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Barriers To Policy, Systems, And Environment Work: Using Community Engagement As A Tool In Snap-Ed’S Multi-Level Comprehensive Programming, Cristian Meier, Casey Coombs, Amria Farnsworth, Lacee Jimenez, Heidi Leblanc Dec 2023

Barriers To Policy, Systems, And Environment Work: Using Community Engagement As A Tool In Snap-Ed’S Multi-Level Comprehensive Programming, Cristian Meier, Casey Coombs, Amria Farnsworth, Lacee Jimenez, Heidi Leblanc

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Implementing policy, system, and environmental (PSE) changes has several well-known challenges that have been documented in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education’s (SNAP-Ed) comprehensive approach to obesity prevention and reduction. The purpose of the current study was to explore the use of community engagement (CE) as a strategy to address the common challenges experienced in implementing a multi-component community-based program. Phone interviews (N = 7) were conducted with SNAP-Ed educators in Utah using semi-structured interviews. Emergent themes were identified as transcripts were coded independently by two researchers until a high level of agreement was achieved. Four themes emerged from the interviews: …


Determining The Health Literacy Skills Of Extension Audiences In Maryland, Beverly Jackey, Heejung Song, Lisa Mccoy, Virginia Brown Dec 2023

Determining The Health Literacy Skills Of Extension Audiences In Maryland, Beverly Jackey, Heejung Song, Lisa Mccoy, Virginia Brown

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Strong health literacy skills empower people to make informed health decisions, especially those with chronic health conditions striving for positive health outcomes. Half of all people living in Maryland report having at least one chronic disease. Research examining the health literacy of Marylanders is limited. This paper reports how establishing a baseline for health literacy levels of Marylanders can identify major factors affecting the health literacy skills of Extension audiences and lays the important groundwork to develop Extension programs and explore the best delivery methods tailored to the needs of subpopulations. Using the Newest Vital Sign, a …


Super Parents: Preliminary Findings Of A Group-Based Parenting Intervention, Jens E. Jespersen, Cara D. Bosler, Ruth S. Slocum, Jennifer Hays-Grudo, Jerry Root, Laura Hubbs-Tait, Amanda Sheffield Morris Dec 2023

Super Parents: Preliminary Findings Of A Group-Based Parenting Intervention, Jens E. Jespersen, Cara D. Bosler, Ruth S. Slocum, Jennifer Hays-Grudo, Jerry Root, Laura Hubbs-Tait, Amanda Sheffield Morris

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Super Parents is a group-based, Extension-led parenting program developed to enhance the parent-child relationship. Implemented by trained Head Start staff using the train-the-trainer model, this effort is achieved by teaching positive parenting practices, increasing parents’ knowledge of child development, instructing parents in activities and exercises for enhancing their child’s executive function skills, and encouraging the use of mindfulness techniques in parenting. The specific aims of our study were to evaluate the program's effectiveness among parents of young children ages 0 to 5 by examining changes in parenting attitudes, mindfulness, executive function, parenting efficacy, stress, and child behavior. Through the use …


Cooperative Extension Programming For Early Care And Education Professionals During The First Year Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From A National Survey Of Extension Systems, Katherine Speirs, Azriella Friedman, Courtney Luecking, Kyleigh Brown Dec 2023

Cooperative Extension Programming For Early Care And Education Professionals During The First Year Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From A National Survey Of Extension Systems, Katherine Speirs, Azriella Friedman, Courtney Luecking, Kyleigh Brown

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Cooperative Extension Systems (CESs) provide programming to early care and education (ECE) professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the needs of ECE professionals. The purpose of this study was to document how CESs helped ECE professionals respond to the pandemic during its first year and how Extension programming was altered in response to the pandemic. Between March and June 2020, representatives from all 87 CESs in the 50 U.S. states; Washington, DC; and six U.S. territories were invited to complete an online survey that included six questions about the pandemic. We received responses from 43 CESs (49% response rate). The …


Time Allocation Changes For Family Life Extension Educators: The Impact Of Covid-19, Brian J. Higginbotham, Joshua J. Turner, Stephen Duncan, David G. Schramm Dec 2023

Time Allocation Changes For Family Life Extension Educators: The Impact Of Covid-19, Brian J. Higginbotham, Joshua J. Turner, Stephen Duncan, David G. Schramm

