The impact of interests, power relationships, and organizational structure on program planning practice: A case study

The central purpose of this study was to show how the personal and organizational interests of adult educators are causally related to the planning of educational programs. A qualitative multi-case study was conducted of six county extension agents and four district program development specialists in the Cooperative Extension System. The study shows how traditionalist interests are embedded in the contextual factors that affect the planning practices of county agents and the ways in which these factors affected the seven programs planned by these agents. Specifically, three categories of structural factors were found to constrain or enable county agents' planning practices: a) organizational structure and culture, b) available resources, and c) power relationships. These factors affected the programs that county agents constructed through their planning practices in terms of the needs addressed and the planning process employed.