In Agricultural Extension Services (AES), radio plays a role in situational problems like insufficient information delivery. Radio not only helps farmers in acquiring information, but also creates a tendency for farmers to deal with informational interaction and to stay connected with the problem. For that reason, under structural governance reforms such as decentralisation, radio is expected to have an influence on farmers’ actual perception and opinion in minimising the problem when used in the AES informational delivery process. Drawing upon the Situational Theory Problem Solving (STOPS), this study seeks to determine the role of radio in problem solving (RIPS) on the perceptual situation variables which include problem recognition, constraint recognition, involvement recognition, and referent criterion towards solving insufficient information delivery. A total of 400 farmers within AES or the “Rice Bowl” area of Northern Malaysia participated in answering the questionnaire. Data was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that RIPS plays an important role in influencing farmers’ problem recognition, involvement recognition, and referent criterion apart from reducing their constraint. As a result, all of the four hypothesised relationships proposed in the study’s conceptual model were significant and supported. Hence, RIPS can now be considered as a joint element in public communication strategy to deal and solve insufficient information delivery for Malaysia’s AES.

Insufficient information delivery has been identified as an Agricultural Extension Services (AES) situational problem. As this problem continues to bother farmers within the AES situation persistently, many developing countries are still found struggling with this situational problem. Although research have been conducted to address this problem. However, were still particularly to close the gap in the diffusion of information and technology acceptance focusing on production. It is clear that efforts to report on farmers’ actual perception and reaction in terms of how they accept and react towards the problem have not been sufficiently investigated. Taking a communication perspective, the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS) anchored the argument on Malaysian farmers’ response towards insufficient information delivery. This study aims to identify the segmentation of farmers on the problem, understand the farmers’ perceptual situation, motivation and communicative action towards solving this problem, and whether Radio in Problem Solving (RIPS) influences the farmers’ response towards insufficient information delivery. A predominantly quantitative, explanatory research design was assigned. A total of 400 farmers within the AES “Rice Bowl” area of Northern Malaysia had participated in the questionnaire and seven individual interviews were subsequently conducted. The quantitative data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), while content analysis was used to analyse the interview data. The quantitative findings revealed that all the nine hypothesised relationships proposed in the research’s conceptual model were significant and supported. Additionally, results from the qualitative analysis were consistent and supported the quantitative findings. Four types of public were found with the active public being the dominant group in this study. While the original proposition of STOPS provided good information on the farmers’ response towards insufficient information delivery, RIPS was also able to influence farmers perceived situation as problematic and thus efforts are needed to solve it. RIPS seems to have an influence on the farmers’ problem recognition and involvement recognition, apart from reducing their constraint as well as motivated them in solving the problem. Understanding the farmers’ perception, motivation and communicative action bring a positive approach to the field of public relations, particularly through STOPS and RIPS as newly introduced concepts which contribute to solve the insufficient information delivery problem in AES. Thus, enabling AES to reinforce farmers’ upward behavioural approach that allows them to invest their ability on the problem which could be made routine and as part of the AES’ information delivery strategy.

Purpose: Insufficiency of information delivery within agricultural extension services (AES) is a worldwide concern and been recognized as unresolved debate. This issue triggered AES on governance structure demand upward communication to encourage more input at farm level to allow farmers to make a decision and improve their ability to problem-solving. Methodology: This research includes review the literature on the issue, the theoretical arguments of STOPS and finally to test the items for the measurement of farmers’ response in this problem and identified items for future study. Items were tested through a survey distributed to 110 respondents. The exploratory data analysis was performed using principal components with varimax rotation to assess the performance of each items in measuring their respective variables. Study only retained items that loaded on the variables at .50 cut off criterion, and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure verified the sampling adequacy for the analysis, KMO more than .50 Findings: Result of analysis found the items fell into factor groups as suggested by theory and finalized with 58 items of measurement for future study. Practical implications: These results offer initial guidance into the relevance of STOPS on farmers response in problem-solving towards insufficient information delivery within AES and how they react to issues that affect them. Social Implications: The investigation of STOPS on the sample in the local context of the public would provide a deeper understanding of farmers in Malaysia on their dimensions of conceptual of situational perception, communicative behavior and motivation in problem-solving towards insufficient of information delivery. Research Limitation: Evaluation of Malaysian farmer’s perception and communicative action is limited to the theoretical proposition of STOPS. Originality Value: Study unleashed farmers response in problem-solving capacity towards insufficient of information delivery which have not been fully addressed through the assumption and concept of STOPS. Keywords: Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS); Insufficient of Information Delivery; Agricultural Extension Service (AES); Farmers

Communication media principally radio has provided farmers with newest idea and information for them to adapt and adopt agriculture technology and practices in agricultural extension services (AES). It shows that, radio role is still focused on delivery of information for production output. For that reason, under AES structural governance reform such as decentralisation and privatization that aimed to curb AES situation problem like insufficient of information delivery, radio is suggested as a tool that allow feedback and influence farmers information behavior in facing that problem. Drawing upon Situational Theory Problem Solving (STOPS) as the framework, aside from looking at the perception of publics towards certain problem. This study determined the reaction of Malaysian paddy farmers that could be shaped to view insufficient of information delivery within AES as being intervention in increasing farmers’ utilisation of communication media such radio. More specifically, the objective of the study is to construct a quantitative measure of radio as new concept to be examined within STOPS. An extensive reviews of literature then produced preliminary factor and items that were tested through a survey distributed among 110 respondents. Exploratory factor analysis found the items fell into common factor group and finalised with 7 items of measurement for future study. These results offer initial guidance into the relevance of radio effected farmers’ reaction in problem solving within the proposed model of the STOPS especially at local context. Keywords – Agricultural Extension Services, Farmers, Insufficient of Information Delivery, Situational Theory of Problem Solving(STOPS), Radio.