We surveyed the perspectives of farmers, crop professionals, and Extension agents and found that they have positive perspectives concerning multifunctional agriculture, including a positive effect of a nearby prairie to cropland productivity. The survey was conducted in central Iowa and included individuals predominantly from Iowa involved in…

Drawing on data from six communities in Kansas and Iowa, we explore the factors that are related to community members' current levels of overall support for local ethanol plants. What are residents' opinions about the benefits and drawbacks of local ownership of ethanol plants? How does that awareness lead to overall support of plants? Our…

Perceptions of local social dimensions are hypothesized to be more efficient predictors of community satisfaction than are perceptions of services. To test this, a mail-questionnaire study of residents of small Iowa communities was conducted. Correlation and regression analyses suggested that social dimensions relate to three…

A random telephone survey of 25 residents in Iowa Falls, a small town in rural north-central Iowa, examined opinions and attitudes about the health of their community. The community has a population of 5,424, including 1,276 students in Grades K-12; is the largest city in the county; and is the site of a community college. Sixty percent of…

The major purposes of this paper are to present (1) a summary of the major concepts and general hypotheses of the social power model, (2) the empirical findings from the operationalization of the social power model, and (3) some implications for change agents concerned with rural development. The social power model was empirically tested in 5…

The product of a needs assessment (via 4,627 mailed questionnaires) in Iowa's rural Region V, this report exemplifies need assessment techniques designed to assist local residents, their leaders, area change agents, and regional groups in making community decisions for rural areas. The survey used to develop this databook requested information re:…

During the early decades of this century in rural Iowa, basketball for girls served to bring excitement and diversion in an otherwise bleak environment. It provided a chance for the girls to travel, occasionally to large cities. Playing basketball enhanced the girls' relationships with school peers and teachers and served to bring recognition and…

Reviews two models of community-attachment, linear-development and systematic models, using data on social ties and local sentiments from survey respondents in Iowa communities. Linear-development variables (population size and density) relate weakly to community attachment. Systematic variables (residence length, income, and age) relate more…

Iowa legislators responded to the national accountability trend in 1975 by mandating a statewide needs assessment. This paper examines the activities of fifteen selected districts in terms of: (1) a statistical analysis of community, teacher, and student rankings of eighteen cognitive and affective educational goals; (2) statistical analysis of…

Financial conditions and new demands suggest that Iowa school districts will continually struggle to satisfy state and community needs. Given this situation and districts' opportunities for seeking alternative arrangements, the recent trend in school closings and district reorganization is likely to continue through the year 2000. This study…

A sample of 214 rural citizens in Iowa's Crawford and Ida Counties were surveyed to gather information on community attitudes towards the care of children and other family members. The sampled group closely paralleled the area's 1980 census norms, except in the proportion of males to females. Respondents perceived community problems with…

This study examined attitudes of people about benefits of the economic impacts of two local colleges (Palmer College of Chiropractic and Scott Community College) in the metropolitan Quad Cities area of Rock Island County (Illinois) and Scott County (Iowa). The study compared impacts considered important by the community with those estimated by the…

Spurred by sagging retail trade and the need for future planning, the Fort Madison (Iowa) Chamber of Commerce initiated a community survey to determine attitudes of residents towards various community characteristics. A 7-section questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 411 area households, of which 268 or 72.2% responded. Over 75% of…

FROM 1960 THROUGH 1964, 24 OF IOWA'S 209 SCHOOL DISTRICTS HELD SCHOOL BOND ISSUE ELECTIONS IN WHICH PART OF THE ISSUE WAS ASSIGNED FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PURPOSES. INTERVIEWS WITH 20 OF THE 24 SUPERINTENDENTS YIELDED INFORMATION FOR A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF (1) THE PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PORTION OF THE TOTAL BOND…

An 8-year ethnographic study in two rural Iowa towns examined the incorporation of recently arrived Mexicans and Mexican Americans into the social, economic, and political life of the community. Relocating to work in a nearby food processing plant, the newcomers altered the ethnic composition of this formerly homogeneous area. Data were gathered…