Features

Talk Around the Coffeepot: A Key to Cultural Change Toward Diversity

Introduction

Leading a state Extension organization to become more relevant in a culturally diverse society is a strategic and deliberate process of organizational culture change. Organizational culture consists of the values, beliefs, principles, practices, and behaviors found in the public language of the organization. Organizational culture changes very slowly.

Extension's organizational culture can be changed by identifying and then changing the diversity climate. A conceptual framework for identifying Extension's diversity climate (published in Journal of Extension, June 2001) is a key to organizational culture change (Schauber, 2001). This article addresses research findings that define Oregon State University Extension's Diversity Climate and how these findings are used to develop a strategic plan for leading OSU Extension to become an effective, culturally diverse organization.

Background

Diversity climate is defined as organizational members' attitudes and perceptions toward people from cultural groups other than their own. These attitudes and perceptions are manifested in the practices and behaviors that get acknowledged, supported, and rewarded (Schneider, 1990). Diversity climate, integral to and only a part of organizational culture, is manifested in the organization's private language, the informal conversations such as the talk around the coffeepot in the organization.

Culture refers to cognitive, affective, and behavioral patterns that are shared by a group of people (Hall, 1959; Hofstede, 1997; Ting-Toomey, 1999). Diversity refers to differences. Thus, cultural diversity is about differing values, beliefs, norms, and traditions that exist among us as members of groups. Organizations develop their own culture that reflects the values, beliefs, norms, and traditions of the people who created, lead, and maintain the organization. The Extension Service as an organization was originally designed within a dominant mainstream culture's paradigm and generally continues to be led and maintained within that paradigm.

Diversity in an organization can have both positive and negative effects. While the possibility for increased creativity, a greater sense of satisfaction among employees, and improved outcomes exist for an effective, culturally diverse organization, so also do the possibilities for internal struggles. These may include a climate of fear and uncertainty, potential conflict among groups in the organization, challenges to organizational unity, and a view of diversity as an imposed mandate (Bruhn, 1996).

This potential for negative effects of organizational diversification speaks to the need to do an assessment of the readiness level of an organization to diversify, so as to minimize the negative effects and to promote the positive effects of diversification. As society changes, we must be ready to respond to those changes and ideally influence the direction of change. If an Extension organization can model successful ways of tapping the creative talents and abilities of diverse groups of people, the organization better serves society.

Research Design

In an effort to determine the readiness of one Extension organization, Oregon State University Extension, to become effective in a culturally diverse society, the diversity climate was studied in 1999, within the context of a theoretical framework (Figure 1) outlined in a previous article (Schauber, 2001). The tools used to uncover Oregon's diversity climate were interviews with the leaders of the organization and focus groups with county faculty. Fourteen questions with follow-ups for clarification were asked about participants':

• Definition of diversity,
• Benefits and challenges of their jobs,
• Benefits and challenges of working with people from differing cultural groups for the self and the organization, and
• Concerns they might have about working with diverse groups.

A stratified random sample of participants with replacement was selected with the use of a random sample table. The population of participants consisted of interviews with on-campus Extension leadership, known as the director's cabinet (n=16), eight focus groups with county faculty (n=45), and two regional focus groups of county staff chairs (n=16). In total, the participants comprised 49% of the population (Table 1).

All of the interview and focus groups were audio taped, transcribed, and analyzed both by hand and in the QSR Nudist 4.0 software program. The data were first sorted for key words that reflected attitudes, perceptions, and opinions of participants in regard to diversity. These key words were then clustered into themes, and the themes were then analyzed refined, and checked for inter-rater reliability.

Both the interviews and focus groups included participant summary checks as a means of checking for intentionality, correctness, and confirmation of specific points. A panel of experts reviewed both the focus group and interview guides for credibility as well as the data set for inter-rater reliability. The questions were tested in a pilot focus group of Extension specialists.

Findings

The 16 interviews and 10 focus groups were studied to identify patterns and themes of organizational climate with regard to diversity. Nineteen themes emerged based on repetition of words or a recurrence of meanings from the 26 transcripts. These themes were then sorted using the framework of supportive, defensive, and uncertain dimensions to form a picture of Oregon's diversity climate (Figure 1).

Figure 1
Organizational Diversity Climate Framework

A description of the 19 themes follows. (Also see Figure 2.)

Supportive Dimensions of the Diversity Climate

A supportive diversity climate was defined as the routines and rewards of the organization that are inclusive of cultural groups other than the dominant cultural group in the organization both as staff and clientele. The dimensions were:

1. Commitment to serve others: Faculty's perceptions that serving a culturally diverse population fits within the mission of the organization. They found it desirable to serve such a population.
   
   
2. Awareness of the need for new outreach approaches: Faculty's perceptions that new approaches to reaching a diverse clientele were necessary for success. They perceived that there needs to be more than one way of thinking in order to be successful in hiring and retaining diverse staff and in developing educational programs for a diverse audience.
   
   
3. Awareness of the need to build trust: Faculty's perceptions that relationship and trust building, which take considerable time to accomplish, were essential as a means of establishing credibility and mutual understanding, before attempting to deliver educational programs to diverse groups.
   
   
4. Openness to learn: Faculty's expressed interest and willingness to be involved in the process of on-going learning.
   
   
5. Creative work: Faculty's perceptions that they have a lot of freedom and flexibility to be creative in their work with people.
   
   
6. Awareness that diversity adds richness: Faculty's perceptions that diversity adds new learning, new perspectives, and a richer end product both for the self, the interaction of the self with others, and the organization.
   
   
7. Awareness of the need for diverse staff: Faculty's perceptions that the organization needs staff to be from and understand the cultures to be served.
   
   
8. Potential to strengthen funding capacity: Faculty's perceptions that in the long run a culturally diverse clientele will lead to continued and more stable public funding for the organization.

Defensive Dimensions of the Diversity Climate

A defensive diversity climate was defined as the routines and rewards of the organizational system that are resistant to including culturally diverse groups other than the dominant cultural group in the organization either as staff or clientele. In essence, this defensive theme was about intergroup relations. They included:

1. Language and cultural barriers: Faculty's perceptions that language and culture were a barrier to delivering educational programs to culturally diverse groups.
   
   
2. A full plate: Faculty's perceptions that their current workload did not allow the time needed to reach out to culturally diverse groups.
   