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

COVID-19 has caused a shift in Extension educators’ daily routines and a transition to virtual programming. This case study analyzed time logs and interview data of Extension educators hired by Utah State University to facilitate fatherhood education programming. Comparison data indicate less time was spent teaching and traveling while more time was spent managing technology and marketing, following restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Educators recommended that aspiring educators should be made aware of expectations for virtual teaching. They also stressed that supervisors should look for these skills and technological competence in future hiring. Implications for best practices for future programming are …


Examining College Students’ Attitudes Toward Poverty During The Adult Role Of The Community Action Poverty Simulation, Jessica M. Parks, Portia Johnson, Diann C. Moorman Dr., Sheri Worthy, Leigh Anne Aaron Dec 2023

Examining College Students’ Attitudes Toward Poverty During The Adult Role Of The Community Action Poverty Simulation, Jessica M. Parks, Portia Johnson, Diann C. Moorman Dr., Sheri Worthy, Leigh Anne Aaron

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) and Extension professionals need to understand the lived experience of poverty because it affects every aspect of an individual’s life. Poverty is related to inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, lack of access to health care, insufficient child care, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of affordable housing, under-resourced schools, and a lower quality of life. Attitudes toward poverty vary widely among Americans and can be categorized as either internal/individual attributions (e.g., laziness, welfare dependency, etc.) or systemic/structural attributions (e.g., unemployment, inflation, etc.). Individuals holding internal attributions toward poverty are more likely to have negative feelings toward impoverished individuals. …


Equipping Extension Professionals To Lead Volunteer Systems: An Evaluation Of An Online Course, Kandi O'Neil, Rachelle Vettern, Sarah Maass, Rebecca Harrington, Kari Robideau, Patricia Mcglaughlin, Josset Gauley Dec 2023

Equipping Extension Professionals To Lead Volunteer Systems: An Evaluation Of An Online Course, Kandi O'Neil, Rachelle Vettern, Sarah Maass, Rebecca Harrington, Kari Robideau, Patricia Mcglaughlin, Josset Gauley

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Extension professionals enter their role with content-specific expertise; however, experience in volunteer leadership and management competencies is often limited. This study focused on the effectiveness of the Achieving the Extension Mission Through Volunteers (AEMTV) course in preparing professionals to use the Identification, Selection, Orientation, Training, Utilization, Recognition, Evaluation (ISOTURE) model to learn and apply volunteer systems concepts in a cohort-based online learning environment. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to assess how the course impacted participants and the programs they lead. Data from 127 participants indicated they increased their knowledge, improved volunteer systems, and influenced the quality of programming delivered …


A Snapshot In Time: Consumer Behavior At The Start Of Covid-19, Michelle L. Childs, Christopher Sneed, Ann A. Berry, Sejin Ha Dec 2023

A Snapshot In Time: Consumer Behavior At The Start Of Covid-19, Michelle L. Childs, Christopher Sneed, Ann A. Berry, Sejin Ha

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

During the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers faced challenges related to obtaining household items due to shortages and limitations in shopping. Researchers from the University of Tennessee conducted a national, web-based consumer survey of 300 consumers in late April 2020 to better understand consumer behavior, shopping patterns, and demand shifts for goods and services. Major findings demonstrate that consumers have increased shopping for essential products from brick-and-mortar national chains, avoided brick-and-mortar small businesses, and have chosen to shop more by themselves, often choosing to forgo spending from across all product categories, compared to prior to the pandemic. Additionally, …


Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 3, Donna J. Peterson Dr., Scott Cummings Dec 2023

Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 3, Donna J. Peterson Dr., Scott Cummings

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.


A Case Study On The Transfer Of Training As Influenced By Perceptions Of Self-Leadership By Extension Professionals, Lisa Kaslon, Nathan W. Conner, Gina Matkin, Mark Balschweid, Chuck Hibberd Dec 2023

A Case Study On The Transfer Of Training As Influenced By Perceptions Of Self-Leadership By Extension Professionals, Lisa Kaslon, Nathan W. Conner, Gina Matkin, Mark Balschweid, Chuck Hibberd

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Employee potential and development are critical, and training has been identified as a way to create high-performing work cultures and high-potential employees. The purpose of this study was to understand how Extension employees perceive their self-leadership as impacting their transfer of training after they participate in professional development. The study aims to answer the following research question, “How do Extension professionals describe their experiences of transfer of training as influenced by their perceptions of their self-leadership? The methodological approach used for this research was the case study. Data collection methods included a questionnaire, interviews, and document review. A semi-structured interview …


