Farmers' motivation for learning and developing new skills

Suzanna Windon; Carolyn Henzi; Claudia Schmidt

doi:10.37433/aad.v6i2.565

Authors

Suzanna Windon The Pennsylvania State University, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9103-5123
Carolyn Henzi The Pennsylvania State University, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3330-017X
Claudia Schmidt The Pennsylvania State University, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8597-7288

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37433/aad.v6i2.565

Keywords:

farmers, job motivation, motivation for learning and developing new skills, self-leadership competencies, SDG 4: Quality Education

Abstract

This study utilized an online survey to examine the relationships between farmers' self-leadership skills, job motivation, and motivation for learning and developing new skills. A self-selected, chain-referral sampling strategy, a convenience sampling, was employed, resulting in 59 responses. The results show statistically significant positive associations among the variables. Farmers’ motivation for learning and development was moderately associated with job motivation (r = .34, p ≤ .05) and self-leadership (r = .40, p ≤ .05). A stronger association was found between job motivation and self-leadership (r = .59, p ≤ .05). These findings suggest that higher motivation is linked to stronger self-leadership competencies among farmers. Chi-square analysis indicated a significant association between motivation for learning and gender (χ² = 67.31, p ≤ .05), with no significant associations found for age, educational level, employment status, tenure in farming, farm size, land ownership, or number of agricultural commodities produced. The findings suggest that extension services should enhance farmers’ motivation for continuous learning and skill development through targeted educational interventions. These insights should guide future research and practical initiatives, ensuring farmers have the necessary skills and support to succeed in an ever-changing agricultural environment.

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