Search results

This leadership education evaluation study explored the leadership development outcomes of potential county extension directors and the ways to improve the program. The leadership education program aimed to improve participants’ leadership abilities in understanding self, building relationships and managing resources. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data confirmed that the leadership training institute was effective in building participants’ leadership skills and improving leadership behavior. The incorporation of participants’ learning needs into the program, use of hands-on experiential learning activities and problem solving activities combined with small group discussions were the contributing factors for the success of this leadership education program. The participants suggested the use of more hands-on and problem solving activities, team building exercises and condensing the time gap between the pre and post sessions as strategies for further improvement of this program.

To achieve a fully participatory society, all participants should receive equal opportunities for understanding the processes of acquiring, managing, and developing financial resources. The author argues that financial education processes do not meet the needs of all children, because they do not account for differences in child development prompted by various economic contexts. He contends that these contexts prompt judgment patterns among individuals having economic differences and that efforts toward social equity necessitate the exploration of moral issues related to personal finance. He recommends use of the arts to enable student discovery and reconciliation of financial judgments so that students may construct understandings of the social issues that prompt financial inequities and may explore ideas to challenge them.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate Penn State Extension 4-H volunteer leaders’ leadership development needs and preferred delivery methods for leadership development. The participants were 147 volunteer leaders who attended Penn State Extension Annual 4-H Leader Forum and filled out the survey. We found that the overall mean score for leadership skills needs among volunteer leaders was 4.33 (SD =.45). Volunteers’ overall leadership skills needs do not differ based on volunteer gender, level of education, age, and previous volunteer experience. The preferred delivery methods of leadership development for Penn State Extension 4-H volunteer leaders were workshop and in-service training. Leadership education is critical in advancing volunteers’ skills and preparing them to delivery well-developed, state of the art contemporary leadership education programs.

This study sought to assess perceptions of support for organizational change and model the relationship between support for organizational change and leadership competencies among Extension educators. The knowledge gained through this work should expand current understandings regarding the nature, scope, and value of support for organizational change within the Extension educator role. We found that Extension educators mostly support organizational change. Our study also showed that leadership competencies predict a significant proportion of the total variation in overall support for organizational change. Extension leaders and leadership development practitioners should be aware that leadership education may increase receptivity to organizational change among educators.

The Agents of Change program is a two-year, project-based learning program to develop Extension Professionals’ capacity to engage in Adaptive and Transformative Leadership. Its primary goal is to develop the capacity of Extension Professionals to engage in leadership to create more diverse, equitable, inclusive and just Extension programs and community change initiatives. This manuscript describes the program and an initial evaluation and results.

Results of an evaluation of the first year of the program indicate that regular training sessions and support are appropriate for leadership development and that Extension Professionals are using the learning, awareness and tools from this program to address challenges with Adaptive and Transformative Leadership elements. Also, Extension professionals demonstrated commitment to personal growth, community engagement and understanding of their multifaceted roles as change agents.

Participants are sharing resources from the program with colleagues, leading meetings differently, questioning the status quo and pushing others to try new ways forward.

The purpose of this paper is to identify limitations in managing the implementation of effective teaching and learning in township ECD centres.

This research was grounded in a community-based participatory research approach. A qualitative research design was utilised because phenomena could be studied in terms of the meanings of people. Elements of grounded theory, situational analysis and community-based participatory research were blended. The qualitative research design involved semi-structured face-to-face interviews with teachers in township ECD centres.

The findings from this research made it evident that principals of ECD centres were often absent; had not been trained to manage an ECD centre; had limited skills to manage finances; did not communicate with parents or teachers; and did not motivate teachers to achieve goals or to improve their qualifications.

Challenges that could impede the effective implementation of an intervention programme should be identified and addressed. Principals of ECD centres should be empowered to manage their centres effectively. A training programme aimed at empowering principals of ECD centres has been developed and will be implemented after consultation with the gatekeeper and principals of the ECD centres.

The findings of this research could be used by principals and researchers to reflect on management practices in ECD centres. A challenge for principals is to acknowledge the principles of effective management and to close the gap between current practices and effective management practices. Interventions from academics are essential to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in ECD centres.

