Analyzing The Relationship Between Quality of Work Life and Agricultural Extension Expert's Task and Contextual Performance

Extension service is the main institution in the process of rural’s institutional and human change. Thus, human resources of extension system are a key factor in the process of rural and agricultural development. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between quality of work life and extension experts’ task and contextual performance in Kerman Province, Iran. The statistical population of the study included agricultural extension experts who worked in the Jihad-e-Keshavarzi in Kerman Province. A sample of 123 experts from target population was selected according to Krejcie and Morgan’s Table by considering one percent confidence coefficient. A proportional stratified random sampling method was used. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed for the study. Validity of the questionnaire was approved by panel of experts. In order to measure the reliability of questionnaire, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated. In order to analyze data, SPSSwin20 and LISREL8.5 were applied. Results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between all components of quality of work life and task along with contextual performance among extension experts (P<0.01). Furthermore, results related to structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that quality of work life could explain 44% and 34% of variations of extension experts’ task and contextual performance, respectively.