Volume
56
Issue
6
Abstract
Extension educators should think of themselves as change agents, yet many act as information dispensers. Accordingly, we sought to determine whether we could change perceptions of county Extension educators in Oklahoma regarding their function as change agents. Educators participated in a two-part (two-treatment) professional development experience involving a workshop and a computer simulation. The experience was grounded in Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory and addressed nine established Extension educator change-agent roles. Participants ranked the importance of the roles prior to the experience and again following each treatment. Their perceptions changed regarding only the "Alternative Delivery Systems" role. We explore the imperative to improve Extension agents' understanding of how to be change agents.
Recommended Citation
Scott, M., Weeks, W. G., & Weeks, P. P. (2018). Impact of a Professional Development Experience Focused on Extension Educators as Change Agents. The Journal of Extension, 56(6), Article 12. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol56/iss6/12