Examining The Relationship Of Teacher And Peer Belonging To Rural Attachment And Community Aspirations Among Diverse Rural Youth, Greysi Irdam, Angela Starrett, Matthew J. Irvin, Christine Lotter, Jan A. Yow Oct 2023

Examining The Relationship Of Teacher And Peer Belonging To Rural Attachment And Community Aspirations Among Diverse Rural Youth, Greysi Irdam, Angela Starrett, Matthew J. Irvin, Christine Lotter, Jan A. Yow

The Rural Educator

This study examines how race/ethnicity moderates the relationship of teacher and peer belonging in mathematics and science classrooms with rural attachment and aspirations (i.e., community and proximity aspirations) among rural secondary students. Data were collected from a larger rural teacher leadership study and include 6,616 rural student participants who were surveyed from 2015 to 2019. Our findings reveal that peer and teacher belonging is related to adolescents’ rural attachment and both community and proximity aspirations differently across race/ethnicity. Also, while rural youth of color compared to White students tend to have lower levels of rural attachment and aspirations, results illustrate …


Academic Performance Of Texas 4-H Alumni, Alexandra Skrocki, Darlene Locke, Gary Ellis, Montza Williams Sep 2023

Academic Performance Of Texas 4-H Alumni, Alexandra Skrocki, Darlene Locke, Gary Ellis, Montza Williams

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Academic achievement is one of the central outcomes targeted by all major models of youth development. Youth who succeed academically are well-positioned to thrive through meaningful careers, positions of community leadership, and fulfilling personal and family lives (Arnold, 2018). As such, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has established a set of ambitious goals for the postsecondary education of Texas youth. Almost in tandem with the establishment of these goals, outcomes of academic achievement in relation to membership in Texas 4-H have become a keen interest for stakeholders. Through our study, we compared postsecondary academic achievement of Texas 4-H …


Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 2, Donna J. Peterson Dr. Sep 2023

Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 2, Donna J. Peterson Dr.

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.


Convenience Over Nutrition For Recreation League Youth Sport Team Snack And Mealtime Choices, Morgan Ashley M.S., R.D., Tony Weaver Ph.D., Andrew Ramsey M.S., Lauren Haldeman Ph.D. Sep 2023

Convenience Over Nutrition For Recreation League Youth Sport Team Snack And Mealtime Choices, Morgan Ashley M.S., R.D., Tony Weaver Ph.D., Andrew Ramsey M.S., Lauren Haldeman Ph.D.

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Fifty-six percent of school-aged children participate in team sports, yet there is limited evidence on how participation in youth sports impacts the dietary behaviors of participants and their families. Our team surveyed parents and caregivers of children participating in recreation league youth sports (n = 178) to assess the foods and beverages offered as team snacks and factors that influence team snack choices. Juice was the most popular beverage, and crackers were the most popular snack reported by parents. Convenience, followed by cost and child preference, were the most frequently reported factors influencing team snack choices. Survey items also included …


Opportunities For Competency Support Of Virginia Cooperative Extension Professionals At The Colleague Stage, Karen A. Vines, Ruth E. Wallace, Cynthia Gregg, Neil Clark, Jane Henderson, Lonnie Johnson, Dickson Otieno, Sarah Baughman Sep 2023

Opportunities For Competency Support Of Virginia Cooperative Extension Professionals At The Colleague Stage, Karen A. Vines, Ruth E. Wallace, Cynthia Gregg, Neil Clark, Jane Henderson, Lonnie Johnson, Dickson Otieno, Sarah Baughman

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This study focused on the professional development needs of Cooperative Extension agents and specialists with between four and seven years of experience, placing them roughly within the colleague career stage. Data were collected through focus groups and validated through member checking and the use of a modified World Café approach. A research team collaborated, increasing the reliability of the findings through intentional reflection in the development of the findings. Areas of competency strength and weakness vary for agents and specialists, and specific topic areas within competencies vary. While many of the emergent competencies identified in this study fit within the …


Mississippi Career And Technical Education Teachers’ Perception Toward Implementing A Food Science Toolkit Designed To Increase Food Science Curriculum Use In Mississippi, Jasmine D. Hendrix, Wes Schilling, Laura H. Downey, Yan Campbell, Shecoya White Aug 2023

