Extension agents frequently teach adult audiences, who require a different approach than youth audiences. Andragogy has been frequently used to frame research in Extension. However, it is not clear if Extension professionals apply andragogical principles in practice when teaching programs. We used Knowles' theory of andragogy and the Personal…

The Adult Mentoring Assessment for Extension Professionals will help mentors develop an accurate profile of their mentoring style with adult learners and identify areas of proficiency and deficiency based on six constructs--relationship, information, facilitation, confrontation, modeling, and vision. This article reports on the reliability of this…

This study examines the educational philosophies and teaching styles of Extension agents in the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory (PAEI) designed by Zinn and the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) developed by Conti were the instruments used in this study. The PAEI identifies the educator's…

Ohio cooperative extension agents who completed the Principles of Adult Learning Scale had low levels of knowledge of adult education principles and practices; a slightly positive attitude toward being adult educators; a more teacher-centered teaching style; a major in technical subjects, not education; and more experience teaching youth rather…

The factors related to teaching style preference of the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) faculty and program were measured by the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS). The study also looked at two additional measurements predictive of teaching behavior: sensitivity and inclusion, as measured by the Van Tilburg/Heimlich…

Evaluating extension educator performance is difficult due to the nature of extension education, the variety of educational methods and clientele, and the broad subject matter taught. Some approaches to performance evaluation are classroom visitation, self-appraisal, plan of work review, "student" input, group sampling, and peer evaluation. (MF)

A study was conducted to determine what distinguishes the practice of competent educators from that of untrained persons or colleagues who are less skilled. The population for the study was cooperative extension educators. Five individuals identified by district and state leaders as being exemplary in their practice were followed for three days…