Extension Youth Educators’ Technology Use in Youth Development Programming

McClure, Carli; Buquoi, Brittany; Kotrlik, Joe W.; Machtmes, Krisanna; Bunch, J. C.

doi:10.5032/jae.2014.03017

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…These findings are similar to past research where Extension personnel had higher comfort and use in written communication than other communications activities, especially in the form of newsletters, and had lower comfort in mediarelated communication, such as TV and radio outreach, video editing, and graphic design (Erichsen, 2008;Hopkins, 2013;Telg et al, 2007). Amongst social media platforms, previous research has found Extension personnel have had higher comfort in Facebook compared to other platforms such as Twitter (McClure et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Needs assessments are one of the most vital components of Cooperative Extension program development, as they can assist Cooperative Extension in standing out from competitors through an understanding of stakeholder needs and Cooperative Extension strengths and weaknesses (Garst & McCawley, 2015). While past research has considered perceptions of Cooperative Extension personnel and supervisors toward communication in the context of needs assessments, it has largely considered the two demographic groups separately and has not simultaneously compared traditional and newer technologies (Erichsen, 2008;Jernigan, Edgar, Miller, & Cox, 2015;McClure, Buquoi, Kotrlik, Machtmes, & Bunch, 2014;Meyers, Shaw, Irlbeck, Doerfert, & Abrams, 2015;O'Neill et al, 2011;Telg, Irani, Muegge, Kistler, & Place, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Comparison of Extension Personnel and Supervisor Perceptions of Communications Activities

Bowman¹,

Settle²,

North³

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Communications

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Extension is often called the "best-kept secret" having low awareness with the public but high satisfaction with clientele. Extension services nationwide have faced budget cuts, creating a need for the organization to re-evaluate its activities, including how it communicates with its stakeholders. While Extension personnel are the ones who will do most of the communicating, their supervisors impact the personnel's actions, which means it is important to assess both groups. A survey was conducted with Extension personnel and their supervisors in Mississippi assessing engagement in communications activities and perceptions of those activities, as well as personnel's preference of professional development activities. Personnel reported higher use, comfort, and importance of more traditional (e.g. making a speech) and written activities (e.g. writing a promotional handout) than media-relations activities (e.g. being interviewed for TV), social media-related activities (e.g. managing a Twitter account), and visual communication activities (e.g. graphic design). Supervisors perceived individual communications activities as less important overall than personnel did, and although supervisor and communication scores for use and comfort/capability were similar for most communication activities, there were noticeable exceptions. Additionally, personnel preferred professional development activities that were hands-on or showing the activities first-hand (e.g. demonstrations and field days). Future research should be expanded to other states, conducted in a case study format to study specific relationships, and involve qualitative components. Extension should ensure clear supervisor-communication dialogue on prioritizing communication activities, provide training on communication activities with low use and comfort, and utilize early innovators who are comfortable using newer communication activities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%