Mississippi Career And Technical Education Teachers’ Perception Toward Implementing A Food Science Toolkit Designed To Increase Food Science Curriculum Use In Mississippi, Jasmine D. Hendrix, Wes Schilling, Laura H. Downey, Yan Campbell, Shecoya White

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

A pilot test implementing a food science toolkit designed to increase student awareness, interest, and knowledge of food science academic and career pathways in Mississippi Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses was conducted to determine teachers’ perceptions of the food science education resources. After implementing the food science toolkit in their CTE course, four teachers individually participated in a semi-structured interview to capture each teacher’s detailed experience implementing the food science toolkit. The results of this study revealed that teachers are interested in teaching food science at the secondary education level to increase student knowledge of food science and enhance …


A Case Study Comparing The Life Skills Development And Knowledge In Youth Participants Of Horseless And Traditional Horse Programs In Utah, Haley M. Johnson, Kelsey L. Hall, Benjamin Scow Aug 2023

A Case Study Comparing The Life Skills Development And Knowledge In Youth Participants Of Horseless And Traditional Horse Programs In Utah, Haley M. Johnson, Kelsey L. Hall, Benjamin Scow

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This study compared four horseless and seven traditional horse participants from Washington County 4-H in Utah for horse knowledge gained and for the development of 10 life skills from Hendricks’s Targeting Life Skills Model: leadership, teamwork, self-responsibility, personal safety, problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, goal setting, communication, and concern for others. This study’s mixed methods design employed interviews to learn about life skill development and quantitative data from a 20-item horse knowledge quiz and demographic survey. The traditional horse youth showed greater development of leadership, self-responsibility, decision-making, goal setting, and communication than the horseless youth. Roughly half of the participants in …


Predicting Covid-19 Risk Information-Seeking Behaviors In Relation To Food Purchasing Concerns, Taylor Ruth, Quisto Settle, Joy N. Rumble Aug 2023

Predicting Covid-19 Risk Information-Seeking Behaviors In Relation To Food Purchasing Concerns, Taylor Ruth, Quisto Settle, Joy N. Rumble

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

COVID-19 drastically altered the way consumers shopped for food as they had to adhere to recommendations for social distancing. However, the public has been divided across political parties in their assessment of the severity of COVID-19 and must filter through misinformation related to the pandemic to make informed choices for personal safety. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the influences on Oklahoma consumers’ risk information-seeking behaviors about COVID-19 within the context of risk perceptions while shopping for food. The Risk Information Seek and Processing (RISP) model and cultural cognition provided the framework for this study. An online …


Evaluation Of Recipes For Life Nutrition Education Program For Fifth-Grade Students, Omolola A. Adedokun, Jean M. Najor, Paula Plonski, S. Brooke Jenkins-Howard, Anna Caroline Durr, Jackie Walters Aug 2023

Evaluation Of Recipes For Life Nutrition Education Program For Fifth-Grade Students, Omolola A. Adedokun, Jean M. Najor, Paula Plonski, S. Brooke Jenkins-Howard, Anna Caroline Durr, Jackie Walters

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Emerging research indicates that chronic illnesses exacerbated by obesity begin in childhood. While research continues to show that consumption of fruits and vegetables can lower rates of obesity, children in the United States often fall short of consuming the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Youth nutrition education and cooking education programs have emerged as proven strategies for promoting youth consumption of fruit and vegetables, and other factors (e.g., nutrition knowledge, food-related behaviors, food preferences, attitude toward cooking, and cooking self-efficacy) that mediate youth consumption of fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the …


Cost Of Care Conversations: Perspectives From Rural Health Care Providers And Older Adult Patients, Karen L. Franck, Christopher Sneed, Lisa Washburn, Ann A. Berry, Victoria Niederhauser Aug 2023

Cost Of Care Conversations: Perspectives From Rural Health Care Providers And Older Adult Patients, Karen L. Franck, Christopher Sneed, Lisa Washburn, Ann A. Berry, Victoria Niederhauser

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Older adults often struggle with health care costs. Cost of care (CoC) conversations are conversations between health care providers and patients to discuss direct and indirect costs associated with health care. These conversations have been found to increase patient compliance, but patients and health care providers often do not have these discussions. This article describes a project to provide Extension education to encourage CoC conversations for older adults and health care providers in rural counties in a southern state. To inform educational material development, 125 older adults and 51 health care providers completed surveys about their cost-related barriers to health …


