University of Idaho Extension 4-H professionals have learned to work with volunteers in new ways to expand capacity and continue to build the quality of the 4-H program in Idaho. This article identifies how defining new position descriptions for volunteer facilitation coaches addressed two program needs, expanded capacity, and provided a higher…

Extension educators should think of themselves as change agents, yet many act as information dispensers. Accordingly, we sought to determine whether we could change perceptions of county Extension educators in Oklahoma regarding their function as change agents. Educators participated in a two-part (two-treatment) professional development…

This study employed a two-stage exploratory research design to empirically collect, verify and analyze the challenges and barriers that influence the Cooperative Extension Service's ability to deliver educational programming and resources to urban residents. Each stage of the study was designed to build on the previous stage and to accomplish…

Mobilizing folklife, oral history, and public history documentation methods alongside forms of public engagement and presentation, the authors share a story of Ohio organic farmers and farming.

Purpose: The paper aims to reflect on the function(s) served by the network of Argentine universities for environmental management and social inclusion (UAGAIS), including sharing information, empowering its members and fostering political action. To these functions, the authors add that networks play a prominent role in promoting culturally and…

Our study examined the relationship between improved personal health behaviors of Head Start teachers and the promotion of positive health behaviors in their classrooms. Thirty-three Head Start teachers across seven centers received six 30-min nutrition education lessons. Dietary intake, physical activity, and self-efficacy for promoting positive…

Purpose: Extension workers' knowledge and competencies are fundamental to a successful practice. Most academic literature focuses on how to train extension workers, but neglects how complex their learning processes are. This article contributes to the topic by describing and analyzing extension workers' sources of knowledge and learning.…

The mission of Land Grant Institutions (LGIs) and Cooperative Extension has always included the concepts of educational access and inclusion, but not all communities have equitable access to Extension programs. Specifically, Extension is currently only serving about 10% of Indigenous communities. Given the complicated history of Indigenous land…

Program quality is an important topic for improving out-of-school time youth development programs. High levels of program quality may contribute to enhanced positive youth development outcomes. This paper explores aspects of program quality in the California 4-H Youth Development Program and its relationship to positive youth development outcomes.…

In this article, we present the anticipation guide as a tool for preparing Extension audiences to learn the main points of Extension materials. Anticipation guides improve learner comprehension by appealing to an individual's natural curiosity and helping the individual focus on key ideas. Anticipation guides can be used with all types of…

Fewer children in the United States are playing team-based sports, and the trend is making national headlines. While there is no complete agreement as to the predominant reason for this trend, it is clear that a national conversation on this problem has begun, and Cooperative Extension holds the potential for getting kids back in the game. At its…

University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Specialist for 4-H Youth Development conducted a comprehensive needs assessment of the professional development system of Kentucky 4-H Youth Development Agents. A qualitative research design was used to give nine 4-H Agents the opportunity to identify the strengths and challenges of the current…

Purpose: The effectiveness of new extension approaches hinges on farmers' willingness to adopt innovative ways to interact with extension. Therefore, this study explored farmers' willingness to use mobile text messaging for two-way interactions with Ministry Extension officers. Design/Methodology/Approach: Guided by the Unified Theory of…

Oklahoma Extension educators encountered barriers related to trainings and program delivery for a caregiver education program produced by Oklahoma State University Extension. Oklahoma family and consumer sciences educators were interviewed about perceived barriers to attending trainings and delivering the program. Findings indicated that staff…

We identified gaps in safe food handling practices that may be placing older adults at increased risk of food-borne illness. A convenience sample of 1,019 older adults completed the Food Safety Behavior Questionnaire. Majority groups among participants were those who were female, those who were White, and those who were widowed. Participants had…