   
3. Restrictive academic criteria: Faculty's perceptions that current academic criteria were too restrictive to attract, hire, and retain faculty from culturally diverse groups. There was concern about requiring a master's degree to be considered for an Extension faculty position.
   
   
4. Lack of organizational commitment: Faculty's perceptions that the organization as a whole was not committed to reaching out to culturally diverse audiences.
   
   
5. Lack of fiscal resources: Faculty's perceptions that the organization lacked the fiscal resources needed to hire a diverse staff and adequately serve diverse audiences.
   
   
6. Power of traditional audiences: Faculty's fear of putting effort into working with culturally diverse groups, because traditional audiences would perceive that it would be at their expense. Faculty perceived traditional clientele to have the power to affect performance evaluation and ultimately affect funding level.
   
   
7. Academic vs. Community Expectations: A tension between faculty's perception of what was required to do effective community work at the grass-roots level and the demands of the academy in regard to the promotion and tenure process. There was a belief that the pressure of the promotion and tenure process did not allow the time needed to build trust and relationship in communities before educational programs could be delivered successfully. The pressure also led to a perception that the organization did not support risk-taking.

Uncertainty Dimensions of the Diversity Climate

The uncertainty dimension of the diversity climate was defined as the routines and rewards of the organization that were neither supportive nor defensive, but rather indicative of a state of hesitancy due to numerous barriers. The dimensions were:

1. Lack of Intercultural Communication Skills: Faculty's perception that they did not have the skills to communicate effectively with diverse groups. This included both culture general and culture specific skills.
   
   
2. Fear of Embarrassment/Being Offensive: Faculty's fear that they would embarrass self or offend the other in attempts to communicate both verbally and non-verbally with cultural groups other than one's own group.
   
   
3. Lack of Culturally Appropriate Educational Designs: Faculty's perception that current educational programs and methods did not transfer directly to culturally diverse audiences and that they lacked the knowledge of what was culturally appropriate educational design.
   
   
4. Quota Anxiety: Faculty's concern that any effort to include culturally diverse audiences would have to be based on a quota system. There was a strong resistance to involving diverse audiences only as a means of fulfilling quotas.

Figure 2
Dimensions of OSU Extension's Diversity Climate

Overall Diversity Climate

When the 19 diversity climate themes were considered as a whole, they became dynamic and interactive. For example, while faculty had a commitment to serving others (supportive), they also felt that they carried a full plate and that there was a lack of fiscal resources to serve diverse audiences (defensive). As a whole, the supportive, defensive, and uncertain dimensions when looked at interactively resulted in a climate that moved more toward the middle, or rather an overall state of uncertainty. An observable characteristic of this climate was inaction, or acceptance of the status quo. At the same time, the 19 themes also pointed to an opportunity for the organization to become more supportive of cultural diversity.

Implications and Use of Findings

If the organization builds on the supportive dimensions and addresses the uncertain and defensive dimensions through a strategic plan of action, the organization could create an overall supportive diversity climate. Resonating with what Extension professionals are saying, that is, the private language of the organization, a solidly supportive diversity climate becomes the catalyst that then shifts the organizational culture to create an effective, culturally diverse organization. This is exactly what is underway within OSU Extension.

After studying the organization's diversity climate, the Director's Cabinet adopted an organizational commitment to diversity to be reviewed annually for a reassessment of progress. The defensive dimension of lack of organization commitment has now become a supportive dimension of organizational support for diversity.

A diversity committee was formed to work on enhancing the supportive dimensions and changing the uncertain and defensive dimensions into a supportive diversity climate. The self-formed committee of 30 is currently revising the recruitment, selection, and mentoring processes for hiring staff, developing culturally appropriate educational materials, assessing the language capacity of staff, and providing opportunities for staff to develop intercultural communication skills.

There are many more strategies unfolding, all built around the diversity climate dimensions. Thus, articulating OSU Extension's diversity climate has become a catalyst as well as a roadmap for change. We now also have a benchmark in time, a starting place to measure organizational change toward diversity.

Conclusions

A key to Extension's cultural change to become a more effective, culturally diverse organization is the faculty's talk around the coffeepot, that is, the private language about diversity in the Extension organization. In this case study of OSU Extension, the diversity climate was identified as having supportive, defensive, and uncertain dimensions, resulting in an overall diversity climate of uncertainty.

Capitalizing on the supportive dimensions, strategies were developed to change the uncertain and defensive dimensions into a supportive climate. A clear change strategy is in place to change the diversity climate and thus change the organizational culture of OSU Extension to become more relevant in a culturally diverse society.

References

Bruhn, J. G. (1996). Creating an organizational climate for multiculturalism. Health Care Supervisor, 14(4), 11-18.

Hall, E.T. (1959). The silent language. New York: Doubleday, 1959.

Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Schauber, A. (1999). Assessing organizational climate: First step in diversifying an organization. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Cincinnati: Union Institute.

Schauber, A. (2001). Effecting Extension organizational change toward cultural diversity: A conceptual framework. Journal of Extension [On-line] 39 (3) Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2001june/al.html.

Schneider, B. (1990). The climate for service: An application of the climate construct. In B. Schneider (Ed.), Organizational climate and culture (pp. 383-412). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ting-Toomey, S. (1999). Communicating across cultures. New York: Guilford.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development and Cooperative Extension: A Case for Urban Collaboration

Introduction

In many quarters, "Extension" still conjures up the Norman Rockwell image of the county agent: a local person dealing with the agricultural and farm management problems within the county. It is a very rural image -- one that ties the typical land grant institution to a specific rural clientele to which it provides adult and youth education in the areas of agriculture and home economics.

As the United States becomes more urban and suburban, Extension's ability to adapt in broadening its programming to more urban audiences becomes critical (Reaves, 2000). Despite its agrarian image, no policy or legislation forbids Extension or its land grant university members to develop and implement programs for urban areas. While the majority of Extension's human and financial resources continue to be directed toward rural constituencies, a growing urban program is noted (USDA-CSREES, 2000).

The idea of an urban Extension component to address the needs or urban constituencies is not new. A Ford Foundation urban program of the late 1950s and early 1960s piloted a number of urban Extension concepts throughout the country. This pilot study resulted in a call for urban Extension programming with "urban agents" in response to the massive urbanization of the country, which was leading to racial tension and urban sprawl (Ford Foundation, 1966, pp. 2-3).