Lessons Learned Adapting And Implementing Another Organization’S Program To Promote Healthy Aging, Erin Jewell, Theresa Serio, Karen Basinger, Jennifer Dixon Cravens, Lisa Mccoy, Mona Habibi, Shauna C. Henley Aug 2023

Lessons Learned Adapting And Implementing Another Organization’S Program To Promote Healthy Aging, Erin Jewell, Theresa Serio, Karen Basinger, Jennifer Dixon Cravens, Lisa Mccoy, Mona Habibi, Shauna C. Henley

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Programming which promotes healthy aging may be lacking in states where nutrition and health interventions are directed earlier in life. Due to Maryland’s increasing aging population, a team of 10 University of Maryland Extension Family and Consumer Sciences educators received permission to adapt and implement the Iowa Department of Public Health’s, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Human Services and Department on Aging, Fresh Conversations program to fit the needs of Maryland’s older adults. The purpose of this manuscript is not to discuss research findings but rather to share our challenges, successes, and recommendations for adapting and implementing another …


Enhancing Production Efficiency And Farm Profitability Through Innovative Extension Programming, Nathan W. Conner, Matt Stockton, Daran Rudnick, Charles Burr, Tessa Burford Aug 2023

Enhancing Production Efficiency And Farm Profitability Through Innovative Extension Programming, Nathan W. Conner, Matt Stockton, Daran Rudnick, Charles Burr, Tessa Burford

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Cooperative Extension strives to provide agricultural producers with non-formal educational opportunities designed to positively impact agriculture (NIFA, 2021). Therefore, a team of Extension professionals at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln developed and facilitate an ongoing professional development program designed to enhance the engagement of agricultural producers in farm management, especially in the areas of input use efficiency and profitability. Andragogy was used as the framework to help ensure the Testing Agricultural Performance Solutions (TAPS) program provided agricultural producers with non-formal education that aligned with andragogical principles. Knowles (1980) refers to andragogy as the “art and science of helping adults …


Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 1 May 2023

Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 1

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.


Work-Life Balance During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Insights From Extension Professionals, David C. Diehl, Glenn D. Israel, July D. Nelson, Sebastian Galindo Mar 2023

Work-Life Balance During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Insights From Extension Professionals, David C. Diehl, Glenn D. Israel, July D. Nelson, Sebastian Galindo

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Using a retrospective post-then-pre design, we asked Extension professionals to reflect on their work-life balance before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives were to assess whether work-life balance variables (work interference with personal life, personal life interference with work, and work-personal life enhancement) changed from before to during the pandemic, whether any changes in work-life balance were concentrated in households with parents who had caregiving responsibilities, and whether changes in any of these work-life balance variables were associated with respondents’ gender, marital status, or work location. Findings indicated that (1) personal life interference with work significantly increased and work-personal …


Using A Mobile Food Pantry To Address The Food Insecurity Needs Of College Students, Madison Lapke, Barbara Stoecker, M. Craig Edwards, Janice Hermann Mar 2023

Using A Mobile Food Pantry To Address The Food Insecurity Needs Of College Students, Madison Lapke, Barbara Stoecker, M. Craig Edwards, Janice Hermann

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Food insecurity is a prevalent issue throughout the United States, the state of Oklahoma, and on Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) Stillwater campus. Research has shown that college and university students tend to be more food insecure than national population averages and Stillwater’s food insecurity rates have been even higher. Mobile food pantries (MFP) generally have been effective in addressing food insecurity, but few studies have investigated their use to alleviate food insecurity among college students. Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center (ODB) in Stillwater implemented an MFP on OSU’s campus. The present study surveyed students who utilized the MFP …


Factors Associated With Fathers’ Attendance In A Latino Family Obesity Prevention Program, Sayaka Nagao-Sato, Silvia Alvarez De Davila, Aysegul Baltaci, Roxana Linares, Alejandro Omar Peralta Reyes, Youjie Zhang, Ghaffar Hurtado Choque, Marla Reicks Mar 2023

Factors Associated With Fathers’ Attendance In A Latino Family Obesity Prevention Program, Sayaka Nagao-Sato, Silvia Alvarez De Davila, Aysegul Baltaci, Roxana Linares, Alejandro Omar Peralta Reyes, Youjie Zhang, Ghaffar Hurtado Choque, Marla Reicks

