Author : Nunta Buranatanung

Summary : The study sought to determine the effect of extension workers' (EWs) personal characteristic factors and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DOEA) organizational climate factors on the EWs ' job performance in DOAE central office in Thailand. One hundred ninety-seven EWs and their superiors (54) altogether from nine divisions in DOAE central officd were randomly and purposively selected, respectively. Data were obtained through questionnaires. The EWs themselves and their superiors evaluated their job performance. The data were analyzed with the use of the measures of central tendency, chi-square test, Pearson product moment correlation, and multiple regression. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for the data computerization. The results showed that more than half of the respondents were male, were about 37 years, and held at least the bachelor's degree. They had been working in DOAE for 12 years with a mean salary of 10,734 Baht. More than half had attend training during 1990-1992, and had favorable attitude toward extension work as well as favorable achievement motivation. Majority of the respondents found the DOAE organizational climate favorable. However, they noted that the reward system was relatively low. The level of EWs' job performance as perceived by themselves and by their superiors was not statistically significantly different although majority of the respondents themselves perceived the majority of them as having low performance. Personal characteristic factors, namely, age, sex, educational attainment, salary, work experience, attitude toward work, and achievement motivation, and the organizational climate factors, namely, individual autonomy, superior-subordinate-colleagues relationship, communication system, participation in decision making, and reward system were significantly related to the level of job performance. Of all these significant factors, achievement motivation gave the greatest contribution to job performance as perceived by the EWs.