EAST TEXAS MASTER GARDENER CHARACTERISTICS, VOLUNTEER CHOICES, AND WILLINGNESS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

<p>East Texas Master Gardener volunteers were asked to participate in an exploratory Qualtrics survey during the fall of 2023. This study examined the demographic characteristics, volunteer engagement choices, and challenges of Master Gardener volunteers in Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service District 5, focusing on whether current training adequately prepares volunteers for public-facing roles. Findings showed that volunteers were primarily older, retired, well-educated, white females, favoring hands-on activities like garden demonstrations and fundraising over Help Desk question answering roles due to perceived inadequacies in knowledge. Over 80% indicated that mentorship and advanced training could improve their confidence in public interactions. Recommendations include specialized training, mentorship programs, and simultaneous credit incentives. These enhancements could increase volunteer confidence, knowledge, and engagement, thereby expanding the program’s community education impact.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy - Forestry

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Forestry

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Grant, Damon Gregory

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pat Stephens Williams
• Ray Darville
• Jared Barnes

• Master Gardener
• Volunteers
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
• Volunteer Training
• Agricultural and Resource Economics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/584

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1635