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Community-based programs may contribute to Latino pediatric obesity prevention; however, attendance remains low. This study aimed to identify factors associated with Latino father/male caregiver attendance in family-based adolescent obesity prevention programs conducted as part of a randomized controlled trial. The study used cross-sectional data from 137 fathers in the program, involving eight weekly sessions to improve their children’s energy balance-related behaviors. Evaluation data were collected at baseline and post-intervention. Fathers in a waitlisted control group attended sessions after post-intervention data collection. Attendance patterns were identified using cluster analysis: consistently high attendance (50% of fathers), declining attendance (19%), and non-attendance (31%) …


Rewarding Relationships: A Quasi-Experimental Design Evaluating The Impact Of An Extension Public Relations Seminar, Ashley Mcleod-Morin, Lauri M. Baker, Cheryl Boyer, Anissa M. Zagonel, Angela B. Lindsey Mar 2023

Rewarding Relationships: A Quasi-Experimental Design Evaluating The Impact Of An Extension Public Relations Seminar, Ashley Mcleod-Morin, Lauri M. Baker, Cheryl Boyer, Anissa M. Zagonel, Angela B. Lindsey

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

While Extension communication units have seen success in implementing brand strategies to raise awareness of Extension, the public value and need for Extension programming continue to be misunderstood. College students have the potential to ensure the future of Extension is viable. To expose undergraduate students to the brand and value of Extension, a public relations seminar was developed and delivered by a state Extension specialist to 95 students enrolled in an agricultural technical writing course at a land-grant university. The seminar served as a treatment in the quasi-experimental design, which included information about the land-grant mission, Extension resources, and potential …


Breaking The Cycle: Women’S Experience In Postsecondary Agricultural And Extension Education, Lauren L. Cline Dr., Haley Rosson, Penny Pennington Weeks Mar 2023

Breaking The Cycle: Women’S Experience In Postsecondary Agricultural And Extension Education, Lauren L. Cline Dr., Haley Rosson, Penny Pennington Weeks

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The “leaky educational pipeline” metaphor refers to the steady tapering off of women obtaining graduate degrees and reaching the level of a tenured faculty member, although the number of women earning college degrees has surpassed males since the 1980s. Women are disproportionately represented among faculty and leadership at land-grant institutions and in the agricultural education profession. The purpose of this study was to provide a synthesis of women’s experience in postsecondary agricultural and extension education (AEE) by describing the common and diverging challenges, opportunities, and mentoring experiences of women faculty and graduate students in the profession. The study was a …


Urban Agriculture Extension In Florida: Barriers, Needs, And Opportunities, Catherine Campbell, Alicia Papanek, John M. Diaz Mar 2023

Urban Agriculture Extension In Florida: Barriers, Needs, And Opportunities, Catherine Campbell, Alicia Papanek, John M. Diaz

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Much of the United States is urbanizing, increasing the importance of developing Extension programs geared toward urban audiences. There has been an increasing interest in urban agriculture (UA) in recent years as an outgrowth of the “local food” movement. The COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness of the importance of food system resilience, in which urban agriculture can play a role. Developing programs specifically targeted to urban farming clientele can bolster Cooperative Extension’s role in supporting urban populations. An important first step to developing these programs is to understand Extension educators’ perceptions, beliefs, and knowledge about UA and the key barriers and …


A Model For Integrated Approach To Professional Development Of Extension Educators: Implications Of Adult Education Principles And Practices, Nav Ghimire, Vikram Koundinya, Anil Kumar Chaudhary, John M. Diaz, Jon Hogge Mar 2023

A Model For Integrated Approach To Professional Development Of Extension Educators: Implications Of Adult Education Principles And Practices, Nav Ghimire, Vikram Koundinya, Anil Kumar Chaudhary, John M. Diaz, Jon Hogge

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Improving the quality of educational programs and the demand for accountability have put the professional development of Extension educators high on Cooperative Extension’s agenda. Effective professional development facilitates improved program design and implementation, which, in turn, translates into higher clientele satisfaction. The purpose of this article is to discuss the principles and practices of adult education and their application in designing professional development offerings with specific examples for Extension educators. Using the integrated approach of learning, the authors present a framework and share their experiences for the application of practice in designing professional development programs for Extension educators.