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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Mississippi State University

Journal

2021

Articles 31 - 45 of 45

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Theoretical Influence Of Praise Given To Teen Leaders At 4-H Camp On Their Feelings Of Contribution And Motivation, Ruth E. Wallace Jun 2021

The Theoretical Influence Of Praise Given To Teen Leaders At 4-H Camp On Their Feelings Of Contribution And Motivation, Ruth E. Wallace

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Praise in the context of behavior-specific encouragement, positive reinforcement, and recognition may provide a linkage in positive youth development to teen leaders’ feelings of contribution and motivation at 4-H Camp. Existing literature on praise in academic settings, combined with literature related to positive youth development, organized camping programs, and 4-H, lends credibility to the theory that there is an influence on teen attitudes and participation regarding contributing to their community at 4-H Camp. Practical implications are presented, along with suggestions for future research.

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Examining Volunteer Management Needs And Preferred Professional Development Delivery Methods Among Extension Educators, Suzanna Windon, Mariah Stollar, Rama Radhakrishna Jun 2021

Examining Volunteer Management Needs And Preferred Professional Development Delivery Methods Among Extension Educators, Suzanna Windon, Mariah Stollar, Rama Radhakrishna

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate Penn State Extension educators’ volunteer management needs and desirable professional development delivery methods. The participants were 92 Extension educators who participated in the online survey. The response rate was 47.4%. We found that the top five most preferable volunteer management content area needs among educators were volunteer communication, motivation, training, risk management, and coaching. The most desirable delivery methods of volunteer management content were webinars, one-time in-service training, factsheets, and series of workshops. The point-biserial correlation coefficient was used to show the correlation between specific volunteer management content area and professional …

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A Qualitative Study: Small Business Merchandising Strategies In Rural Minnesota, Jacqueline Parr, Marilyn Bruin Jun 2021

A Qualitative Study: Small Business Merchandising Strategies In Rural Minnesota, Jacqueline Parr, Marilyn Bruin

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This study was motivated by a desire to develop strategic guidelines tailored to solve the unique problems small, rural retailers face in today’s competitive retail environment. Because there is limited understanding of the actual experience of rural retailers’ operations and experiences, it was necessary to explore and accurately capture the experience from participants’ perspectives. The objective of the study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the rural small retailer’s perceptions of the business environment, merchandising strategies, challenges, and opportunities. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight small business owners from a rural county in Minnesota. A criterion-based sampling approach was …

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Full Issue, Volume 9, Number 2, Donna J. Peterson, Kathleen Kelsey, Scott Cummings Jun 2021

Full Issue, Volume 9, Number 2, Donna J. Peterson, Kathleen Kelsey, Scott Cummings

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

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Move More, Sit Less: Applying The Physical Activity Guidelines For Americans To Extension Programs, Laura E. Balis, Hannah F. Fuerniss, Drew T. Brown, Chance Marshall, Samantha M. Harden Jun 2021

Move More, Sit Less: Applying The Physical Activity Guidelines For Americans To Extension Programs, Laura E. Balis, Hannah F. Fuerniss, Drew T. Brown, Chance Marshall, Samantha M. Harden

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Extension enhances the lives of Americans by translating research-based information related to existing needs into programming that is practical and accessible to the general public. Evidence clearly indicates that physical activity is correlated to positive health outcomes, but despite this conclusion, the majority of Americans do not meet the recommendations for physical activity. The 2nd Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provides guidance for Extension professionals to implement physical activity interventions. We recommend training and technical assistance strategies based on the Interactive Systems Framework to integrate physical activity promotion into all Extension areas.

