A Comparison of the Views of Extension Agents and Farmers regarding Extension Education Courses in Dezful, Iran

Autor/inn/en	Zare, Mohsen Nazarzadeh; Dorrani, Kamal; Lavasani, Masoud Gholamali
Titel	A Comparison of the Views of Extension Agents and Farmers regarding Extension Education Courses in Dezful, Iran
Quelle	In: Research in Science & Technological Education, 30 (2012) 3, S.239-254 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0263-5143
DOI	10.1080/02635143.2012.717267
Schlagwörter	Factor Analysis; Logical Thinking; Agricultural Education; Extension Education; Extension Agents; Instructional Materials; Teaching Methods; Foreign Countries; Audiovisual Aids; Agricultural Occupations; Educational Attitudes; Surveys; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Scheduling; Incentives; Course Evaluation; Comparative Analysis; Attitude Measures; Iran + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Faktorenanalyse; Agriculture; Education; Landwirtschaftliche Ausbildung; Landwirtschaft; Ausbildung; Erweitertes Bildungsangebot; Lehrmaterial; Lehrmittel; Unterrichtsmedien; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Ausland; Audiovisuelles Medium; Occupation; Beruf; Landwirtschaftlicher Beruf; Educational attitude; Bildungsverhalten; Erziehungseinstellung; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung; Teaching theory; Theory of teaching; Unterrichtstheorie; Disposition; Anreiz
Abstract	Background and purpose: This study examines the views of farmers and extension agents participating in extension education courses in Dezful, Iran, with regard to problems with these courses. It relies upon a descriptive methodology, using a survey as its instrument. Sample: The statistical population consisted of 5060 farmers and 50 extension agents; all extension agents were studied owing to their small population and a sample of 466 farmers was selected based on the stratified ratio sampling method. For the data analysis, statistical procedures including the t-test and factor analysis were used. Results: The results of factor analysis on the views of farmers indicated that these courses have problems such as inadequate use of instructional materials by extension agents, insufficient employment of knowledgeable and experienced extension agents, bad and inconvenient timing of courses for farmers, lack of logical connection between one curriculum and prior ones, negligence in considering the opinions of farmers in arranging the courses, and lack of information about the time of courses. The findings of factor analysis on the views of extension agents indicated that these courses suffer from problems such as use of consistent methods of instruction for teaching curricula, and lack of continuity between courses and their levels and content. Conclusions: Recommendations include: listening to the views of farmers when planning extension courses; providing audiovisual aids, pamphlets and CDs; arranging courses based on convenient timing for farmers; using incentives to encourage participation; and employing extension agents with knowledge of the latest agricultural issues. (Contains 15 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10