A STUDY WAS MADE TO DETERMINE COUNTY EXTENSION AGENTS' PERCEPTION OF THEIR ROLE AND THAT OF ADVISORY BOARDS IN PLANNING, EXECUTING, AND EVALUATING THE COUNTY EXTENSION PROGRAM. AGENTS' VIEWS ON WHO OUGHT TO HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PERFORMING COUNTY PROGRAMING FUNCTIONS WERE ALSO EXAMINED. ALL 109 AGENTS IN THE NORTHWESTERN EXTENSION DISTRICT IN NORTH CAROLINA WERE INTERVIEWED ON 34 COUNTY PROGRAMING FUNCTIONS. THEY WERE ASKED WHO WAS PERFORMING THE FUNCTION, HOW WELL IT WAS BEING PERFORMED, AND WHO OUGHT TO PERFORM IT. STATISTICAL ANALYSES WERE MADE OF RESPONSES RELATED TO SEVEN INDEPENDENT VARIABLES--AGE, TITLE, LEVEL OF FORMAL EDUCATION, GRADUATE DEGREE WORK, CONTENT AREA FOR HIGHEST DEGREE HELD, TENURE IN PRESENT POSITION, AND TENURE IN EXTENSION. CONSIDERED COLLECTIVELY, THESE VARIABLES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH AGENTS' VIEWS. AGENTS GENERALLY PERCEIVED FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY THEMSELVES AS ADEQUATE. CONSENSUS WAS LACKING ON WHO OUGHT TO HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PERFORMING COUNTY PROGRAMING FUNCTIONS. THE FINDINGS SUGGESTED A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF ADVISORY BOARDS AMONG AGENTS AND A LACK OF ACCEPTANCE OF A BOARD'S ROLE IN COUNTY PROGRAMING. REFERENCES, TABLES, AND THE QUESTIONNAIRE USED WERE INCLUDED. THIS MATERIAL WAS SUBMITTED AS A DISSERTATION TO NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, 1966, 203 PAGES. (JA)