{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/71000"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/71000","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"A Structural Equation Model of the Economic and Lifestyle Motives of Small-Scale Farmers in Illinois","abstract":"Using survey data from Illinois, this study examines the factors which contribute to small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives for farming. A conceptual definition of "lifestyle" is translated into measures of motives for farming, which are then used in a structural equation model. The major hypothesis is that for small-scale farmers, farming is a form of consumption rather than production. This hypothesis is based on the theory that lifestyle is an expressive behavior aimed at obtaining reference group membership from which social status is derived. For small-scale farmers it is suggested that their farm activities represent an attempt to fulfill an image of themselves as "farmer", even though their occupational identity is with their nonfarm employment. Farm background and life cycle stage are hypothesized to be important determinants of both economic and lifestyle motives for farming.","abstract_html":"Using survey data from Illinois, this study examines the factors which contribute to small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives for farming. A conceptual definition of "lifestyle" is translated into measures of motives for farming, which are then used in a structural equation model. The major hypothesis is that for small-scale farmers, farming is a form of consumption rather than production. This hypothesis is based on the theory that lifestyle is an expressive behavior aimed at obtaining reference group membership from which social status is derived. For small-scale farmers it is suggested that their farm activities represent an attempt to fulfill an image of themselves as "farmer", even though their occupational identity is with their nonfarm employment. Farm background and life cycle stage are hypothesized to be important determinants of both economic and lifestyle motives for farming.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Schroeder, Emily Harper"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Sociology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-12-16T05:01:14Z","date_published":"2014-12-16T05:01:14Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:26:04Z","subjects":["Sociology, General"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["(UMI)AAI8422149"],"render_values":[{"text":"(UMI)AAI8422149","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/71000","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Schroeder, Emily Harper"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2014-12-16T05:01:14Z","10000-01-01","1984"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Sociology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Sociology, General"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/71000","(UMI)AAI8422149"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Using survey data from Illinois, this study examines the factors which contribute to small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives for farming. A conceptual definition of "lifestyle" is translated into measures of motives for farming, which are then used in a structural equation model. The major hypothesis is that for small-scale farmers, farming is a form of consumption rather than production. This hypothesis is based on the theory that lifestyle is an expressive behavior aimed at obtaining reference group membership from which social status is derived. For small-scale farmers it is suggested that their farm activities represent an attempt to fulfill an image of themselves as "farmer", even though their occupational identity is with their nonfarm employment. Farm background and life cycle stage are hypothesized to be important determinants of both economic and lifestyle motives for farming.","Factor analyses are used to construct the measures of lifestyle and economic motives which are the dependent variables in the model. Two measures of lifestyle motivation are identified and described as (1) status enhancement, and (2) work role gratifications; two measures of economic motivation are also identified and described as (1) profit motives and (2) investment motives.","The results of the analysis contradict the hypothesis that economic motives detract from the lifestyle motives of small-scale farmers. Farming for this sample is both a means of production and consumption. The general conclusion of the analysis is that there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives, which may be a necessary condition for the persistence of these farms. A new policy perspective toward small-scale agriculture is recommended which would take into account the lifestyle dimensions of farming.","Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-16T05:01:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 8422149.pdf: 5604912 bytes, checksum: d4fd9e37f2dd40fc1da11311122656e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1984","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 71166 Lift date: Forever Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs","Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs","U of I Only","182 p.","Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Structural Equation Model of the Economic and Lifestyle Motives of Small-Scale Farmers in Illinois"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Schroeder, Emily Harper"],"dc:date":["2014-12-16T05:01:14Z","10000-01-01","1984"],"dc:description":["Using survey data from Illinois, this study examines the factors which contribute to small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives for farming. A conceptual definition of "lifestyle" is translated into measures of motives for farming, which are then used in a structural equation model. The major hypothesis is that for small-scale farmers, farming is a form of consumption rather than production. This hypothesis is based on the theory that lifestyle is an expressive behavior aimed at obtaining reference group membership from which social status is derived. For small-scale farmers it is suggested that their farm activities represent an attempt to fulfill an image of themselves as "farmer", even though their occupational identity is with their nonfarm employment. Farm background and life cycle stage are hypothesized to be important determinants of both economic and lifestyle motives for farming.","Factor analyses are used to construct the measures of lifestyle and economic motives which are the dependent variables in the model. Two measures of lifestyle motivation are identified and described as (1) status enhancement, and (2) work role gratifications; two measures of economic motivation are also identified and described as (1) profit motives and (2) investment motives.","The results of the analysis contradict the hypothesis that economic motives detract from the lifestyle motives of small-scale farmers. Farming for this sample is both a means of production and consumption. The general conclusion of the analysis is that there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives, which may be a necessary condition for the persistence of these farms. A new policy perspective toward small-scale agriculture is recommended which would take into account the lifestyle dimensions of farming.","Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-16T05:01:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 8422149.pdf: 5604912 bytes, checksum: d4fd9e37f2dd40fc1da11311122656e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1984","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 71166 Lift date: Forever Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs","Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs","U of I Only","182 p.","Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984."],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/71000","(UMI)AAI8422149"],"dc:subject":["Sociology, General"],"dc:title":["A Structural Equation Model of the Economic and Lifestyle Motives of Small-Scale Farmers in Illinois"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Sociology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:26:04Z"}