The effectiveness of Extension work is highly dependent on the preparedness and professional competencies of Extension practitioners. One area of training that is of importance to Extension practitioners is adult learning. According to Malcolm Knowles, andragogy is the art and science of adult learning. This study looked at the principles of adult…

Teaching is an important part of an Extension agent's duties; however, little is empirically understood about effective teaching practices in an Extension context. The purpose of this study was to explore the adult teaching practices of exemplary extension agents. Through a nomination process, seven agents in Florida were interviewed. The analysis…

One of a University's four functions is to extend sustainable training programs that will help address any social issue in the community. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a University extension program. It focuses on the participants' skills acquired from the program and how they influence their job performance and quality of life. This…

Polarization is increasingly impacting Extension's work in communities. Extension has untapped potential to address division and lack of civility by building civic infrastructure and skills for constructive dialogue. We describe a pilot program that began as a one-off event and grew into a series organized by University of Wisconsin-Madison…

This study was situated in the context of the University of California 4-H Positive Youth Development Program. A convenience sample of teen teachers (N = 11) represents variation in age (11-17), gender, ethnicity, and geographic location. All teens delivered the 4-H Mindful Me curriculum from the University of California 4-H Program. Qualitative…

We examined the impact of 4-H participation on workforce readiness skill development, including personal, work, communication, and problem solving/decision-making. The study examined two levels of 4-H activities: county-level and state-level. The online survey instrument contained questions about demographics, skill development and 4-H…

Nutrition education can improve nutrition and health for refugees. Extension program directors providing nutrition education to refugees were surveyed regarding successful program techniques, program challenges, and both the barriers refugees face and the strengths they possess concerning healthy eating. Researchers used grounded theory to explore…

Ensuring that the experiences provided by Extension, including those associated with the 4-H program, are impactful to participants is of paramount importance. To ensure the continued success and relevance of the 4-H program, it is crucial for practitioners to measure the impact of 4-H involvement and use these results to develop highly impactful…

National 4-H Congress is an example of a programmatic effort designed to help youth develop various life skills. For this study, demographic, event satisfaction, and application of knowledge data were collected from 2,154 past Congress participants. Findings revealed that the majority of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with their…

Background: Schools provide an ideal setting for promoting healthy lifestyles in youth, but it has proven difficult to promote the adoption and implementation of evidence-based programming by school leaders. The SWITCH® ("School Wellness Integration Targeting Child Health") intervention is a capacity-building process designed to help…

To determine how Extension educators can use environmental education materials to develop life skills in youths, we correlated a national environmental education curriculum developed by Project Learning Tree (PLT) to the 4-H Life Skills Wheel. Youth development professionals can use the resulting correlations to determine which life skills the…

Many individual entrepreneurs start their businesses without preparation and have scarce resources to attend training activities; however, there is a broad range of educational possibilities with the spread of mobile technologies that can support situated learning. This article addresses the following research question: to what extent is mobile…

The purpose of the article was to determine the influence of non-formal education on entrepreneurship skill development among rural farmers in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. The study design was descriptive survey. The target population was six hundred and fifty (650) members of the farmers' co-operative societies in the Ikwerre…

The authors describe an exploratory investigation of a relationship education program based on the Five Love Languages (5 LL) (Chapman, 2007), implemented by Extension educators in seven rural counties. Relationship assessments measured participant changes related to the quality of the primary relationship, belief in the future of the…

Recognizing the need for education that addresses social emotional and mental health issues faced by adults, Extension developed two different types of programs. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension developed the RELAX: Alternatives to Anger program (RELAX) to address anger management, and West Virginia University (WVU) Extension created…