In the context of community-to-agriculture relationships, Ron Swoboda stated about Extension programming in 1986: "Even though we're concentrating on rural development and agricultural development here, primarily non-metro areas, we must not ignore the metro areas and the total relationship perspective in terms of society and politics" (1986, p. 237).

To be sure, the USDA Cooperative Extension system faces a number of hurdles in expanding its educational programs beyond its rural roots into urbanized America, including:

• Limited Resources. Often, stable or declining budgets inhibit expansion into new program areas at the expense of traditional constituencies that tend to support existing programs (Warner, Christenson, Dillman, & Salant, 1996; Fehlis, 1992; National Extension Urban Task Force, 1995).


• Limited Awareness. Urban populations traditionally have scored low on studies on their awareness of the Extension system, much less its programs (Warner, et al., 1996; Jacob, Willits, & Crider, 1991).


• Limited Networks. Extension's urban networks are limited both within urban communities and among national urban constituencies, which limits its ability to affect urban agendas, share urban programming successes, and develop urban partnerships (Fehlis, 1992; National Extension Urban Task Force, 1995).


• Limited Issues. Adaptation of traditional programs to urban audiences has been noted in the areas of human nutrition, youth, and gardening, but Extension's role in broader urban and neighborhood issues has frequently remained minor or nonexistent (National Extension Urban Task Force, 1995; Krofta & Panshin, 1989; USDA-CSREES, 2000).

• The predominant paradigm of Extension is one of distance education, with field offices in 3,150 counties across the country. In contrast, COPC programs primarily are modeled to have urban university support outreach to a proximate urban community.


• COPC programming is not limited to the land grant university system and may create new roles of outreach for urban institutions of higher education.


• All Cooperative Extension systems may not be set up to respond to urban community development programming (e.g., housing, neighborhood planning, economic development) due to a focus of staff and resources on other programming areas (e.g., 4-H, agriculture, horticulture, human nutrition).


• The compartmentalization of university outreach into rural (USDA) vs. urban (HUD) at a national level is ultimately reflected at the state and local levels as well.


• COPC awards are highly competitive on a national basis, whereas much of Cooperative Extension's funding relates to line-item budgets at the state and local levels and formula-based at the national level.

With the expressed purpose of expanding Cooperative Extension presence in an urban setting, Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa State University Department of Community and Regional Planning applied for and received a HUD COPC grant in 1998. The focus of the proposal was to establish an urban outreach center within the Enterprise Community in the city of Des Moines. A major goal of the grant was to marshal Extension resources both at the university level and field staff on location to address the community development needs of the inner city. Traditionally, Iowa has a very limited urban program, and it remains among the six states without a state contact to Extension's Rural-Urban Initiative (USDA-CSREES, 2000).

Drawing on Past Rural Experiences

As a response to the rural economic crisis of the 1980s, Iowa State University Extension launched a leadership training program in 1988 funded in part through the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and later the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The program, called Tomorrow's Leaders Today (or TLT), was designed to help replenish the supply of local leaders in rural communities and create consortia of rural communities that might better address development concerns. The mechanism for doing so was through cooperation with "clusters" of neighboring communities committed to sharing resources and working toward common goals (Borich & Foley, 1990).

The Tomorrow's Leaders Today curriculum was composed of 11 sessions with 40 hours of instruction spread out over 9 months. The first five sessions were standard for all classes. Participants selected projects to plan and implement in their cluster. Sessions six through 11 were customized to reflect local needs and specific projects. More than 1,200 people from over 150 rural communities received the training. The overall retention/completion rate of participants exceeded 90%. The program was successful in either creating or enhancing more than two-dozen small-town development consortia.

A realistic approach to leadership development must recognize its complexity. The Tomorrow's Leaders Today program strove to increase the knowledge and skills community leaders need to lead effectively. Above all, individual participants were committed to developing their own leadership potential and to exploring how working with other communities may benefit their own organizations and community.

The Urban Setting

Having been active in community development in rural communities, Iowa State Extension faced a new challenge in 1998 as part of a team receiving a Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) grant from the US Department of Housing and Rural Development. The Des Moines Enterprise Community (EC) is located on the north side of Iowa's capital city, bordering the central business district. This area is facing problems common to nearly every large urban area, including unemployment, poverty, and a lack of adequate education and health care. The Enterprise Community comprises five distinct neighborhoods, each with an active neighborhood organization: Chautauqua Park, King-Irving, Mondamin-Presidential, New Vision, and River Bend (see Figure 1).

Figure 1
Location of the Des Moines Enterprise Community

The Des Moines Enterprise Community is one of the most diverse communities in the state of Iowa. With a population of nearly 9,000, the Enterprise Community is 45% white, 42% African American, 12% Asian, and 1% Hispanic. It is entirely within a HUD-designated benefit area. There is a 12% unemployment rate within the Enterprise Community as compared to 3% for the entire city. Nearly 60% of the households have an annual income of less than $10,000, and about 30% of the residents do not own a car (US Census, 1990).

Education is a crucial concern for the Des Moines Enterprise Community. About 38% of the adult residents have no high school diploma or GED. Students' basic skills scores are among the lowest in the city. Additionally, family issues are of great concern to the area. About 45% of EC households are headed by a single adult, and 21% of all expectant mothers receive no prenatal care.

Within the 1994 strategic plan for the area, "fragmentation" of human-service delivery systems, political power, information, financial resources, planning efforts, and transportation systems are cited as major issues. In discussions with city planners and neighborhood leaders, a related concern emerged focusing on the need for more collaboration among neighborhood organizations, community groups, and grassroots organizations within the Enterprise Community. At the time of Iowa State's Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) proposal to HUD, there was no ongoing collaboration or partnering among these groups, and this proposal paid special attention to strengthening integrated, as well as neighborhood, planning in the Enterprise Community.

Private human-service providers actively involved within the area include the United Way Human Services Campus, Urban Dreams and Tiny Tot Family Outreach Center, Employee and Family Resources, and the Mercy Medical Center. Deliverers of public services within the Enterprise Community include the State Department of Human Services, Polk County Social Services, and the City of Des Moines Community Service Department. Creating a common voice through which collaborative efforts can be sustained was listed as a major concern in the 1994 Enterprise Community's strategic plan.

