley, Evangelos Vergos, Kyriaki Zinoviadou, Konstantinos Rotsios

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

COVID was politically polarizing, had global and public health impacts, and created havoc in supply chains. Social dilemmas caused by the pandemic were difficult, but also created opportunities to be resilient and innovative in agricultural extension education. This mini-ethnographic case study examined three Greek agricultural sectors from the perspectives of experts in extension and higher education. Data included semi-structured interviews, review of technical reports, and photographs in developing each case study. From the cross-case analysis, there were four emerging themes: environmental, economic, and social impacts and the innovative solutions used to address these concerns. What we have learned, and where …


Information And Communication Technology Use Capacity Within Extension Networks: Development And Preliminary Validation Of An Empirical Scale, Kevan W. Lamm, Kristin Davis, Catherine E. Sanders, Alyssa Powell Aug 2021

Information And Communication Technology Use Capacity Within Extension Networks: Development And Preliminary Validation Of An Empirical Scale, Kevan W. Lamm, Kristin Davis, Catherine E. Sanders, Alyssa Powell

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Advancing information and communication technologies (ICTs) has become central to international agricultural and extension development efforts. ICTs are crucial in facilitating information transfer, ensuring stakeholder access to information, and increasing the decision-making capacity of smallholder farmers. The research presented here introduces an instrument developed to quantify perceptions of ICT use capacity within international extension networks. The aggregate scale was verified for content validity, response process validity, internal structure validity, and consequential validity informing its use. The instrument was administered to network members (n = 122) associated with the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was …


Building Self-Reliance: A Framework To Evaluate Smallholder Coffee Farmers’ Pursuit Of Commercialization, Colby J. Silvert, John Diaz, Laura A. Warner, T. Grady Roberts, Raul Injoque Aug 2021

Building Self-Reliance: A Framework To Evaluate Smallholder Coffee Farmers’ Pursuit Of Commercialization, Colby J. Silvert, John Diaz, Laura A. Warner, T. Grady Roberts, Raul Injoque

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

This study examines the application of a self-reliance framework for practitioners and evaluators to better understand the capacities and intrinsic factors impacting smallholder coffee farmers’ commercialization behaviors. We surveyed 40 smallholder coffee producers in Peru using a quantitative instrument. Data were analyzed to determine if statistical relationships exist between farmers’ self-reliance (measured via knowledge and skills, attitudes, and aspirations) and their commercialization behaviors. Findings indicate the self-reliance framework effectively illustrates relationships between farmers’ aspirations, knowledge and skills and their commercialization behaviors, while future, additional studies are needed to better measure and understand the role of commercialization-related attitudes. Practitioners can leverage …


Cultural Differences In Critical Thinking Style: A Comparison Of U. S. And Chinese Undergraduate Agricultural Students, Peng Lu, Scott Burris, Matt Baker, Courtney Meyers, Glenn Cummins Aug 2021

Cultural Differences In Critical Thinking Style: A Comparison Of U. S. And Chinese Undergraduate Agricultural Students, Peng Lu, Scott Burris, Matt Baker, Courtney Meyers, Glenn Cummins

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

This study aimed to compare critical thinking styles between students studying agriculture in the U.S. and China. A survey of critical thinking styles was administered to two groups of students in U.S. (n = 104) and China (n = 103). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied to determine if there were significant differences in critical thinking styles between the two groups. Results indicate that U.S. students tended to prefer an engaging critical thinking style, whereas Chinese students tended to prefer an information seeking critical thinking style. These differences between critical thinking style preferences may be explained by students’ cultural …


Whose Journey To Self-Reliance? Participation In The Journey To Self-Reliance And The Land-Grant Imaginary, Lia R. Kelinsky-Jones, Kim L. Niewolny Aug 2021

Whose Journey To Self-Reliance? Participation In The Journey To Self-Reliance And The Land-Grant Imaginary, Lia R. Kelinsky-Jones, Kim L. Niewolny

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Land-grant university and civil society development actors have long partnered with local and global communities to eliminate food insecurity. Despite the common aim of addressing food insecurity as a wicked problem, their approaches and designs differ in scope and scale. Similarly, levels of local stakeholder participation in agricultural development historically vary reflecting the complexity in relinquishing hierarchal decision-making power. In this pilot study, we investigated how participation is framed within the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) policy, “The Journey to Self-Reliance”. Subsequently, we sought to understand the implications of this framing on land-grant universities’ agricultural development aims in …