208 - Assessing the predictive abilities of subjective and objective knowledge gain measures on behavior change

Abstract Information: Knowledge is an important precursor for behavior change as it shapes an individual's attitude toward any behavior. For this reason, many educational interventions aimed at increasing the knowledge of participants are used in Extension. Most of them in their theory of change assume that an increase in knowledge leads to behavior change. However, several studies report a gap in knowledge and behavior. The impact of subjective and objective knowledge on behavior is less reported in Extension. This study aims to assess the influence of subjective and objective knowledge on the behavior of participants. Data was collected from participants enrolled in the spring 2023 Master Gardener Volunteer training twice; pre- (n=58) and post-intervention (n=41). Only 34 response pairs that matched in pre- and post-training were used for data analysis. Data was collected on perceived knowledge, objective knowledge, the extent of engagement in gardening practices, and a unique identifier word created by participants to help match the pre and post-intervention cases. Perceived knowledge was quantified using the mean score of thirteen statements related to gardening practice, which were each measured on a five-point Likert scale from 'Not knowledgeable at all' to 'Extremely knowledgeable’ (Cronbach’s alpha >0.8). For measuring objective knowledge, 118 multiple-choice questions for each of the thirteen statements were asked. The extent of engagement in behavior was assessed using the four-point Likert scale ranging from ‘Not important to me’ to ‘I’m doing this all the time/This is a consistent part of my landscape management routine.’ Paired t-tests were used to analyze the mean difference before and after intervention and hierarchical linear regression was used to assess the effects of subjective and objective knowledge on post-intervention gardening practices. Subjective and objective knowledge after the intervention was entered in the first block, and perceived baseline, perceived retrospective, and objective knowledge before intervention was entered in the second block. Assumptions of hierarchical regression were tested. Following the intervention there was a significant change in objective knowledge (p = 0.005, t = -14.179, df = 33), subjective knowledge (p = 0.006, t = -14.762, df = 33), and engagement in gardening practices (p = < 0.001, t = -3.551, df = 33). Only the first model, i.e., knowledge after the intervention was the significant predictor for the extent of engagement in gardening practices after training (p = 0.058, F = 3.120, Adjusted R2 = 0.114). However, neither perceived nor objective knowledge after intervention significantly predicted its influence on engagement in gardening practice. The second model was not significant, but the perceived knowledge before the intervention significantly predicted the behavior after the intervention (p = 0.016, t = 2.555, β = 0.618). Despite significant changes in knowledge and behavior after intervention, perceived knowledge before the intervention is the only driver for behavior. This supports findings from previous studies on the gap between knowledge change behavior. It is recommended that knowledge change should not be considered causation for behavior change in evaluation plans, to reduce the overestimation of the impact of Extension intervention.