Determinants of professionalisation of extension service delivery: A confirmatory factor analysis approach

O D Olorunfemi,O I Oladele

doi:10.17159/2413-3221/2021/v49n3a12967

Abstract

The need for agricultural extension services in Nigeria to attain a higher ethical and professional status of registering and certifying its service providers like other disciplines for effective service delivery has led this study to examine the factors influencing extension professionalisation in Nigeria. 356 extension agents from both public and private extension organisations were selected through a two-stage sampling procedure. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information on the knowledge, attitude and perceptions on the effects of the components of professionalisation (i.e. accreditation, registration, and certification) on service delivery. The Cronbach alpha reliability values for the constructs used in the different sections of the instrument were knowledge (0.78), attitude (0.94), accreditation (0.92), registration (0.89) and certification (0.96). Data was analysed using IBM AMOS version 24 to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis to determine the interrelationships that exist between the extension agent’s knowledge, attitude, and the components of professionalisation. The findings revealed a significant and strong positive correlation between the constructs of the extension agent’s knowledge, attitude and the professionalisation components of accreditation, registration, and certification. These findings have implications for educating and training extension agents on professionalisation and its components to ensure its institutionalisation in the agricultural extension sector for the provision of a more ethical, competent, accountable, and efficient rural and advisory service delivery.

Highlights

Agricultural extension remains very important in providing knowledge, skills, and advisory services to farmers for the improvement of agricultural productivity (Ragasa et al, 2016)
A little above average (57.3%) of the extension agents had a rural background implying that they were born and broughtup in the rural area. This is a good attribute for extension service delivery as agriculture in the study area is predominantly practised in the rural communities and so the agents rural background would have exposed them to the rural terrain, lifestyle and practices enhancing their adaptability and effectiveness in carrying out their duties
The results show that the extension agents had a positive perception of the effects of the components of professionalisation in improving extension service delivery

Summary

Introduction

Agricultural extension remains very important in providing knowledge, skills, and advisory services to farmers for the improvement of agricultural productivity (Ragasa et al, 2016). The details of the variables relating to the items that served as indicators of the constructs are as follows: The constituent of the knowledge construct of the respondents on professionalisation from the four variables revealed that the extension agents attested to the fact that professionalisation entails setting up policies and structures to guide the extension profession (Know-1) and that accreditation, registration and certification are all essential components of the concept (Know-2). The constituents of the construct of the three professionalisation components revealed that the respondents agreed to the fact that accreditation of extension personnel will inject more integrity and ethics (Acc-1), accountability (Acc-2) and global peer acceptance into the profession (Acc-3) They basically indicated that the implementation of registration of extension officers will facilitate the identification and tracking of extension personnel identity (Reg-1) and enhance the feedback mechanism in the sector (Reg-2). They concurred that certification of personnel will engender service quality (Cert-1), credibility (Cert-2), personnel confidence (Cert-3) and the image of the profession (Cert-4) facilitating more job satisfaction

Methods

Results

Conclusion