Under The Theory Of Diffusion Of Innovation:a Study On Behavior Of Gaining Science And Technology Information By Farmers From Ethnic Minority Areas

It has been half a century since the diffusion of innovation theory had been put forwarded. A bunch of scholars from several different subjects has made many researches on the diffusion of innovation,, which resulted in rich achievements. However, few attention have been paid to the diffusion of scientific information in the context of minority villages, which can be seen as a new area of the indigenous study of the diffusion of innovation theory.After reviewed previous literatures. this paper applies the knowledge of communication and sociology with the means of ethnography of communication and deep interview as well as participant observation, to the field investigation in Gaokongqiao Village and Shemihu Village in Enshi, Hubei Province. The investigation relies on the diffusion of innovation theory to research on the obtaining of scientific information by those farmers.The paper has six chapters in total. Chapter1is an introduction of this paper. Chapter2is about the theoretical basis and research methods of this study. Specifically, it includes the theoretical sources of diffusion of innovation theory, Rogers’theory of diffusion of innovation and its following development as well as the indigenous study of this theory. Chapter3introduces the establishment of ethnical identity of Tujia and Miao in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The preferential policies provided by the central and provincial governments to Enshi since the establishment of the this autonomous prefecture are also discussed in this chapter. Two samples have been selected——Gaokongqiao Village and Shemihu Village——to show the diffusion of scientific information in the context of minority villages in the process of transformation from traditional to modern development. Chapter4focuses on the diffusion and obtaining channels of scientific information as well as the selections and their influences of these channels by the farmers in these two villages. Chapter5mainly talks about the diffusion of social system and innovation. It probes in the diffusion in these two villages in the context of social systems. Meanwhile, it also elaborates the effects of the differences of social systems in these two villages on the diffusion of innovation. The last chapter, namely chapter6gives the conclusion of this paper, which also probes in the application of the diffusion of innovation theory. In addition, it amplifies the author’s advices of possible supplements and amendments of the diffusion of innovation theory,In the basis of the study, it holds that mass communication channels and new media communication channels have very few influence on the diffusion of innovation in ethnic minority areas. The organizational communication channels, which Rogers did not elaborate have been proved to be playing an important role in the diffusion of innovation. The organizational communication channels can change adopters altitudes and the context of the innovation as interpersonal communication channels do. What is more important is that the mandatory character of organizational communication channels makes the diffusion of innovation happens rapidly and extensively. Interpersonal communication channels are equivalent to organizational communication channels, which is reflected by its communication of the contents of innovation as well as changes of adopters’ attitudes. In addition, in different social systems, the diffusion of innovation have totally different modes. In the linear chained structure, innovation is always diffused compulsorily.