{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129381"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129381","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Examining educational outcomes: A mixed methods evaluation of farmer-to-farmer initiatives and innovation lab paired assignments in Malawi and Zambia","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Donnelly, Annette"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ed.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lindgren, Samantha","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Burbules, Nicholas","Goldsmith, Peter"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-04-07","date_published":"2025-04-07","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z","subjects":["Farmer-to-Farmer","Smallholder Farmer","Education","Learning","Sub-Saharan Africa"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025, Annette Donnelly"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129381","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lindgren, Samantha","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Burbules, Nicholas","Goldsmith, Peter"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Donnelly, Annette"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-04-07","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Farmer-to-Farmer","Smallholder Farmer","Education","Learning","Sub-Saharan Africa"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025, Annette Donnelly"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129381"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Annette Donnelly, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-01 at 12:54.","The student, Annette Donnelly, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-01 at 13:06.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-07 at 10:41.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21707 on 2025-10-19 at 18:17:56","Sub-Saharan African (SSA) smallholder farmers, cultivating two hectares or less, face historically low adoption rates of modern agricultural practices, limiting their benefits from agricultural advances. While much has been written on SSA farmer adoption, proven education models remain scarce. This dissertation evaluates the effectiveness of unique Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer assignment models developed during COVID-19 travel bans, where local volunteers were virtually paired with U.S. experts and USAID Feed the Future Innovation Labs in soybean and peanut. The study examines adoption and satisfaction under three F2F assignment types: (1) traditional U.S. volunteer assignments, (2) local volunteers paired with U.S. experts, and (3) local volunteers paired with Innovation Labs (IL). Adoption is measured through yield increases, farmer satisfaction, peer-to-peer training, and gender-related adoption differences. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, the study evaluates 101 F2F assignments in Malawi and Zambia (2019–2023), integrating quantitative surveys with qualitative insights on learning, knowledge transfer, and yield improvements. The study is grounded in Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations, Freire’s Critical Pedagogy, and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, the study explores participatory extension models and their role in adoption. Results indicate that all models improved farmer outcomes, though value chain sensitivity and high variability limited some statistical significance. IL-assisted assignments resulted in higher satisfaction, particularly in implementation confidence. However, climatic events and resource access (e.g., improved seed varieties) played a significant role in adoption outcomes. Cooperatives with higher percentages of female members had statistically significant higher yields. Despite this, there was disparity on how men and women viewed gender equity in sharing financial benefits from harvests. Many women stated that benefits were not shared. Time of instruction was also important, analysis suggests that 25 hours are optimum, before returns dissipate. Peer-to-peer dissemination of best practices, the cascade effect, increased with cooperative size, aligning with participatory learning models where social interaction empowers farmers and enhances engagement. Findings emphasize contextualized education, demonstrating that peer influence, dialogue, and observation enhance adoption and sustainability, regardless of assignment type, informing programmatic recommendations to strengthen F2F smallholder extension strategies in SSA."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Examining educational outcomes: A mixed methods evaluation of farmer-to-farmer initiatives and innovation lab paired assignments in Malawi and Zambia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lindgren, Samantha","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Burbules, Nicholas","Goldsmith, Peter"],"dc:creator":["Donnelly, Annette"],"dc:date":["2025-04-07","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Annette Donnelly, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-01 at 12:54.","The student, Annette Donnelly, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-01 at 13:06.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-07 at 10:41.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21707 on 2025-10-19 at 18:17:56","Sub-Saharan African (SSA) smallholder farmers, cultivating two hectares or less, face historically low adoption rates of modern agricultural practices, limiting their benefits from agricultural advances. While much has been written on SSA farmer adoption, proven education models remain scarce. This dissertation evaluates the effectiveness of unique Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer assignment models developed during COVID-19 travel bans, where local volunteers were virtually paired with U.S. experts and USAID Feed the Future Innovation Labs in soybean and peanut. The study examines adoption and satisfaction under three F2F assignment types: (1) traditional U.S. volunteer assignments, (2) local volunteers paired with U.S. experts, and (3) local volunteers paired with Innovation Labs (IL). Adoption is measured through yield increases, farmer satisfaction, peer-to-peer training, and gender-related adoption differences. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, the study evaluates 101 F2F assignments in Malawi and Zambia (2019–2023), integrating quantitative surveys with qualitative insights on learning, knowledge transfer, and yield improvements. The study is grounded in Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations, Freire’s Critical Pedagogy, and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, the study explores participatory extension models and their role in adoption. Results indicate that all models improved farmer outcomes, though value chain sensitivity and high variability limited some statistical significance. IL-assisted assignments resulted in higher satisfaction, particularly in implementation confidence. However, climatic events and resource access (e.g., improved seed varieties) played a significant role in adoption outcomes. Cooperatives with higher percentages of female members had statistically significant higher yields. Despite this, there was disparity on how men and women viewed gender equity in sharing financial benefits from harvests. Many women stated that benefits were not shared. Time of instruction was also important, analysis suggests that 25 hours are optimum, before returns dissipate. Peer-to-peer dissemination of best practices, the cascade effect, increased with cooperative size, aligning with participatory learning models where social interaction empowers farmers and enhances engagement. Findings emphasize contextualized education, demonstrating that peer influence, dialogue, and observation enhance adoption and sustainability, regardless of assignment type, informing programmatic recommendations to strengthen F2F smallholder extension strategies in SSA."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129381"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025, Annette Donnelly"],"dc:subject":["Farmer-to-Farmer","Smallholder Farmer","Education","Learning","Sub-Saharan Africa"],"dc:title":["Examining educational outcomes: A mixed methods evaluation of farmer-to-farmer initiatives and innovation lab paired assignments in Malawi and Zambia"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z"}