Profile Characteristics of Extension Personnel and their Association with Attitude towards ICT Tools and Information Management Patterns

DOI: 10.22161/ijeab.115.6

Abstract:
Extension personnel are increasingly expected to function as information managers, yet the personal and situational factors that shape this capacity remain under-examined for Tamil Nadu's Departments of Agriculture and Horticulture. This study profiled 121 extension personnel (Agricultural/Horticultural Officers, Assistant and Deputy Directors) across Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Erode districts and examined the association and contribution of fifteen profile variables with their attitude towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and their information management patterns, using correlation and multiple regression analysis. Organizational climate and managerial ability emerged as the only variables contributing significantly to both outcomes, while work experience, value orientation, technical knowledge, job involvement and media talks and publications additionally predicted attitude (R² = 0.652, F = 7.182**), and educational status, possession of communication gadgets, achievement motivation and trainings undergone additionally predicted information management patterns (R² = 0.724, F = 11.327**). These results indicate that favourable organizational climate and stronger managerial ability are the most consistent, generalisable levers for improving both ICT attitude and information management performance, ahead of variables specific to only one outcome, and provide extension administrators an evidence-based basis for prioritising capacity-building investment.

Keywords:
Extension personnel, Profile characteristics, ICT attitude, Information management, Multiple regression

Article Info:
Received: 20 Aug 2026; Received in revised form: 15 Sep 2026; Accepted: 21 Sep 2026; Available online: 28 Sep 2026

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