The Des Moines Enterprise Community has created a framework for the development of economic opportunity, a sustainable community-based partnership, and a strategic vision for change. This comprehensive implementation structure is built on the involvement of the grassroots, 25-member Steering Committee, appointed by the Des Moines City Council, that designed the plan and coordinated a multi-year commitment of public and private resources, while keeping the vision foremost in the community.

The Planned Program

In planning various aspects of the programming that would take place through the COPC initiative, a great deal of consideration was given to ideas and concerns expressed by local residents and community groups. To address the concerns expressed on fragmentation and empowerment, an adaptation of the Tomorrow's Leaders Today curriculum is being offered within the Enterprise Community to develop collaboration between neighborhoods and promote leadership development.

To augment the leadership training, a series of studios is being conducted with the objective to assist the community with planning. The first studio, offered during spring 1999, focused mainly on updating the existing plans within the community. The second studio, offered in summer 1999, focused on integrating the neighborhood plans into an overall vision for the Enterprise Community area. These efforts were coordinated with the five neighborhood associations, the Des Moines City Planning Department, and the COPC Advisory Committee, which is also the Des Moines Enterprise Community's Steering Committee, all of which served as the studios' clients.

The implementation of the program created some trepidation among the affected Extension field staff. Despite success in other settings, university-based faculty were told that implementing community leadership training originally designed for and conducted among a rather homogenous population in a rural area would be problematic among the diverse population of the inner city. Project staff were advised that results of past Extension efforts in the neighborhoods involved had been mixed and that expectations should be tempered with a heavy dose of reality.

Using basic community development principles, efforts were made to further involve the community in designing the leadership development program to be delivered. Prior to program implementation, the potential curriculum was reviewed with more than a dozen community leaders representing all five neighborhoods through the use of a focus group setting.

A modified Tomorrow's Leaders Today program was initially planned to be offered three times over the course of the 3-year COPC project, using a condensed nine-session format. Input from the Enterprise Community Steering Committee, neighborhood association boards, and the focus group was used to refine the planned curriculum.

Based upon that input, the Tomorrow's Leaders Today curriculum was further modified to six sessions over a 6-week period. Additional emphasis was placed on issue education and networking with local leaders. Provisions for child care for participants also were made. While a nominal participant fee enhanced revenue in the original Tomorrow's Leaders Today program, it was dropped for the EC at the suggestion of the focus group, which advised that participation by local residents would be inhibited if any fee were charged.

Recruitment took place through the Enterprise Community Steering Committee/COPC Advisory Committee, the neighborhood associations, local churches, and nonprofit organizations. Similar to the rural version of Tomorrow's Leaders Today, team formation by neighborhood community was emphasized. During the course of the first 2 years of the urban program, nearly 60 residents have completed the 6-week training. The formation of a "graduate program" as a means of continuing education is under way.

Figure 2
Panel of Local Media Experts Discusses Media Relations with the Enterprise Community

Figure 3
Tomorrow's Leaders Today Participants Engaged in an "Understanding Ourselves and Others" Skill-Building Activity

The first graduation was held October 26, 1999, with certificates presented by the dean of the Iowa State University College of Design and the mayor of Des Moines. Forty-seven people attended the graduation in addition to the 17 graduates.

Figure 4
Mayor of Des Moines Discussing Neighborhood Issues at Tomorrow's Leaders Today Graduation

Participants in the spring 2000 Tomorrow's Leaders Today program suggested that the COPC project also offer a leadership program to youth. Thus, the COPC Supervisory Committee and the EC Steering Committee, with the help of Iowa State University (ISU) Extension youth leadership development specialists, created "Toolbox for Young Leaders." The skill-development topics were similar to those of Tomorrow's Leaders Today, but language and activities were geared for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders.

Youths participated in recreational activities presented by ISU Extension, ISU minority affairs personnel and the local COPC coordinator, which developed skills in team building and team relations. Graduates received certificates presented by the ISU College of Design dean and the mayor of Des Moines. A subsequent youth leadership program was held in the summer of 2000, with another planned for 2001.

Conclusions

While after only 2 years it is premature to state success in terms of impacts or outcomes, the reception of Iowa State University's COPC project by the Des Moines Enterprise Community and the leadership training participants has been positive. The combination of leadership training for adults and youth, and the resources and assistance of six studio classes in community planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering, has helped the city and the local neighborhoods reassess the EC's potential and better plan for their collective future. The City of Des Moines has bestowed the "Key to the City" to the COPC program, and the program has also received two "Local Best Practice" awards from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

There is every indication that curricula in leadership development and community development created for rural residents can be adapted to urban settings. The operative word, however, is adapted. Residents and local leaders continue to be involved in the evolution of the Tomorrow's Leaders Today and Toolbox for Young Leaders training programs. A "one size fits all" approach has not been attempted, but a philosophy of program development has been maintained in a different community environment.

Of equal importance in the Des Moines Community Outreach Partnership Program is the demonstration that the often-divergent organizations of the rural-oriented USDA Cooperative Extension and the urban-oriented HUD Community Outreach Partnership Center Program can be successfully integrated. Rather than creating redundant community development programs, Iowa State University's Des Moines COPC program has successfully incorporated existing Extension programming and staff in working within inner-city environments.

At the very least, Iowa State's Des Moines COPC program would indicate that program coordination between HUD and USDA Cooperative Extension is possible. The organizational cultures can be bridged. Extension can creatively assist urban residents through its distance educational paradigm, and with the proper approach, rural community development models and other Extension programs can be adapted to urban settings.

The success of this integration and adaptation, however, does beg the question: should there be more efforts to coordinate the land-grant/USDA Extension urban programs with HUD university outreach efforts? Perhaps in the best of both worlds, HUD would collaborate with land grant universities in expanding Extension efforts in urban settings and Extension would initiate a serious dialogue with HUD regarding the resources it has to offer in partnership. In this process, HUD would be able to leverage a much smaller funding base within its Community Outreach Partnership Program by encouraging land grant universities to address urban issues at the community level.

References

Borich, T. O., & Foley, M. F. (2000). Tomorrow's Leaders Today: Redefining the rural community. In E. Castle & B. Baldwin (Eds.), National Rural Studies Committee proceedings(pp. 109-115). Western Rural Development Center. Corvallis, Oregon.

