THE STUDY EXPLORED BASIC PATTERNS OF PERCEPTIONS AMONG PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKERS IN MEXICO ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF POSSIBLE NEW OBJECTIVES, KINDS OF FUNCTIONS, AND TYPES OF TRAINING FOR ITS EXTENSION AGENTS. DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM 147 EXTENSION AGENTS AND SUPERVISORS, EXPERIMENTALISTS, RESEARCH LEADERS, AND PROFESSORS, BY A MAILED QUESTIONNAIRE. THE THREE INDEPENDENT SECTIONS ON OBJECTIVES, FUNCTIONS, AND TRAINING WERE RATED AND RANKED. THE FINDINGS INDICATED THAT DIFFERENT GROUPS AGREED THAT THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE EXTENSION SERVICE SHOULD BE TO CONCENTRATE ON PROMOTING A HIGHER PRODUCTION OF BASIC FOOD CROPS. THEY DISAGREED ABOUT FUNCTIONS AND TRAINING NEEDS OF EXTENSION AGENTS. THE AGENTS HAD MORE REALISTIC IDEAS OF DEVELOPING COMMUNITY SERVICES, SUCH AS THE NEED FOR MORE DIRECT FINANCIAL AID TO FARMERS, AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, THAN PERCEIVED BY RESEARCH AND TEACHING PERSONNEL. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE DUAL TASK OF DEFINING MORE PRECISE ROLE AND TRAINING NEEDS OF EXTENSION AGENTS REQUIRES RESEARCH PLANNED COOPERATIVELY BY TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND EXTENSION INSTITUTIONS IN MEXICO. THIS DOCUMENT IS A PH.D. THESIS, AVAILABLE FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, ANN ARBOR, MICH. ORDER NO. 64-1040. MICROFILM, $2.95. XEROGRAPHY $10.35. 228 PAGES. (AUTHOR/PT)