This proceeding contains the following session topics: communicating technology, extension curricula, rural development, adoption of innovations, instructional technology, communications technologies, international education; extension programming, extension training, and technology transfer. (CCM)

Mail questionnaire items that are susceptible to order effects were examined using data from 168 questionnaires in a Florida Cooperative Extension Service evaluation. Order effects were found for multiple-response and attributive questions but not for single-response items. Order also interacted with question complexity, social desirability, and…

Agricultural research and extension institutions in Latin America increased agricultural productivity during 1950-75 but deteriorated during the mid-1970s because they were unable to adapt to a heterogeneous agricultural sector and the changing demands of society. External pressure may be necessary to force these institutions to serve the needs of…

Increased opportunities for undergraduate students in agricultural and natural resource disciplines to write for diverse audiences besides their instructor may increase motivation to write and improve student writing skills. The objectives of this teaching research were to determine and compare the initial writing experience of students enrolled…

Extension (industry training) and VET (the formal Vocational Education and Training system), each vital to Australia's education and training for agriculture, have developed as separate domains. Recent research suggests that the potential of closer alignment should be further explored. Extension provides usually non-certified courses to primary…

A study examined factors influencing female cassava processors' intentions regarding participation in an extension education program on cassava processing in rural Nigeria. Interviews were conducted with 224 women who were purposely selected from areas of zone 3 of Ondo State, Nigeria, which has large concentrations of cassava processors.…

This publication reports on the progress that the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada has made to respond to the higher education needs of the northern region of Canada. In particular this report evaluates the progress made after 3 years on a series of formal recommendations proposed in 1988. The paper lists each of the recommendations and…

The Texas Agricultural Extension Service (TAEX) Literacy Initiative has three major components: literacy awareness, cooperation and coordination with other state agencies and organizations, and programmatic responses. During 1991, the TAEX Literacy Initiative addressed the literacy awareness component through these activities: writing a research…

A sample of 731 farmers was surveyed to identify perceptions regarding selected soil and water conservation practices. The sample was stratified and proportioned by conservation district to have a representative group of respondents across Iowa. Items on the mailed questionnaire were designed to assess perceptions regarding issues in soil and…

Dissemination of technologies to increase agricultural production using the conventional transfer of technology system has often failed to consider the natural environment, indigenous knowledge systems, and resource endowments around which resource-poor farmers normally operate. A sample of 96 agricultural extension professionals in 2 districts in…

People act in environmentally sound ways for many reasons, but the best motivation is wanting to act in the public good and knowing how to do it. Education and socialization internalize socially responsible behavior. Land grant university education and extension are based on internalizing the right thing to do and learning the right way to do it.…

The report and resource directory contained in this document represent the efforts of the Rural Families in Transition Work Group, one of six such groups recently created to respond to key issues arising from the farm financial crisis. The directory is intended for use by extension agents in identifying educational resources across the region that…

This "special focus" journal issue consists of 13 individual articles on the theme of rural family programs relating to school, health services, church, and other institutions. It includes: (1) "Towards a Rural Family Policy" (Judith K. Chynoweth and Michael D. Campbell); (2) "Montana: Council for Families Collaborates for…

Since the advent of the 1980s, the economic viability of many farm operations has been severely jeopardized. Although attention has been directed primarily to the Midwest, in many respects farm stress has been greater in the South than in any other region. What is clear, however, is that the crisis is not strictly an agricultural one. Rather, a…

Designed for extension personnel who are involved in community leadership (CL) programs, this publication summarizes recent national efforts that could be useful in developing and conducting CL programs, and current leadership theory and literature. Part 1 reports the results of the national survey, initiated in April 1985, of extension staff…