Fehlis, C. P. (1992). Urban Extension progams. Journal of Extension[On-line]. 30(2). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1992summer/a3.html.

Ford Foundation. (1966). Urban Extension: A report on experimental programs assisted by the Ford Foundation. Ford Foundation. New York, NY.

Jacob, S. G., Willits, F. K., & Crider, D. M. (1991). Citizen use of Cooperative Extension in Pennsylvania: An analysis of statewide survey data. Pennsylvania State University College of Agriculture, University Park, PA.

Krofta, J., & Panshin, D. (1989). Big city imperative: Agenda for action. Journal of Extension[On-line]. 27(1). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1989spring/index.html.

National Extension Urban Task Force (1995). Urban Extension: A national agenda. USDA - CSREES. Washington, DC. [On-line]. Available at: http://www.reeusda.gov/ecs/utf.htm.

Reaves, J. E. (2000). Cooperative Extension: Making a difference through urban programs. [On-line] Available at: http://www.reeusda.gov/ecs/urbanprg.htm.

Swoboda, R. (1986). A CRD leader's perspective and reaction. In P.F. Korsching & J. Gildner (Eds.), Interdependencies of agriculture and rural communities in the twenty-first century: The North Central Region. The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. Iowa State University. Ames, Iowa.

US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (1996). Colleges and communities -- partners in urban revitalization: A report on the Community Outreach Partnership Centers program. [On-line]. Available at: http://www.oup.org:80/files/annrpt.wpd.

United States Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (USDA-CSREES) (2000). Community partnerships: Rural-urban interface. Available at: http://www.reeusda.gov/ecs/urban/compart.htm.

Warner, P. D., Christenson, J. A., Dillman, D. A., & Salant, P. (1996). Public perceptions of Extension. Journal of Extension. [On-line]. 34(4). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1996august/a1.html.

Teaching Nutrition to Hispanics at an English as a Second Language (ESL) Center: Overcoming Barriers

Introduction

As the Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow, Extension educators are challenged to find avenues through which education programs can be delivered to this group. The number of health promotion programs offered at the work site has increased as a means of reaching out. However, the participation of Hispanics in such programs has been low (Aguirre-Molina & Molina, 1993). One reason may be that 90% of farm workers in the Midwest are Hispanic migrant workers (Mas, Papenfuss, & Guerrero, 1997). Also, Hispanics may be over-represented in low, blue-collar occupations (NCLR, 1993). Workers at these job settings are difficult to reach.

Another route through which Hispanic groups might be reached is English as a Second Language classes (ESL). Lyons, Woodruff, Candelaria, Rupp, and Elder (1997) conducted a program (n=139) in which five 3-hour modules on nutrition were integrated into community college-based ESL classes. The researchers reported statistically significant intervention effects in changing sodium intake and several other trends. However, this report did not offer any insight into the process of reaching Hispanic clientele through ESL classes.

This article describes some of the challenges and barriers we found and strategies we used to overcome these barriers. In this regard, this article represents an evaluation of the process, rather than outcomes research. Learning how the process of program implementation changes depending on the culture of participants is important to consider whether conducting research or delivering programs.

Method

An 11-class Spanish nutrition education program was taught to low-income Hispanic men and women in an informal ESL program. This was a pilot test of the content and process of a bilingual nutrition education curriculum. Because Extension programs have had success in reaching low-income groups (Grogan, 1991), the nutrition curriculum was designed to be similar to the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) basic nutrition curricula.

The curriculum consisted of seven nutrition classes based on the Food Guide pyramid with classes taught only in Spanish and emphasized nutrition and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Results of the Process Evaluation

Throughout the program, a number of challenges were met and barriers overcome. Many of these barriers and possible solutions are similar to those that may be encountered with any low-income group. Other barriers seem to be specific to the Hispanic culture.

Challenges of Working with the Volunteer Organization

1. ESL Class Time and Schedule

The educator planned with the director of the volunteer organization the summer and fall schedules as well as the amount of time needed for the completion of each class. However, the schedule and the actual starting time of the nutrition classes varied according to the weekly volunteer organization's schedule and needs, with several last-minute changes due to unexpected events at the ESL site

2. ESL Tutor Volunteers' Participation in the Nutrition Classes

On many days there was a large number of tutor volunteers, not necessarily Hispanic, often highly educated, who expressed a desire to stay and participate in the nutrition classes. Tutor volunteers who sat with the participants sometimes helped them answer surveys used to evaluate the impact of the class. To overcome this barrier, the educator clearly defined tables for tutors versus participants. The educator also asked volunteers to ask their questions after class. In addition, the educator emphasized that all questions about class be directed to her rather than to the tutors.

3. Changes in ESL Classes' Location

The location of the ESL classes was changed from one religious community center to another. This caused the nutrition and ESL classes to start later in the fall than was scheduled. A second mailing of flyers announcing the beginning of the nutrition classes and having tutor volunteers call participants to inform them of the new ESL classes site helped alleviate confusion.

4. Competition with Concurrent Activities Offered at the ESL site

At the new ESL site, most participants attended religious and social activities in addition to the ESL and nutrition classes. Usually, these activities were scheduled on a different day than the ESL classes. Occasionally, these activities were scheduled during nutrition class time, causing lower nutrition class attendance. Scheduling flexibility was critical to ensuring optimum participation.

Challenges in Participation

The number of participants who attended the 11 classes varied throughout the program, ranging from 2 to 25. Participants who came to one class were not necessarily the same participants who came to the following class.

1. Childcare

Some families dropped out of the program because they were concerned that their children might disturb class. To overcome this, the educator assured participants that children were not a disturbance and included children in lunch or taste testing.

2. Transportation

Although there was public transportation to the site, most participants relied on rides from friends and family. If friends or family couldn't provide a ride home, participants wouldn't stay for the nutrition class after the ESL class. To overcome this barrier, the educator invited the owner of the car to come to class and involved them in lesson activities.

3. Employment Schedules

Many participants had rotating shift work schedules or second jobs that conflicted with class time. Each class was designed to be as self-contained as possible so that understanding the material in one class was not dependent on knowledge acquired in a previous class. In addition, the same important health messages were given in all classes.

