Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1979

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Agricultural Economics

Major Professor

Cecil Carter Jr.

Committee Members

Robert S. Dotson, Laverne Farmer

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of contacts with the Agricultural Extension Service upon the adoption and use of recommended interior design practices by Tennessee homemakers. There was also a need to characterize the type of homemaker being contacted through Extension's educational efforts and determine what may have influenced numbers of contacts. Data were obtained from 1604 homemakers in most, but not all, of Tennessee's ninety five counties. The data were taken from homemaker responses during personal interviews. The analysis of variance F test was used to determine the strength of relationships between dependent and independent variables.

Implications were that age, employment, home ownership and membership in a Home Demonstration Club were factors which influenced the number of contacts homemakers had with Extension. Other personal characteristics including education, marital status and amount of family income had no significant influence on the number of contacts homemakers reported having with Extension.

The number of contacts homemakers had with Extension agents did significantly influence in a positive manner the use of ten of the seventeen recommended interior design practices. The homemakers reporting use of those ten practices had made more contacts with Extension agents than the homemakers who reported they did not use the practices.

It was established that those homemakers who used more of the practices were less than 50 years old, married, had a higher education and an income of at least $10,000.

From this information, recommendations for future programs were made.

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