The Effect of E-Learning on Farmers’ Attitudes Toward Alternative Crops

This study was conducted in ۲۰۲۲–۲۰۲۳ in Nazarabad village, Alborz Province, to examine the effect of e-learning on farmers’ attitudes toward adopting alternative crops. The statistical population included all farmers residing in provinces suitable for saffron cultivation. Using purposive cluster sampling, ۶۰ farmers from rural areas of Nazarabad County were selected and invited to participate in the training program. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups of ۲۰ each (n = ۲۰): Experimental Group ۱ (instruction through educational videos), Experimental Group ۲ (web-based instruction), and a control group (traditional training). The research followed a quasi-experimental design using pre-test and post-test with two experimental groups and one control group. The inclusion of two experimental groups allowed for comparison between video-based and web-based training methods. To ensure content validity, the questionnaire was reviewed by faculty members from the Universities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Kharazmi. Reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha (α = ۰.۷۴). Data analysis included descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, percentage) and inferential analysis using the Mann–Whitney U test to examine hypotheses across the three types of attitudes. Findings indicated that web-based training significantly enhanced farmers’ knowledge and information, whereas video-based training had a stronger influence on their affective beliefs. Moreover, both methods had nearly equal effects in motivating farmers to adopt saffron cultivation as an alternative to water-intensive crops.

کلیدواژه ها:

E-learning ، Web-based training ، Attitude ، Alternative crops ، Saffron