4. Predominance of Males

Traditionally, nutrition education programs for low-income groups have targeted females, mostly homemakers. However, the majority of the participants in these classes were often male. To address this, the educator included eating behavior more typical of males (e.g., eating at the work site, eating at restaurants). Because many of the male participants had experience working at food services, the educator involved the male participants in food preparation activities to keep them interested.

5. Domination of Class Discussion by a Single Participant

In some classes, one participant dominated the discussion. To overcome this barrier, the educator always listened to what the dominant participant had to say but then directed the question to someone else. In addition, the educator involved this participant in other activities such as distribution of leaflets, cooking, setting lunch, and setting the room for the class.

When the participant happened to be a male, the educator was more careful in listening to him so he would not feel offended or disrespected. In this way the educator avoided conflict with the machismo value, which is quite prevalent in the Latino culture (Anderson, Ryan, & Leashore, 1997).

6. Hispanics' Value of Punctuality

Hispanics differ from many Americans in the value they attach to punctuality (Triandis, 1994; Clark & Hoffman, 1998). For instance, arriving 15 minutes late to an informal meeting or class may be considered acceptable by Hispanics. On some occasions, this delay disrupted the educator's teaching plans and survey administration.

To overcome this, the educator motivated the participants to be on time for a free light lunch. Also, after each class, the educator announced the next week's food preparation activity. Nevertheless, on many occasions the educator had to adapt to Hispanics' sense of punctuality and start the nutrition class later.

7. The Educator as a Community Resource

Once the educator gained the trust of participants, they identified her as a resource person. Many participants, especially females, started consulting the educator for problems related to seeking health services, housing, legal aspects, and their personal life.

This created a conflict of interest because, if the educator referred them to community services, then the educator would be doing the job of the volunteer organization. On the other hand, if the educator did not give them any information, they might have interpreted it as a refusal to help them and might have discouraged them from participating in the nutrition program. This raised the ethical question of providing information that the participants needed for their own good.

The educator referred them to the director of the volunteer organization but followed up. If they were not helped at the volunteer organization, then the educator personally referred the participants' problem to community services.

Challenges of Program Evaluation

The number of participants who answered surveys designed to demonstrate the impact of the nutrition program varied greatly. Not every person who attended the classes answered all the surveys. The participants who answered the survey at one class were not necessarily the same participants who answered the surveys at the next class, and there was a low survey response rate.

1. Fear of Offering Written Information

Participants' fear of offering written information may have been involved. This attitude could have been related to the legal status of participants and their desire to remain anonymous. To overcome this barrier, the educator assured participants of confidentiality. To assure participants of the good will of the educator, the director of the volunteer organization acted as witness and signed the study consent form of each participant. In addition, participants wrote a code number instead of their name in the surveys to keep them anonymous.

2. Number of Surveys

In order to lessen the burden of answering the surveys, the educator spread the surveys throughout the program. However, some participants still said there were many surveys to answer.

3. Low Literacy in Spanish

The low survey response rate is explained in part by the participants' low literacy in Spanish. According to the Spanish Skills Proficiency Test (SSPT), 63% (8) of summer and 50% (4) of fall participants who completed this test had low literacy in Spanish. The educator also observed that some participants helped others in reading and explaining the survey instruments. The educator asked participants to direct all questions to her.

4. Hispanics' Value of Cooperativism and Saving Face

Occasionally, some participants asked for help from other participants in reading and in explaining survey questions. In addition, some participants copied the survey answers from others. Hispanics value cooperative situations and simpatiamore than competitive situations (Triandis, 1994). The cultural script of simpatiaor to be simpatico means that they expect the other person to show loyalty, friendliness, affection, politeness, dignity, and respect. In addition, the participants' action could have been influenced by the desire to save face or to look good in front of the educator.

To overcome these barriers, the educator emphasized that participants should work alone and that the answers were confidential. The educator also arranged seating so that participants were separated.

Implications

ESL classes can provide easy access to the Hispanic population. There are, however, some disadvantages. Because the Extension program will be a dependent program, it will be secondary to the ESL program in terms of time and space. The primary purpose of the Hispanic group at ESL programs is to learn English. Therefore, it is important to find a balance between the needs of the volunteer organization offering ESL classes and those of the nutrition program.

Low class attendance is a common problem for low-income audiences. One way to lessen the impact of this is to make each nutrition class self-contained. The same important points should be emphasized in all classes to ensure participants receive it.

The classroom group dynamics of Hispanics may be different from those of other groups. In the study reported here, Hispanics' value of punctuality and machismo had an effect on the delivery of class, while their cultural scripts of simpatiaand the value of cooperativism had an effect on the evaluation of the program. The educator needs to understand, respect, and balance participants' beliefs with the goals of the program.

Because Hispanics frequently identify the educator as a resource person, the educator should learn about the needs of Hispanics and the community resources available for them. This may impose additional responsibility but will promote rapport with Hispanic clients and encourage their participation in the nutrition program.

Program evaluation is difficult because of sporadic attendance, low literacy, fear of written opinions, and cooperativism. Qualitative evaluation rather than traditional quantitative surveys may provide an answer to some of these difficulties.

References

Aguirre-Molina & Molina. (1993). Health promotion and disease prevention strategies. Public Health Reports, Sep-Oct; 108(5):559-64.

Anderson, G. R., Ryan, A. S., & Leashore, B. R. (1997). The Challenge of Permanency Planning in a Multicultural Society. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.

Clark, J., & Hoffman C. J. (1998). Recursos en espanol: suggestions for meeting the health and nutrition education needs of Hispanic and immigrant families. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 13(3): 73-82.

Grogan, S. (1991). Targeting audiences for the 21^st century. Journal of Extension[On-line]. 29(4). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1991winter/fut1.html.

Lyons G. K., Woodruff S. I., Candelaria J. I., Rupp J. W., & Elder J. P. (1997). Effect of a nutrition intervention on macronutrient intake in a low English-proficient Hispanic sample. American Journal of Health Promotion, May-Jun; 11(5): 371-4.

Mas F. S., Papenfuss R. L., & Guerrero, J. J. (1997). Hispanics and worksite health promotion: review of the past, demands for the future. Journal of Community Health, Oct. 22(5): 361-71.

