Benefits and Impact of OSU Master Gardener Program

It is important to collect information on the motivators and attitudes that influence individual volunteers within OSU Extension Service Master Gardener Program.  A statewide survey of the OSU Master Gardener Program was conducted in 2007, to assess the benefits that volunteers receive from their participation in the Program as well as the impacts of the Program on volunteers’ attitudes and garden management practices. 
Invitations to fill out the survey were extended to 3391 Master Gardeners.  Each survey consisted of a series of statements that respondents could score on a Likert scale.  Fifteen statements were used to assess volunteers’ motivation for participating in the Master Gardener Program.  An additional 13 statements were used to assess the impact of the OSU Master Gardener Program on volunteers’ sustainable gardening practices. 
Statements used to assess volunteers’ motivation were identical or similar to those used by Schrock et al. (2000) in a survey of Missouri Master Gardeners.  Statements used to assess the impact of the OSU Master Gardener Program on volunteers’ sustainable gardening practices were identical or similar to the statements used by McMahan and Cowen (unpublished data) to survey Master Gardeners in Yamhill County and Baker County, OR in 2004. 
A total of 781 Master Gardeners responded to the survey, for a response rate of 23%  The mean Likert value of statements used to examine the perceived benefits of being an OSU Master Gardener volunteer varied from 3.15 (equivalent to ‘neither agree or disagree’) to 4.76 (equivalent to ‘strongly agree’).  Respondents identified increased access to information or increased knowledge and understanding as the greatest benefits of being a Master Gardener volunteer (range of means = 4.25 to 4.76).  Secondary benefits included opportunities for personal growth (range of means = 3.66 to 4.56).  The mean Likert value of statements used to examine the impact of the Oregon State University Master Gardener Program on respondents’ gardening practices and attitudes varied from 4.01 (equivalent to ‘agree’) to 4.52 (equivalent to ‘strongly agree’).  Master Gardeners report that they have shared their gardening knowledge and techniques with others in the preceding year (Likert mean = 4.56).
These results suggest that recruitment and retention of OSU Master Gardeners will be best when programs continue to offer a variety of high quality training opportunities to both new and continuing Master Gardeners.  Such programs have the capacity to positively influence Master Gardener’s knowledge and practice of sustainable gardening techniques.