Factors Influencing the Use of and Attitude of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Agricultural Extension, a Study in the Isfahan Province of Iran
Zahra Hashemi, Gholamreza Pezeshki Rad, Mohammad Chizari, Haji Hashemi, Zahra, Pezeshki Rad, Gholamreza, Chizari, Mohammad · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · 2014
I nformation and communication technologies (ICTs) are in- creasingly influencing human beings and are changing our attitudes towards these technologies.The purpose of this article is to understand the factors influencing the use of ICTs in agricultural extension through a descriptive research method.The populations were 320 individuals of agricultural Extension Workers (EWs) of Isfahan province that 200 people selected as a research sample.The reliability of self-completion questionnaire according to pilot test and calculating Cronbach's alpha for four part of the instrument was 82.6 -87.8.The results revealed that the EWs have a positive attitude toward using ICT.They mostly viewed it as a useful tool for extension, which can potentially save money and time and extension.On the ranking of principal areas of applying ICTs by EWs "typing letters/report", "prepare and protect file on process basic agricultural and rural information", had most usage.The main result of the study revealed that the EWs approximately use ICT quite a bit.Also, the EWs with high school diploma degree used ICT less than the EWs with MSc degree and the EWs with 5 years and less experience had higher ICT application than the EWs with 15-16 year experience.