National Council of La Raza(NCLR). (1993). State of Hispanic America 1993: Toward a Latino anti-poverty agenda [On-line]. Available at: http://www.nclr.org/publica.

Prochaska, J. O., & Diclemente, C. C. (1986). Towards a comprehensive model of change. In Miller, W. & Heather N. (Eds.), Treating addictive behaviors. New York, NY:Plenum Press: 3-27.

Triandis, H. C. (1994). Culture and social behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Internalization of Character Traits by Those Who Teach Character Counts!

Kristyn Harms
Undergraduate Student
Internet Address: kharms3@bigred.unl.ed

Susan Fritz
Associate Professor
Internet Address: smfritz@unlnotes.unl.edu

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communicatio
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska

Introduction

Increased character education is one alternative available to help what many see as the mayhem of moral decline in America. Research suggests a correlation between the teaching of character education of youth and its positive ethical results throughout the United States. While these findings demonstrate positive changes experienced by youth audiences, no research to date has been conducted on the effects that teaching Character Counts! has on those teaching the program. The research project reported here examined Character Counts! Program's impact on Cooperative Extension and on the personal and societal lives of Extension educators and assistants.

In a recent survey of 20,829 high school and middle school students conducted by the Josephson Institute of Ethics (1997) found the following.

• 47% of all high school students said they had stolen something from a store in the past year.
• 70% of the high school students confessed to cheating at least once in the past year.
• 91% said they were "satisfied with my own ethics and character."
• 97% said "it is important for me to be a person with good character!"

These statistics are not restricted to the young. According to a recent survey of the Josephson Institute of Ethics (1997), one in five American workers admitted they had lied to a superior in the last year. In fact, roughly 25% said they had lied to a subordinate or a customer. One in three admitted that when competitive pressures hit at work, they had resorted to cheating or lying to make things easier. The honesty quotient does not improve on the home front. Twenty-five percent of adult children said they had lied to their own parent in the past 12 months. One-third said they had lied to their spouse, while one in four said they had lied to their own children (Josephson, 1997). 

These findings suggest that we can no longer rely on families to be the only, or even the primary, force in shaping the character of children. In the 1995 Survey on the Advancement of Teaching sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation, 70% of the U.S. parents questioned agreed that the family has the primary responsibility for developing values in children (Boyer, 1995). While U.S. families may believe character education should occur at home, given the crime, violence, and deception statistics, it is evident that this "in home" approach needs support from other entities.

Character Counts! & Some Outcomes

In 1992, the Josephson Institute of Ethics called together more than 30 educational leaders representing state school boards, teachers' unions, universities, ethnic centers, youth organizations, and religious groups. The diverse group agreed that a common language of values, used pervasively and consistently throughout a community, would be the most effective means of reaching young people. They found unanimous consensus in six essential ethical values (now known as the "Six Pillars of Character") that could be taught by public and private institutions without risk of socioeconomic, ethnic, political, gender or religious offense. These pillars are:

• Trustworthiness,
• Respect,
• Responsibility,
• Fairness,
• Caring, and
• Citizenship.

Preliminary studies of the effectiveness of Character Counts! programming on young people have shown significant, positive behavior change. A recent survey of Nebraska educators demonstrated that Character Counts! made a difference in the lives of students. Of those who responded:

• 85% reported an overall positive difference in the children they teach,
• 73% reported students using the language of the six pillars (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship), and
• 75% reported changing their own behavior as a result of teaching Character Counts!.

Behaviors most frequently seen as changed due to using Character Counts! included:

• Helping each other: 61% reported increased frequency.
• Blaming others: 55% reported decreased frequency.
• Being truthful: 50% reported increased frequency. (Nebraska State 4-H Department, 1999).

Internalization of Character Traits by Those Who Teach

While these findings demonstrate positive changes experienced by youth audiences, to date, no research has been conducted on the effects of teaching Character Counts! on those implementing the program. Many feel that one's character is permanently formed during childhood. However, character education is a lifelong process (Sprinthall & Sprinthall, 1997). While one experiences real world situations, internal psychological processes are expanded, thus leading to the internalization of taught concepts. Internalization can be defined as the incorporation of values or patterns of culture within the self as conscious or subconscious guiding principles through learning or socialization (Krippendorff, 1995). According to a University of Michigan study,

(Constructing knowledge) suggests that individuals create their own new understandings, based upon the interactions of what they already know and believe, and the phenomena or ideas with which they come into contact (Richardson, 1999, p. 146).

This implies that the internalization of concepts is a direct result of learning based on interactions and experiences. In the same sense, teaching Character Counts! (direct experience) leads to the internalization of ethical principles found directly in character education. Internalized ethical principles result in increased moral behavior (Rest, 1997). Hence, one would assume that those teaching Character Counts! would be more likely to use the ethical principles and exhibit positive behaviors as a direct result of teaching character education.

Problem Statement and Objectives

The research project reported here asked, in essence, if the act of teaching character education programs such as Character Counts! is an element in internalizing taught ethical values? Specifically, the research examined:

• Character Counts! impact on Cooperative Extension.
• Character Counts! impact on personal life of Extension educators and assistants.
• Character Counts! impact on the societal lives of Extension educators and assistants.

Population/Sample

Because Character Counts! is a statewide character education program, all Extension educators and assistants within the state of Nebraska were given the opportunity to participate in this survey, thus creating the study population. Because not all Extension educators and assistants taught Character Counts!, not all of the expected population responded to the survey. Based on the nature of this study, the sample consisted of those educators involved with Character Counts!. Thus, a control group was not formulated, creating a limitation to this study.

Instrument

The instrument was designed to address the study question and was composed of four sections.

• Section one dealt with general demographic and background information pertaining to Character Counts! involvement and programming, and employment within Cooperative Extension.


• Section two was comprised of questions addressing the effects of Character Counts! education within Cooperative Extension.


• Section three addressed the impact of Character Counts! education within everyday life.


• Section four was composed of questions pertaining to Character Counts! impact on the societal lives of Extension educators and assistants.

In sections two through four, participants were asked to respond to each question by rating their level of agreement on a 1-5 scale (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). Participants were also asked to describe a major positive change in their lives that may be attributed to teaching Character Counts!.