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Lessons From Two States With Extension Programs For Managing Stress, Holly Tiret, Cheryl Eschbach, Allison Nichols, Becky Smith, Jane Riffe, Terry Clark Jones Mar 2021

Lessons From Two States With Extension Programs For Managing Stress, Holly Tiret, Cheryl Eschbach, Allison Nichols, Becky Smith, Jane Riffe, Terry Clark Jones

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Recognizing the need for education that addresses social emotional and mental health issues faced by adults, Extension developed two different types of programs. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension developed the RELAX: Alternatives to Anger program (RELAX) to address anger management, and West Virginia University (WVU) Extension created Stress Less with Mindfulness (SLM) to build stress management skills among adults. At a national conference, the two states independently shared their programs’ objectives and delivery implementation and then later cross-trained each other’s Extension team. The research reported here shares the designs of both stress-reduction health programs and the results of a combined …

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First Things First: Assessing Needs, Comfort, And Role Clarity For Physical Activity Promotion, Laura E. Balis, Thomas E. Strayer Iii, Samantha M. Harden Mar 2021

First Things First: Assessing Needs, Comfort, And Role Clarity For Physical Activity Promotion, Laura E. Balis, Thomas E. Strayer Iii, Samantha M. Harden

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Extension has recently begun delivering physical activity programs, but delivering evidence-based interventions is a challenge. To increase adoption of evidence-based interventions, a better understanding of agents’ perceptions and needs is necessary. The purpose of this research was to conduct a readiness assessment to identify organizational factors and agent perceptions that speed or impede uptake of evidence-based physical activity programs. Data were gathered from agents through a sequential mixed-methods design informed by the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework. A survey assessed current work status, demographic variables, physical activity levels, and time spent on programming tasks. Semi-structured focus group questions …

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Facilitators And Barriers To Implementation Of Community-Based Socio-Ecological Approaches To Obesity Prevention Among Cooperative Extension Agents, Denise Holson, Jessica Stroope, Melissa Cater Mar 2021

Facilitators And Barriers To Implementation Of Community-Based Socio-Ecological Approaches To Obesity Prevention Among Cooperative Extension Agents, Denise Holson, Jessica Stroope, Melissa Cater

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes of Cooperative Extension Service (CES) Family and Consumer Science (FCS) agents related to the planning and implementation of community-based multi-level ecological obesity prevention strategies were identified through qualitative, exploratory research. Focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted in the five regions of the Louisiana State University CES (LSU AgCenter). Participants included CES FCS Extension agents (n = 35; 97% of agents). Participants were female and responsible for conducting programming in parishes (counties). Thematic analysis of data found principal factors that influenced FCS Extension agents’ perceived ability to plan and implement community-based multi-level obesity prevention approaches to include …

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Online Divorce Education: Learning From Participants Who Want More, Joshua J. Turner, Kay Bradford, David G. Schramm, Brian J. Higginbotham, Olena Kopystynska, Melissa M. Ferguson Mar 2021

Online Divorce Education: Learning From Participants Who Want More, Joshua J. Turner, Kay Bradford, David G. Schramm, Brian J. Higginbotham, Olena Kopystynska, Melissa M. Ferguson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Divorce education is designed for divorcing parents with minor children, and in a growing number of states, participation has become court-mandated to finalize a divorce. To increase accessibility, some states have adopted brief, online formats for divorce education programming. Evaluations are encouraging; however, less is known about how opinions on course length relate to participants’ views on the benefits of their participation. This study analyzed qualitative data from parents (n = 41) who thought their mandated divorce education course was too short. Results indicate that participants thought the course increased their knowledge of divorce-related matters. They also suggested improvements related …

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The Tasting Party Assessment: Can Educators Reliably Evaluate Preschoolers’ Willingness To Try New Foods In Group Settings?, Laura L. Bellows, Savannah Hobbs, Susan L. Johnson Mar 2021

The Tasting Party Assessment: Can Educators Reliably Evaluate Preschoolers’ Willingness To Try New Foods In Group Settings?, Laura L. Bellows, Savannah Hobbs, Susan L. Johnson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Food neophobia, defined as an unwillingness to consume novel and unfamiliar foods is common in young children. Assessment of neophobia or willingness to try new foods can be a challenge with this audience. With the increase in nutrition interventions focused on the young child, valid and reliable measures to assess willingness to try new foods that can be administered in groups by classroom teachers and Extension educators are needed. The Food Friends: Fun with New Foods (FWNF) program aims to increase children’s willingness to try new foods in childcare settings. The Tasting Party assessment was developed as the primary tool …

