The purpose of this study was to establish a deeper understanding of the educational needs of rural-based learners within the context of online learning opportunities. I hoped to ascertain whether rural learners' needs differ in terms of learning choices from that of their urban counterparts. This study was particularly focused on establishing a baseline for understanding community online readiness and identifying factors for how rural adults decide whether to participate in online-based learning.The participants in this study were selected from adults in established adult education courses, local churches, rural development clubs, and miscellaneous other civic organizations. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire that was a modified McVay Online Readiness Questionnaire (McVay, 2000). In addition, 4 local community leaders were selected for interviews. The selected interviewees were the County Judge-Executive, the mayor of the county seat, the Superintendent of Schools, and the director of adult and community education for the county. These leaders were asked questions designed to assess their understanding of current technological infrastructure to support broadband Internet, as well as, their willingness to encourage the support required for community transformation. Interview questions focused on how well leaders understand both the technological and the sociocultural dimensions of their community.The results were the identification of 7 interrelated themes that help explain the online readiness behaviors of rural adults in the selected county. The themes are: the Importance of Broadband Internet, the Attraction of Professionals to the Area, the "Missing Generation," Common Solutions and Working Together, Lack of Vision for Online Learning, Changing Cultures and Demographics, State and Local Government's Role and Regulatory Policy. Questionnaire responses are presented in this study as descriptive statistics and are representative of the county studied. The data collected from these questionnaires were used in collaboration with interview findings to arrive at conclusions. Key recommendations include: provisions for tax credits and other financial incentives to encourage Internet providers to increase coverage into rural areas; and improved collaboration between public and private stakeholders in an effort to address the digital divide. / Department of Educational Studies

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This study documents the lifestyle on a small, prosperous black farmstead in the Richland community of Butler County, Kentucky. It is based on extensive fieldwork and interviews conducted with Percy Beeson, owner of the farm for aver fifty years. The result of the fieldwork and interviews was the documentation of how this farmstead, maintained without mechanical farm equipment, worked as a functional unit on a year-round basis. As a functional unit, the Beeson farmstead is described in terms of the Beeson family and their ownership of the farm and the breakdown of the property into two dependent units. In the first area, the Family Unit, the food supply and home industries were prepared and supervised by the women of the household. These activities are discussed according to the seasons of the year, beginning with spring and ending with winter. The second area, the Farm Unit, was run by the Beeson men and contained the major crops and farm animals. This area is also described according to the seasons of the year. The results of this study clearly portray this non-mechanized, small black farmstead as a functional and traditional economic enterprise for Percy Beeson.

A practicum report for the degree of Master of Environmental Science, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Miami University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-73).

Thesis (M. En.)--Miami University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], v, 101 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-64).