Impact "Women's Participation in Public Policy" Seminars on Participants' Knowledge Gain, Practice Change, and Attitude Change

Introduction

This study was an effort to determine the effect of a series of seminars titled "Women's Participation in Public Policy" on participants' knowledge gain, levels of participation in public policy affairs, levels of anomia (feelings of self-worth, hopefulness, and belonging) and levels of internal control (feeling of control over one's life).

The seminars were developed by the county Extension agent - Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), Sabine County, Texas. The central question addressed was: "Can participation in this series of seminars increase awareness of the importance of civic participation among women and, in turn, influence them to take a more active role in helping shape public policy at the local, state, and national level?"

During the seminars, participants learned about the importance of participation in public policy affairs; interacted with peers, public officials, and organizational leaders; and acquired knowledge, skills and techniques for active participation in public policy decisions.

The study addressed the following questions (a) How effective was the seminar series in increasing participants' knowledge about decision makers at the local, state, and national level? (b) To what degree can participants' participation in public policy affairs be increased through participation in the seminars? (c) To what degree can participants' levels of anomia be lowered through participation? (d) To what degree can participants' levels of internal control be raised through participation?

For the 1998 program year, the Sabine County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Program Committee identified 43 issues facing families in the county. The top six issues identified were (a) lack of transportation for elderly, handicapped, and non-drivers; (b) need for additional mentoring in schools; (c) lack of adequate rural water; (d) elderly living in unsafe housing; (e) lack of retirement homes; and (f) lack of all communities in the county working together on common causes.

The FCS agent recognized that potential leaders needed to be developed and provided with the knowledge and skills necessary to effect change in order to address these issues. In consultation with County FCS Program Committee members, the FCS agent developed the seminar series. The agent selected this series of seminars as her "Integrated Major Program Area Curriculum" (IMPAC) program for 1998 and developed plans for development, implementation, and evaluation.

The overall goal of the seminar series was: "For participants to become better informed and more active citizens." The topics selected for the seminar series were: City Government; County Government; State Government; Boards, Commissions, and Committees; U.S Government; Politics and Political Parties; and Selling Ideas and Programs through Social Action.

The following factors were considered as limitations of the study:

(1) Participants in the study were limited to those attending at least five of the seven sessions. The results apply only to this small group. (2) No effort was made to classify participants by age, education, income, or other independent variable. Relationships between and among variables were beyond the scope of the study. (3) The time period over which the seminars were conducted was three months. This short time period may have limited the amount of change that occurred within the participants. (4) Because some participants initially were knowledgeable about decision makers, were active in public policy affairs, possessed strong feelings of internal control, and/or had low anomia scores, the "ceiling effect" must be acknowledged as a possible influence on changes in these areas.

This study used a pre-test/post-test design. The population consisted of six individuals who attended five or more of the seven seminars on "Women's Participation in Public Policy." The seminars were open to the public and were advertised through mass media and newsletters. Fifteen individuals enrolled and six attended at least five of the seven sessions.

A 50-item questionnaire was developed and used to elicit information on participants' knowledge about local, state, and national decision makers, and levels of participation in public policy affairs. The questionnaire included a scale to measure anomia--an adaptation of Srole's Index of Anomia (1956)--and a scale to measure Internal/External Control, an adaptation of Rotter's I-E Scale (1965). These two concepts were chosen because they represent measures of hopefulness, belonging, and the perceived feeling of control (or lack of control) over one's interactions with others and the larger social environment. It was felt that if these feelings could be changed in a positive direction through experiences provided in the seminars, the participants might conceivably begin to assume a greater role in public policy decisions that affect them and their families and neighbors. The same questionnaire was used as the pre-test and the post-test.

The questionnaires were administered to all individuals attending the first seminar. They were re-administered to the six individuals who attended five or more of the seven seminars.

The data analysis for the study used mean scores and percentage distributions. The data were obtained from a total population, therefore the use of sampling techniques and predictive statistics was inappropriate. Any differences that occurred were real differences for this group of participants.

The analysis involved determining participants' pre- and post-seminar (a) knowledge about decision makers, (b) levels of participation in public policy decisions, and (c) levels of anomia and internal/external control.

Data are presented and analyzed under the headings of the four questions outlined under the "Purpose" of the study. The questions follow in order.

• Question 1. How effective is the seminar series in increasing participants' knowledge about decision makers at the local, state, and national level?

Table 1 shows the pre-test and post-test knowledge scores of participants and includes differences and percentage change. A score of 13 was possible.

