Online via University of Illinois Online Catalog., This study among beef producers analyzed the what, why and how of beef producers' learning to improve land condition. Findings suggested the value of organized collective learning, adversity, and active experimentation with natural resource skills and techniques can facilitate critical reflection of practice, questioning of the self, others and cultural norms and an enhanced sense of environmental responsibility.
Kotsiri, Sofia (author), Rejesus, Roderick M. (author), Larkin, Sherry (author), Lambert, Dayton M. (author), English, Burton C. (author), Larson, James A. (author), Velandia, Margarita M. (author), Roberts, Roland K. (author), Mishra, Ashok K. (author), and Paudel, Krishna P. (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2013-02-03
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 186 Document Number: D00900
Notes:
Paper presented at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association annual meeting, Orlando, Florida, February 3-5, 2013. 31 pages.
16 pages., Via online journal., This study explores potential factors that lead to environmental opinion leadership behaviors such as informing the public about environmental issues and encouraging preventative behaviors among various social groups. Building on the theoretical framework of the diffusion of innovations model, these analyses explore the effects that mass media may have on perceptions of self-efficacy among opinion leaders and how self-efficacy may, in turn, encourage leaders to communicate about aquatic invasive species (AIS) to others in their social networks. Results indicate that mass media and governmental media can have both a positive and negative influence on levels of self-efficacy, and that opinion leaders with higher levels of self-efficacy are more likely to participate in behaviors that could potentially influence their social network(s). These findings not only highlight factors that influence opinion leadership regarding advocacy of environmental behaviors, but also offer insights as to how future campaigns can work with these groups to promote prevention strategies.