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Building Bridges: Improving Extension Support To Organic Growers In North Georgia, Amanda Olbrick Marabesi, Kathleen D. Kelsey, James C. Anderson, Nicholas E. Fuhrman Mar 2021

Building Bridges: Improving Extension Support To Organic Growers In North Georgia, Amanda Olbrick Marabesi, Kathleen D. Kelsey, James C. Anderson, Nicholas E. Fuhrman

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Organic agriculture has the potential to improve the environmental performance of U.S. agriculture, supporting increasing food demand and diversification of food consumption while improving the quality of ecosystems. Organic growers are challenged by a lack of Cooperative Extension agent support as agents have not served organic growers to the same extent as conventional growers nationwide. Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovations theory guided our phenomenological inquiry to explore (a) what agents experienced while supporting organic growers, and (b) how agents experienced providing support to organic growers in north Georgia. According to participants, the essence of the support offered to organic growers …

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Assessing Rural And Urban Community Assets And Needs To Inform Extension Program Planning, Lendel Narine, Amanda D. Ali, Paul A. Hill Mar 2021

Assessing Rural And Urban Community Assets And Needs To Inform Extension Program Planning, Lendel Narine, Amanda D. Ali, Paul A. Hill

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

A needs assessment is a useful tool for prioritizing community needs and allocating resources. Prioritizing community needs helps ensure Extension programs are relevant and targeted towards specific audiences. This study prioritized normative needs of urban and rural Utah residents using a needs assessment framework. Convenience data were gathered from 1,043 adult Utah residents, and the raking method was used to weigh the sample by selected population characteristics. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and nonparametric statistics) were used for data analysis. A calculated Point-Score represented the difference between residents’ perceived importance and satisfaction of various community assets. Results showed affordable housing, affordable medical …

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Integrating Policies, Systems, And Environments (Pse) Work Into Fcs Extension Programming: Lessons Learned From A Multi-State Training, Lisa T. Washburn, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Karen L. Franck, Lauren E. Kennedy, Christopher Sneed Mar 2021

Integrating Policies, Systems, And Environments (Pse) Work Into Fcs Extension Programming: Lessons Learned From A Multi-State Training, Lisa T. Washburn, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Karen L. Franck, Lauren E. Kennedy, Christopher Sneed

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Public health efforts have emphasized changes to policies, systems and environments (PSEs) to improve health behaviors for individuals and communities. Extension has increasingly emphasized these approaches, particularly for work of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) agents. In part, this emphasis on PSEs in Extension has been driven by SNAP-Ed and other federally funded initiatives, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) High Obesity Programs (HOP). However, broader adoption and implementation of PSEs at the local level has lagged in some states for various reasons. These include limited understanding about PSE interventions and how this work fits with …

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Creating Learning Environments To Support Students Experiencing Stress: Qualitative Insights From An Extension-Community Partnership, Chelsea Hetherington, Sarah Cronin, Sara Langworthy, Cari Michaels Mar 2021

Creating Learning Environments To Support Students Experiencing Stress: Qualitative Insights From An Extension-Community Partnership, Chelsea Hetherington, Sarah Cronin, Sara Langworthy, Cari Michaels

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

For children experiencing chronic stress, succeeding academically in the face of other obstacles can be daunting. Many efforts focused on supporting students fail to address nonacademic aspects of well-being that can impact their ability to succeed. Working to bridge the gap between research and practice, here we describe the results of an Extension-Community partnership that sought to design learning environments to support elementary students’ healthy bodies and minds. Project leaders took an ecological systems approach, intervening with students at a local elementary school across multiple contexts. This entailed creating a calming room in the school, building a community garden on …

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Full Issue, Volume 9, Number 1, Donna J. Peterson, Kathleen Kelsey Mar 2021

Full Issue, Volume 9, Number 1, Donna J. Peterson, Kathleen Kelsey

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

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