The Attitudes of Extension Faculty in Virginia Toward Globalizing Extension Programs

摘要

Agricultural experts have argued that, for the Cooperative Extension System to remain viable, they must address globalization issues through local Extension programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) faculty toward globalizing their programming efforts. The study also ascertained information related to VCE faculty's current involvement in globally focused activities as well as barriers to globalizing programming efforts. The Web-based survey instrument used for this study included four sections: 1) Employee Profile, 2) Involvement in International Activities, 3) Attitudes toward Global Issues, and 4) Perceived Barriers to Globalizing Extension Programs. The target audience for this study was all VCE faculty members (N=332). Two hundred and six faculty members completed the online survey; 205 of the surveys were usable. This represents a return rate of 62 percent. The data revealed that 92 percent of the respondents were involved in international efforts within the past five years. The data also revealed an attitude mean score of 2.9 on a scale of one to four, with four being the most positive. Furthermore, the top two barriers to globalizing VCE programs, as identified by respondents, were "lack of financial support" and "not a programming priority. "