The mean knowledge score moved from 6.2 on the pre-test to 11.2 on the post-test, a gain of 5 points. This represented a gain in knowledge of 81% for the group as a whole. The mean score is somewhat misleading, however, in that the percentage increase in knowledge scores ranged

from 11% to 266%. All participants showed gains in knowledge, but the greater gains were made by individuals with lower pre-test scores.

It was concluded that the series of seminars increased participants' knowledge about decision makers at the local, state, and national level.

• Question 2. To what degree can participants' participation in public policy affairs be increased through participation in this series of seminars?

Table 2 shows the pre-test and post-test participation scores, differences, and percentage change. A score of 20 was possible.

The pre-test participation scores ranged from 1 to 13 and post-test scores ranged from 3 to 17. The mean change in participation score was 61%. However, the percent of individual change in participation ranged from 30% to 200%. For two of the participants, the amount of change was small because of high pre-test scores or the "ceiling effect." All participants registered increases in participation in public policy affairs.

It was concluded that the seminar series had a definite positive impact on participants' involvement in public policy affairs.

• Question 3. To what degree can participants' levels of anomia be lowered through participation in this series of seminars?

It was felt that low participation in public policy affairs might be attributable to an individual's own feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and low self-esteem. Therefore, a part of the study compared pre-test and post-test anomia scores for individuals and for the total group.

The scores on the anomia scale used in this study ranged from 1 to 5 on each of the five items on the scale, 1 being "strongly disagree" and 5 being "strongly agree". Pre-test and post-test weighted scores were calculated for each individual and a mean weighted score was calculated for the group as a whole. The highest possible score was 25. A score of 12.5 was considered as neutral. A score below 12.5 indicated a eunomic situation (positive feelings about one's self and one's relationship to society). A score above 12.5 indicated the opposite-- anomia (negative feelings about one's self and his/her relationship to society).

Table 3 shows the pre-test and post-test weighted scores for each participant along with change and percentage change.

The mean anomia score on the pre-test, for the group as a whole, was 14.8, indicating that the group was slightly anomic prior to the series of seminars. The mean post-test score for the group was 11.5, which represented an overall change to a slightly eunomic situation.

It was anticipated that participation in the series of seminars (which gave participants the opportunity to interact with peers, public officials, and organizational leaders in a non-threatening environment) would, in fact, enhance feelings of hopefulness and personal self-esteem.

The percent change in anomia scores for individual participants varied widely, from no change at all to 55% change. For four of the six participants, the percent change was appreciable. The mean change for the group was -22%.

It was concluded that for a majority of the participants, the series of seminars did slightly to moderately increase their feelings of hopefulness and self-esteem.

• Question 4. To what degree can participants' levels of internal control be raised through participation in this series of seminars?

The learning experiences within the seminar series were designed to help participants understand how important the individual is, or can be, in influencing public policy decisions and to help them see how each person can have input into the public policy decision-making process. It was expected that the participants would show an increase in internal control.

Table 4 shows the pre-test and post-test internal/external control scores for each individual, along with changes and percent change.

A score of 12 was possible on both the pre-test and post-test. A score of 6 was considered neutral. The mean pre-test score for the group as a whole was 8.3, indicating a slight feeling of internal control. The mean post-test score was 11.5 which represented a 39% increase in feelings of internal control.

There were dramatic changes toward feelings of internal control from pre-test to post-test on the part of two participants--100% and 500%. Three participants registered slight increases in feelings of internal control, and there was no change on the part of one individual.

It was concluded that the series of seminars increased feelings of internal control for a majority of the participants.

The analysis of the data in this study indicated that the seminar series did achieve its overall goal, that is, "For participants to become better informed and more active citizens." Participants, as a whole, are more knowledgeable about decision makers at the local, state, and national level; have slightly more positive feelings about themselves and their ability to control their own lives and situations; and are participating more in public policy affairs.

This study has important implications for county Extension agents. It demonstrates an approach to evaluating the effect of their educational programs on clientele. It offers agents a guide to determining knowledge gain, attitude change, and practice change that can be attributed to the learning experiences provided.

The findings of this study reinforce the importance of Extension agents' taking a proactive position in designing new learning experiences for their clientele. Often, programs are designed to meet immediate needs, such as diet, health, and physical fitness. While these are very important, there is also value in helping clientele become more involved in public policy affairs so that they can improve their lives and the lives of their neighbors.

As a result of the seminar series, several of the participants have taken active roles in addressing the issues identified by the Sabine County Extension FCS Program Committee.

Rotter, J.B. (1965). Social learning and clinical psychology. NY: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Srole, L. (1956). Social integration and certain corollaries: An exploratory study. American Sociological Review, 21, 709-716.

*NOTE: At the time the seminar series was conducted, Charlotte Gorman was FCS Extension Agent in Sabine County, Texas.