Journal of Applied Communications

Book review of Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead), edited by Susan D. Blum with a foreword by Alfie Kohn

Agricultural communications scholars do not use a national research agenda to guide their research, which could be limiting the impact and rigor of the discipline. In this commentary, we argue that agricultural communications scholars should adopt the science communication research agenda published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2017 because the goals of science communication, outlined in the agenda, are relevant to agriculture. Members of the committee who developed the agenda study science communication in contexts of food, agriculture, life sciences, the environment, political science, health, nutrition, and psychology, among others. They developed the agenda with the intent for it to inform and guide research in all science communication sub-disciplines or areas involving contentious public issues. We provide examples of studies that have used the agenda to inform research in agricultural and natural resources communications. We also explain how research priorities outlined in the science communication research agenda align with agricultural communications scholarship. Recognizing there are challenges unique to agriculture, we recommend agricultural communications scholars use the science communication research agenda as a research guide and adapt the relevant research recommendations for agricultural communications.

Connecting local food producers with consumers is useful for ensuring individuals have access to healthy, fresh, foods. Small farmers, however, lack the resources to effectively connecting with consumers through traditional forms of marketing. Marketing to consumers through social media is a low-cost method that local food producers can use to promote their products. Creating engaging content on social media can be challenging, thus there is a need for guidance on how to effectively engage with local consumers through social media. Studies in advertising have shown dimensions of warmth and competence can be useful frames for engaging consumers across a variety of consumer goods. In this study we ran a nationally representative survey (n = 966) with an experimental component to determine if videos were an effective method of connecting with consumers, and if so, how this varies across demographics. We further investigated whether aspects of warmth of competence influence consumer willingness to purchase locally produced foods. We find warmth does have a small effect on consumer perceptions of local foods and videos help reduce the lack of familiarity of a farm, a barrier to purchasing local foods. Consumers across demographics demonstrate high levels of interest in purchasing local foods yet access to continues to be a barrier to purchasing. Additionally, we find consumers are willing to purchase locally produced foods at a higher price if available in more convenient locations, such as grocery stores, provided they were clearly labeled and from a farm that is familiar.

Livestock shows are a prevalent part of youth agricultural programs in the United States, but they are not well understood, particularly in terms of risk and crisis communication. Through in-depth qualitative interviews, this study evaluated the perceptions of Oklahoma agricultural education instructors, Extension agents, and parents of youth exhibiting at the 2020 Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE). The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the stock show to cancel in the middle of its schedule. The study evaluated perceptions of the event through the lens of crisis communication as it relates to brand reputation and crisis management. The study was guided by situational crisis communication theory. The results of the interviews indicate that OYE’s brand reputation was not harmed as a result of the crisis, and some responses indicate that participants may have increased their respect of the organization. Instead, participants directed fault toward city officials who cancelled the stock show. Future research is recommended to evaluate how other stock shows responded to the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, as well as assessing how stock shows continued to deal with the pandemic in subsequent years.

While there is mounting consensus writing is an essential skill required of agricultural communications graduates, there are opposing views as to what educators can do to improve students’ writing education and performance. Self-efficacy research provides one perspective for exploring the relationship between students’ performance and their beliefs in their writing abilities. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore how agricultural communications students perceive their writing self-efficacy and what underlying sources shape their self-efficacy beliefs. The findings confirmed agricultural communications students use a variety of sources to inform their self-efficacy beliefs including their interpretations of their writing performance and education; interactions with modeling and assignment expectations; feedback messages and their perceived value of writing; feelings of anxiety and optimism; self-regulated learning strategies, such as prewriting and drafting processes; different types of writing, such as academic writing versus industry writing; and different types of courses, including agricultural science and communications courses. Overall, the results were consistent with previous writing self-efficacy studies, however the differentiation between the types of courses students enroll in provided a new direction for self-efficacy research. Recommendations for practice are provided on enhancing agricultural communications students’ writing self-efficacy and improving writing instruction. Future research is needed to determine how other cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences impact writing development.