Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master Gardeners
Social media platforms exhibit the capacity to serve as a beneficial tool for Cooperative Extension Service (CES) outreach endeavors. However, Extension educators face barriers adopting these platforms, including time constraints and lack of training. This study investigated whether Oklahoma’s Exten...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | HortTechnology |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/35/2/article-p117.xml |
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| _version_ | 1825208834645295104 |
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| author | Brooklyn Evans Audrey E.H. King Lauren Lewis Cline Justin Quetone Moss Kenna Sandberg |
| author_facet | Brooklyn Evans Audrey E.H. King Lauren Lewis Cline Justin Quetone Moss Kenna Sandberg |
| author_sort | Brooklyn Evans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social media platforms exhibit the capacity to serve as a beneficial tool for Cooperative Extension Service (CES) outreach endeavors. However, Extension educators face barriers adopting these platforms, including time constraints and lack of training. This study investigated whether Oklahoma’s Extension Master Gardeners (OK-EMGs) volunteers could support local CES social media efforts to combat horticultural misinformation by assessing their self-perceived social media competency. Overall, 219 OK-EMGs completed an online survey with 28 Likert-type scale questions representing the following four competency constructs: technical usability, content interpretation, content generation, and anticipatory reflection. Scores were relatively high across constructs. Statistical differences existed between digital natives and digital immigrants for technical usability only, indicating that generational technology exposure affects platform navigation abilities. No correlation occurred between competency and OK-EMG tenure, thus inferring skills come from external social media experience rather than training. Tailored programming by age and incorporating social media into curriculum could elevate competencies. The OK-EMGs demonstrate potential for assisting with local Extension online efforts of combatting horticultural misinformation and guiding community members to credible CES resources. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1462a0387473434caf597ffd4ae379e7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1943-7714 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | HortTechnology |
| spelling | doaj-art-1462a0387473434caf597ffd4ae379e72025-02-06T17:26:56ZengAmerican Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)HortTechnology1943-77142025-01-01352https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05564-24Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master GardenersBrooklyn Evans0Audrey E.H. King1Lauren Lewis Cline2Justin Quetone Moss3Kenna Sandberg4LeFlore County Extension Center, 103 North Church Street, Poteau, OK 74953, USAOklahoma State University, Agricultural HallOklahoma State University, Agricultural HallOklahoma State University, Agricultural HallOklahoma State University, Agricultural HallSocial media platforms exhibit the capacity to serve as a beneficial tool for Cooperative Extension Service (CES) outreach endeavors. However, Extension educators face barriers adopting these platforms, including time constraints and lack of training. This study investigated whether Oklahoma’s Extension Master Gardeners (OK-EMGs) volunteers could support local CES social media efforts to combat horticultural misinformation by assessing their self-perceived social media competency. Overall, 219 OK-EMGs completed an online survey with 28 Likert-type scale questions representing the following four competency constructs: technical usability, content interpretation, content generation, and anticipatory reflection. Scores were relatively high across constructs. Statistical differences existed between digital natives and digital immigrants for technical usability only, indicating that generational technology exposure affects platform navigation abilities. No correlation occurred between competency and OK-EMG tenure, thus inferring skills come from external social media experience rather than training. Tailored programming by age and incorporating social media into curriculum could elevate competencies. The OK-EMGs demonstrate potential for assisting with local Extension online efforts of combatting horticultural misinformation and guiding community members to credible CES resources.https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/35/2/article-p117.xmlextension master gardenersself-efficacysocial cognitive theorysocial media |
| spellingShingle | Brooklyn Evans Audrey E.H. King Lauren Lewis Cline Justin Quetone Moss Kenna Sandberg Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master Gardeners HortTechnology extension master gardeners self-efficacy social cognitive theory social media |
| title | Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master Gardeners |
| title_full | Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master Gardeners |
| title_fullStr | Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master Gardeners |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master Gardeners |
| title_short | Digging Into Digital: Investigating the Self-perceived Social Media Competency of Oklahoma Extension Master Gardeners |
| title_sort | digging into digital investigating the self perceived social media competency of oklahoma extension master gardeners |
| topic | extension master gardeners self-efficacy social cognitive theory social media |
| url | https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/35/2/article-p117.xml |
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