Adult teaching in Extension: exploring teacher efficacy, andragogy, and outcome expectancy

Abstract

The Cooperative Extension Service has long relied on county-based Extension agents to deliver adult education programming to local communities across the state. Despite their central role as educators, most Extension agents enter the profession with subject-matter expertise and limited formal training in adult education principles. This gap between preparation and practice raises important questions about how andragogical usage and teaching confidence operate among Extension agents. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Kansas State Extension agents’ usage of andragogical techniques and their level of teacher efficacy as adult educators, and to examine whether these constructs predict outcome expectancy. A quantitative, correlational research design was employed. A census was attempted of 187 Kansas State Extension agents in agricultural and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, and community vitality programmatic areas. Eighty-eight usable responses were collected in January 2026. Participants completed a survey that measured andragogy usage, teacher efficacy, and outcome expectancy using Likert-scale instruments grounded in andragogy’s six assumptions and Ohio State’s Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlations, and multiple linear regression. Kansas State Extension agents reported moderate to moderately high levels of both andragogy usage (M = 4.02, SD = 0.54) and teacher efficacy (M = 3.79, SD = 0.48). A statistically significant, moderate positive correlation was found between teacher efficacy and andragogy usage (r = .680, p < .001). Andragogy usage and teacher efficacy together explained 45.2% of the variance in outcome expectancy (R² = .452), with teacher efficacy emerging as the stronger predictor ([beta] = .436). A stepwise regression revealed that adult education training outside of Extension added additional predictive value, raising the explained variance to 50.2%. Findings suggest that teaching confidence and andragogical practice are positively related. Increasing investment in either area may help strengthen both. Recommendations include targeted professional development, structured mentorship programs, and low-stakes practice opportunities for early-career agents.