Financial literacy is generally seen as an important factor explaining a broader set of investment behaviors. In the context of a weak financial knowledge in France, this article focuses on the particular situation of Generation Z (individuals born after 1995) and more particularly management students likely to be involved in financial decisions in the near future.

The analysis is based on a survey conducted in the Fall of 2019, through a questionnaire distributed to 300 students enrolled in a French business school.

The results indicate that financial knowledge is poor for students who do not follow a specialized course in finance. This research also demonstrates the importance of risk behavior, showing that risk adverse students are also those with the lowest level of financial literacy.

This article contributes to the academic literature by focusing on students in France. It is the first study to examine Gen Z financial literacy and its implications. It raises awareness on the importance of financial education in the education curriculum.

The purpose of this paper is to examine food preparation practices of US older adults by assessing their conceptualization of food preparation methods and their routine use of food preparation methods and kitchen equipment.

In total, 17 community-dwelling older adults used cards with names of food preparation methods and cooking equipment items to do one open sort and three closed sorts about: food preparation method classifications; food preparation method use frequency; kitchen equipment use frequency; and essential vs non-essential kitchen equipment. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and qualitative thematic analysis were performed.

Participants classified food preparation methods using multiple dimensions: ways to alter food, inputs, location, timing, and personal behavior. They used a wide range of food preparation methods and kitchen equipment items in routine cooking. The mean number of the 38 preparation methods sorted as used “often” was 16.5±5.0. In total, 15 of the 17 participants reported using more than 20 of the 40 equipment items “often.” The mean number of equipment items identified as “essential” was 21.5±9.3.

Food professionals should consider access to equipment and food preparation skills and preferences when designing products and working with consumers. Addressing gaps in human and material capital may support adoption of food preparation practices.

Food preparation method and equipment use frequency has rarely been examined from the household cook’s perspective. Using card sorts is a novel approach to examining consumer classification of an extensive list of preparation methods and kitchen equipment.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between commercial bank lending terms, financial literacy and access to formal credit by small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

In this cross-sectional study, the authors surveyed 384 business owners or managers of SMEs in Uganda. The authors applied confirmatory factor analysis to reduce the number of factors and identify the important elements that capture commercial lending terms, financial literacy and access to formal credit. The authors put forward and tested two hypotheses relating to the significance of the relationship between perceived commercial bank lending terms, financial literacy and access to formal credit using structural equation modelling with analysis of moment structures 18.

The results suggest a positive and significant relationship between perceived commercial bank lending terms, financial literacy and access to formal credit. Moreover, the ANOVA results serendipitously show that access to formal credit varies with type of business and turnover. However, collateral and loan repayment periods are not observed variables for commercial bank lending terms. The most significant observed variable for commercial bank lending terms is interest rates. This, together with financial literacy, explains 31 per cent of the variances in access to formal credit by SMEs in Uganda.

The study is limited to the SME firms registered and operating in Kampala, Uganda and it is possible that the results are only applicable to these firms in Uganda. Nevertheless, the findings have implications to commercial banks wishing to improve the turnover of their micro-lending schemes.

Efforts by the stakeholders to improve financial literacy of SMEs owners and managers must be matched with favourable interest rates if access to formal credit is to be enhanced.

The findings also have implications for governments aiming at improving access to finance to overcome income inequality problems, and also improve their growth.

The results provide initial evidence of the aggregate explanatory power of interest rates and financial literacy for the criterion variable, access to formal credit by SMEs.

Through the study of leadership, the concept of leadership effectiveness and its importance has emerged. Effective leadership contributes to successful organizations (Amagoh, 2009; Leithwood, Jantzi, & Steinbach, 1999). According to Gordon & Yukl (2004), because of constantly changing environments, it is important to continue research in the leadership and leadership effectiveness fields, especially when it comes to leadership in academia. Using Seiler and Pfister’s (2009) Dynamic Five-Factor Model of Leadership as the theoretical frame, a qualitative study of leadership effectiveness influencers of Agricultural and Extension Education department heads was completed. The research looked at both internal and external influential factors.