Transcultural validation of a scale in English, Portuguese and Spanish to assess rural extension agents’ beliefs about extension and innovation

Abstract

Rural extension and innovation approaches have been extensively studied. However, we currently lack a validated quantitative instrument to assess those approaches at a subjective level. Landini and Beramendi (2019) developed a psychometric scale to access rural extension agents' beliefs about extension and innovation (BExIn scale) and validated it in Argentina. In this paper, a transcultural validation of this scale is conducted using samples from Argentina (n = 608), Brazil (n = 279), Chile (n = 196), Mexico (n = 1727), and Nigeria (n = 121). The analysis was conducted using Unweighted Least Squares extraction method and MPLUS software. The results show satisfactory indexes of goodness of fit and internal consistency, evidencing configural invariance and invariance of factor loadings. This implies that the scale assesses the same construct in all cases and that the structure of meanings that organizes these beliefs is essentially the same in different countries (differences between countries and individuals only refer to different ways of valuing the elements within the same general structure). The scale can be used to assess in English, Portuguese and Spanish extension agents’ beliefs about extension and innovation, to compare between countries and institutions, to make human resources decisions, to evaluate the impact of specific academic degrees or educational courses on extension and innovation beliefs, and to analyze strategies aimed at addressing beliefs that contribute to the persistence of a transfer of technology approach. The results suggest that the acknowledgment of otherness contributes to participatory and horizontal extension practices based on bi-directional communication, and that a self-critical attitude reduces the beliefs that shape a transfer of technologies approach.