An Evaluation of the Southern Region Pesticide Safety Education Center at North Carolina State University: Identifying Relationships Between Socio-Demographic, Organizational, and Psychological Factors and the Agent Use and Perception of Clientele Acceptance of Teaching Modules
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Date
2007-06-20
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Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the Southern Region Pesticide Education Center (SR-PSEC) on use of hands on teaching modules by participating Extension agents. The goal was to explore how frequently the teaching modules presented at the SR-PSEC were adopted for use by the agents, and also to determine which factors affected that adoption.
The SR-PSEC director indicated that the Center would be successful if the teaching modules were adopted at a rate greater than 50%. Nine of the twelve teaching modules exceeded this rate. A 75% rate was considered successful regarding the agent's perception of clientele acceptance of the teaching modules.
Eighteen factors were explored to determine their relationship with the adoption of the teaching modules. The demographic factors of gender and age were identified as having a relationship to adoption of one or more of the teaching modules; and the organizational factors of tenure, pesticide coordinator responsibility, time as pesticide coordinator, vegetable, crops, ornamental horticulture and other responsibilities all have a relationship to adoption of one or more of the teaching modules. No relationship was identified between race, educational level, turf responsibility, SR-PSEC session attended, agent title, program area, Extension region, time in current position or locus of control and adoption of any of the teaching modules.
Relationships were identified between educational level, time as pesticide coordinator, vegetable responsibility, ornamental horticulture responsibility, turf responsibility, SR-PSEC session attended, agent title, and Extension region and agent perception of clientele acceptance of one or more of the teaching modules.
Locus of control had no relationship between either adoption of or the agent perception of clientele acceptance of any of the teaching modules.
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Keywords
practice adoption, locus of control, training, Extension, teaching module
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Degree
EdD
Discipline
Agricultural and Extension Education
