- For Libraries
- For Researchers
- Products & Services
- For Customers
Reviewed by: Cheryl LaGuardia, Research Librarian, Widener Library, Harvard University
The “extension” in the title, Journal of Human Sciences and Extension refers to the field of agricultural extension, defined by Wikipedia as “the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. The field of 'extension' now encompasses a wider range of communication and learning activities organized for rural people by educators from different disciplines, including agriculture, agricultural marketing, health, and business studies.” This OA journal’s announced purpose is to “disseminat[e] knowledge and information to academicians, educators, and practitioners.” The editors seek articles about “human development (e.g., early care and education, youth development); family studies; agricultural education; leadership development; extension; health and wellness; apparel, textiles, and merchandising; agricultural economics; nutrition and dietetics; family resource management; and program planning and evaluation.” The journal’s goal is to “bridge research and practice, thus all manuscripts must give attention to practical implications of the work.”
This practical emphasis is shown in the contents of recent issues. The June 2016 issue offers the original research articles, “Planning, Delivering, and Evaluating an Extension In-Service Training Program for Developing Local Food Systems: Lessons Learned,” “Jumpin’ Jacks: Social Marketing Campaign Aimed to Increase Awareness of Healthful Behavior in South Dakota Fourth Grade Students,” “The Impact of Competitive Foods on Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: An Observational Plate Waste Study,” “An Exploration of Dietary Acculturation in Hispanic Males Residing in Mississippi,” “Agricultural Knowledge and Perceptions Among Students Enrolled in Agriscience Programs in Texas Counties Bordering Mexico,” “The Effect of a Serious Digital Game on Students’ Ability to Transfer Knowledge in Secondary Agricultural Education: An Exploratory Study,” “Perceptions of Tennessee School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Globalizing the Agricultural Curriculum,” “A Major Decision: Identifying Factors that Influence Agriculture Students’ Choice of Academic Major,” and “Prospect Evaluation as an Emerging Pre-Evaluation Technique in the Case of Great Plains Wheat Producers’ Use of Web 2.0.”
Types of articles published include Original Research, Brief Reports (results of research or evaluation studies), Practice and Pedagogy (“processes and outcomes of formal and informal teaching and learning in classrooms, organizations, and non-traditional settings”), Theory (manuscripts describing emerging theory and including an application component), Emerging Scholarship (manuscripts from graduate students and those having earned terminal degrees in the past year), To the Point (“snapshots of research, practice, programs, or pedagogy”), and Book and Media Reviews. The journal periodically publishes special issues arranged around a theme or event, such as the June 2015 Special Issue on the Cooperative Extension Program Development Model.
The Journal of Human Sciences and Extension will be useful to students working in extension and extension-related studies, extension professionals, and academics engaged in various types of community-based participatory research and agricultural and extension education, and it should be made known to them.