Informed Consent and Distribution

The informed consent form and survey were posted on the Internet. All Extension educators and assistants were notified of the study via e-mail on January 14, 2000. This e-mail contained a link directing participants to the survey site. The first page of the survey site consisted of the informed consent form. Thus, participants were not able to complete the survey without first reading and agreeing to the conditions of the study set forth in the informed consent form. The second page consisted of the actual survey. By completing the survey, participants gave their consent to participate in this study.

Data Analysis

Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences-Personal Computer (SPSS-PC) version. Means, frequencies, and standard deviations for all relevant items were run, with significance set at the .05 level. ANOVA comparisons were made to determine any relationships between categorical, job position and gender respondents.

Findings

The educators involved in this study were either Extension educators or Extension assistants. Of the 53 respondents, 18 were employed as Extension assistants and 31 as Extension educators. Four respondents were employed in other positions within Cooperative Extension. Forty-two (79.2%) were female, and 11 (20.8%) were male.

Objective One: Examine Character Counts! Impact on Cooperative Extension

Survey results indicated that 89% (47 respondents) agreed or strongly agreed that they were more sensitive to ethical dilemmas within Cooperative Extension, in general, and within a given county/Educational Programming Unit (EPU). In addition, 83% (44 respondents) agreed or strongly agreed that they were more sensitive to ethical dilemmas within a particular Extension office. This suggests a relationship between teaching Character Counts! and increasing sensitivity levels to ethical dilemmas faced in all facets of Cooperative Extension.

In addition, 91% (48 respondents) agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to stress the importance of Character Counts! with Cooperative Extension colleagues across the state, while 93% (49 respondents) agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to stress the importance of Character Counts! in Cooperative Extension programs as a result of teaching Character Counts!. In addition, 77% (41 respondents) of the sample agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to stress the importance of Character Counts! within their particular office.

Table 1 reports these findings in tabular form.

Table 1
Character Counts! Impact on Cooperative Extension

Objective Two: Character Counts! Impact on Personal Life

When analyzing Character Counts! impact on the personal lives of Extension staff surveyed, 77% (41 respondents) of the 53 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were more aware of ethical dilemmas within their own personal lives as a result of teaching Character Counts!. One respondent stated, "(Character Counts!) has really changed the way I think about raising my children. I look differently at how my actions affect their behavior." In addition, 85% (45 respondents) agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to advocate ethical decision making in their circles of friends and families as a result of teaching Character Counts!. According to one respondent, "In addition to helping me be a person of better character, I try to help others learn how to do that as well."

According to survey results, 72% (38 respondents) agreed or strongly agreed to being more likely to read character education books and articles, while 70% (37 respondents) agreed or strongly agreed to being more likely to participate in character development seminars/training.

A statistically significant difference (.01) was found when comparing Character Counts! impact on personal life and gender of Extension educators and assistants. The female respondents were more likely to read character education books and articles than males. In addition, females were more likely to participate in character development seminars/training than male respondents.

Table 2 reports these findings in tabular form.

Table 2
Character Counts! Impact on Personal Life

Objective Three: Character Counts! Impact on Society

Survey results demonstrated that 83% (41 respondents) of the 53 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to take a stand in local ethical situations as a result of teaching Character Counts!. When considering statewide issues, 68% (36 respondents) of the 53 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to take a stand in statewide ethical situations after teaching Character Counts!. When analyzing global issues, 42%  (22 respondents) of the 53 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to take a stand in global ethical situations as a result of teaching Character Counts!. Based on survey respondent comments, ethical situations were defined as recycling, gun violence, resource conservation, and domestic abuse. 

A statistically significant difference (.01) was found when comparing Character Counts! impact on society and position of Extension educators and assistants. Extension assistants were more likely to take a stand in local, statewide, and global ethical situations.

A statistically significant difference (.01) was also found when comparing Character Counts! impact on society and gender of Extension educators and assistants. Females were more likely to take a stand in statewide and global ethical situations.

Table 3 reports these findings in tabular form.

Table 3
Character Counts! Impact on Society

Conclusions and Recommendations

When examining Character Counts! impact on Cooperative Extension, it can be concluded that Character Counts! had a major impact on Cooperative Extension personnel. Relationships were found between teaching Character Counts! and increasing the sensitivity levels to ethical dilemmas faced in all facets of Cooperative Extension in this study. These results served as major indicators of the effects of Character Counts! on those who teach the program, suggesting the internalization of taught, ethical principles.

One may feel more sensitive towards ethical issues in Cooperative Extension as a result of teaching Character Counts!. However, will one feel more likely to stress the importance of Character Counts! within Cooperative Extension? A link was detected between teaching Character Counts! principles and implementing them into various aspects of Cooperative Extension programming, suggesting the internalization of these ethical principles. These respondents suggested an increased amount of Character Counts! awareness within Cooperative Extension, thus increasing the amount of Character Counts! exposure and direct experience available to Extension educators and assistants within various facets of their professional lives.

When examining Character Counts! impact on the personal lives of Extension educators and assistants, it can be concluded that Character Counts! had a major impact on the personal lives of the respondents. These results suggest that Extension educators and assistants are more likely to advocate ethical decision making in their personal lives and among friends and family. Extension educators and assistants have internalized a great many of the principles they teach via the Character Counts! program.

Results indicate Extension staff internalized Character Counts! principles following the actual teaching of the program. This internalization was manifested in their personal lives to a much greater extent than their professional lives. This incongruity suggests that the gap might be related to a lack of understanding of ways to integrate Character Counts! into local programming. Therefore, Nebraska Cooperative Extension staff are encouraged to develop and share strategies for local Character Counts! program integration. Possible methods of sharing Character Counts! strategies among Cooperative Extension staff include developing list servs, phone bridges, Web sites, and discussion groups for those already implementing and those interested in implementing Character Counts! principles into various programmatic areas.

Teaching Character Counts! also led to personal character development; Extension staff were more apt to consider themselves role models as a result of teaching Character Counts!. One respondent stated, "As a result of teaching Character Counts!, I have become much more aware of the need for character education and the critical need for adults to be good role models for youth. As such, I try much harder to be that kind of role model."

These results demonstrate an increase in the likelihood of professional and personal development as a result of teaching Character Counts!, thus strengthening the processes of internalization of Character Counts! principles. The general continuing education movement of Cooperative Extension also influenced the results