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The influentials in a selected rural county: their salient characteristics and interrelationships

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dc.contributor.authorAbbott, George Carlyleen
dc.contributor.departmentExtension Educationen
dc.date.accessioned2016-04-21T15:34:41Zen
dc.date.available2016-04-21T15:34:41Zen
dc.date.issued1967en
dc.description.abstractThis study was prompted by a lack of information concerning influentials in certain Virginia counties, and the limited involvement of these individuals in Cooperative Extension programs. The reputational method was employed in identifying the influentials in a selected rural agricultural county in Virginia with 10,000 inhabitants. Additional information was collected with a pre-tested interview schedule. The following objectives constituted the framework for the study: 1. Identify the influentials and determine and describe their salient characteristics. 2. Determine the interrelationships and informal structure. 3. Determine the factors to which influence was attributed. 4. Ascertain the extension agents ability to identify the influentials. 5. Derive implications from findings pertinent to Cooperative Extension work. The 23 persons identified as being the most influential were all males who were between 32 and 81 years of age, and all except two were county natives. Occupationally the group was predominated by full-time farmers and retail merchants. The 12 persons attributed county-wide influence were older, had more associations with each other and had held a larger number of formal positions than the local community influentials. All were interrelated through organizations and business contacts and appeared to comprise a unitary structure similar to a "power pool." Each influential in the pool possessed several interrelated factors which contributed to his power. Past achievements was perceived to be one of the most important factors. Results of the study indicate the need for an organized identification program for extension agents and the recognition of the power structure as an important resource in conducting Extension programs.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.extent137 leavesen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/70480en
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherVirginia Polytechnic Instituteen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 20370474en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V855 1967.A2en
dc.subject.lcshAgricultural extension work -- Virginiaen
dc.titleThe influentials in a selected rural county: their salient characteristics and interrelationshipsen
dc.typeThesisen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplineExtension Educationen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Instituteen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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