Assessment of the professional development needs of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension County staff

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this research was to consider existing Cooperative Extension professional development core competencies and make recommendations for professional development for the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. To achieve the purpose of this study, the following objectives were accomplished: To review adult education/ professional development and Cooperative Extension literature and identify professional development core competencies. To identify foundational components used in other Cooperative Extension professional development models. To determine if the core competencies of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension professional development model are relevant competencies for Oklahoma Cooperative Extension County Educators professional development needs through focus group interviews. To summarize the findings from the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension County Educators focus groups and make suggestions based on those findings.

Findings and Conclusions: Adult education, professional development, and Cooperative Extension literature support the findings of this study. North Carolina and Texas Cooperative Extension Services both uses core competencies in their professional development system while Ohio and Oklahoma use stages and objectives. Educators in each focus group saw both positive and negative attributes to the North Carolina Extension professional development model. The focus group opinions varied by program responsibility and years of service in Cooperative Extension. If a professional development model similar to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension model is implemented in the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the model would need to be flexible enough to meet a variety of needs of County Educators. These findings are consistent with two other professional development studies conducted by Belzer (2005) and Kutner & Tibbetts (1997).