The purpose of this study was to determine what demographic factors were related to the level of job satisfaction of Extension agents. The study followed a descriptive correlational design. A modified version of the Job Diagnostic Survey developed by Hackman and Oldham was sent to 195 Extension agents. Based on 143 usable responses, significant relationships existed between the job satisfaction constructs and the demographic factors of gender and race. When considering Extension agents' current positions, a significant difference (p < .05) was found between area agents and 4-H agents regarding how each group rated satisfaction with coworker relations.
Although the number of adult programs in agricultural production has dropped off in recent years, the need for these programs has not. This need has been magnified with development and adoption of advanced technology, innovative marketing strategies, new strategies in farm management, and the addition of new agricultural laws and regulations. After reviewing adult education in agriculture in the South, Haynes (1984) indicated that adult farmers in this region are in desperate need of educational assistance, while an absence of adult farmer education programs exists in many Southern school districts. Agnew and Gilbertson (1986) warned that to deny this need for education is to deny that agricultural problems exist or that technologies related to agriculture are changing. Lee (1981) stated that adult education programs in agriculture do not have the priority, as they did some years ago. Phipps and Osborne (1988) indicated that the 1980's have not supported the agricultural prediction made in the 1970's that adult education programs would grow. They found that only 20 to 2.5 percent of all secondaty agriculture instructors teach adults. Research has been conducted in few states to identify the educational needs of adults involved in production agriculture. Findings from a study by Lilley, and others (1987) indicated that among the most significant subject matter needs of adults in production agriculture are feeds and feeding, crop production, soil and fertilizers, farm records, farm mechanics, farm/financial management and decision making, government laws and regulations, and long range planning.
The purpose of this study was to profile and compare transfer agriculture students enrolled in Mississippi public community colleges during the Spring 1985 and 1992 semesters. Data were examined to identify demographic trends developing in the study population. Several trends were identified. Enrollment in transfer agriculture programs increased by 102% (from 110 to 222) between 1985 and 1992. By comparison, agriculture enrollment at Mississippi State University remained stable during the same seven year period. The most obvious trend identified was the decreased percentage of respondents with farm backgrounds and other agricultural experiences. When compared to the 1985 baseline group, the 1992 respondents were less likely to have: (a) been raised on a farm; (b) had parents who were raised on a farm; (c) had parents who owned a farm; (d) enrolled in high school agriculture classes; or, (e) had agricultural work experiences. The identified trends are discussed in relation to the changing structure of Mississippi's rural population base. Changes occurring in the transfer student population are congruent with these larger demographic trends. Major recommendations include: (a) development of more structured articulation agreements between community colleges and university agriculture programs ; and, (b) an increased emphasis on internships and practicums for students lacking agricultural experiences.Community colleges play a major role in American higher education. Two-year colleges enrolled 43% of the nation's 12.7 million undergraduate students in Fall 1989 (National Center for Education Statistics, 1993a). Furthermore, two-year institutions accounted for 76% of the increase in undergraduate student enrollment between
Community colleges play a major role in American higher education. Nationwide, during the fall 1990 semester, 38 percent of undergraduate students were enrolled in two-year colleges (National Center for Education Statistics, 1993). In Mississippi, during the fall 1992 semester, 98,233 undergraduates were enrolled in certificate and degree programs in the state's public institutions of higher education. Of this total, 51 percent were enrolled in community colleges
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