Scholarship Findings

This is an area of meaningful progress. Questionnaire respondents perceived a substantial and significant positive shift, since 1995, in this item:

4e. Extent to which scholarship activities carried out by Extension faculty are enhancing Extension programs in your program area.

The corresponding item for non-Extension faculty received a significantly lower NOW rating and a significantly smaller positive change (1995-2001):

4f. Extent to which scholarship activities carried out by non-Extension faculty are enhancing Extension programs in your program area.

For that item, both "THEN" and NOW means ranked near the bottom of the 29 items with THEN-NOW scales (26th for both THEN and NOW).

The following interactive graphic shows OSUES-wide average responses to these two questions. (Click the question boxes in the column to the right to reveal and hide the response arrows.) Averages for the mid-2001 timeframe are indicated by the orange arrows. Average changes between 1995 and 2001 are indicated by the green arrows. (Data table)

Analysis of other questionnaire items that are correlated with the two "scholarship items" (4e and 4f) lends support to the value of Oregon State’s efforts to assure equal status for Extension work in relation to research and instruction: the item which correlates most highly with both of these scholarship items (Extension faculty’s scholarship and non-Extension scholarship enhancing Extension programs) is:

4d. Degree to which research, instruction, and Extension have equal status and importance in your program area.

Further analysis (see details) suggests the integration of Extension into departments has made an important difference in the perceived impact of scholarship. These four "integration" items from the questionnaire are correlated with the opinion that Extension faculty scholarship is enhancing Extension programs:

Degree to which research, instruction, and Extension have equal status and importance in your program area. (Item 4d)
Degree of integration of research and Extension in your program area. (4b)
My program area makes good use of the guidance it receives from program participants to shape its programs. (5b)
Degree to which academic units are implementing Extension as part of their fundamental missions in your program area. (4c)

The first three items are also associated with the opinion that non-Extension faculty scholarship activities are enhancing Extension programs in your program area.

Contents

Scholarship Findings