Perceived Influence of Agricultural Science in Career Choice by J.s.s Students in Benue State
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Perceived Influence of Agricultural Science in Career Choice by J.s.s Students in Benue State
ABSTRACT
Agriculture has long been given in Nigerian secondary schools, despite the fact that its popularity among junior secondary school students is diminishing year after year. It is an examinable subject in the Nigeria Certificate of Secondary Education examination, as well as a career subject in several postsecondary educational institutions.
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of specific factors on junior secondary school students’ choice of agriculture in Benue State. The goals were to determine the influence of teaching methods on the choice of agriculture among secondary school students
to establish the influence of gender on the choice of agriculture among secondary school students, to investigate the influence of students’ attitudes on the choice of agriculture in secondary schools, and to investigate the influence of school financing on the choice of agriculture among secondary school students.
The study utilised a cross-sectional survey design. A questionnaire was utilised to collect data. The study focused on JSS3 agriculture students and teachers. A total of 352 respondents were used. Agriculture teachers and students were sampled using simple random sampling, whereas 22 schools were sampled by stratified sampling.
Data were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods: For the former, descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations were utilised, while inferential statistics, notably Pearson Correlation, were used to identify correlations between variables. Qualitative data were analysed with SPSS version 21.0.
The findings demonstrate that teachers’ techniques in teaching agriculture influence students’ choice of the topic; students’ attitudes influence the choice of the subject; nevertheless, school finances and gender have no statistical influence on the choice of agriculture. It was also discovered that parents, teachers, and the ministry of education all impact agricultural decisions.
The study advised that teachers be closely supervised during syllabus delivery in order to use appropriate teaching strategies and ensure adequate curriculum implementation. The study also recommended that career assistance and counselling be strengthened to raise awareness of various job prospects, allowing more female students to select the subject.
Furthermore, the study recommended that students be adequately mentored in order to witness an improvement in their attitudes towards agriculture. Finally, the Ministry of Education will enhance school financing to allow for the purchase of adequate agricultural teaching and learning resources.
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Chapter two.
Literature Review
Introduction
This chapter reviews the literature on the factors that impact the choice of agriculture among junior secondary school students in Benue State and elsewhere.The study’s conceptual framework was based on variables representing factors impacting junior secondary school students’ agricultural choices.
Teachers’ teaching methods, gender, the student’s ability, attitude, home background, parents’ level of education, subject selection in the Nigeria certificate of secondary education, teaching learning resources, subject grouping by the Nigeria Institute of Curriculum Development, career guidance, career opportunities, cultural beliefs, social/economic activities, religion, and peer group influence all have an impact on the choice.
Teaching Methods for Choosing Agriculture
Nyangi (2012) investigated the impact of teachers’ teaching styles on the choice of biology in Nigerian secondary schools. The study used a cross-sectional research design with simple random sampling methodologies. Descriptive statistics were employed to examine the data.
The findings revealed that a variety of factors impeded students’ subject selection, beginning with home science, which lacked student interest, a broad syllabus, insufficient facilities for practical lessons
a lack of interest among home science teachers, and a lack of qualifications among some teachers. However, the focus of this study was on teachers’ teaching approaches in secondary schools when it came to agriculture.
Salibury and Roddel (2000) investigated the effects of teaching styles on specific subjects in secondary schools. The study discovered that teachers’ attitudes and behaviours towards specific disciplines influence pupils in some ways when it comes to subject selection.
The study also discovered that students choose a subject because they appreciate the way the instructor communicates the knowledge and his or her positive attitude towards the subject, and that students do not choose a subject because the teacher does not manage it well.
The teacher’s teaching methods have a considerable influence on the subjects chosen by students. Instead, this study intended to examine whether lesson preparation influences agricultural decision-making.
According to Eshiwani (2001), poor teaching methods are responsible for the low enrolment of agricultural students in most schools across the country. This is due to a lack of role models among professors, as there are fewer females than males, resulting in a negative attitude towards agriculture among students.
On the other side, favourable or negative opinions about the subject are impacted by parents who believe that agriculture-related occupations are low-paying and hence discourage their children from pursuing the subject, instead encouraging them to pursue other interests.
The parents would prefer that their children pursue courses that will result in a quick change in their lifestyle in the future. The conclusion of Eshiwani that gender influences topic choice among junior secondary school students piqued our attention in this study; we wanted to know how much it influences student choice of agriculture.
The study was conducted in home science, which is one of the four technical topics taken by secondary school students in Nigeria. Agriculture is one of them, and this study seeks to establish whether teacher lesson attendance influences student choice of agriculture. professors have a significant influence on students’ subject selection in any institution since students rely on professors’ guidance.
This means that teachers should always be good role models since pupils emulate whatever they do. Education is one of the most effective development investments a country can make because it is widely recognised around the world.
It is an important gateway for promoting social and economic development (World Bank, 2005). It promotes a better life and world by stimulating the economy, lowering fertility rates, lowering newborn and maternal mortality, improving family livelihoods, and improving children’s education (Gachukia, 1999).
According to Coonery (1990), an excellent teacher will help students grasp agricultural science.This was consistent with Izumi and Evess’s (2002) findings on the elements that influence students’ subject selection. They argue that, in addition to infrastructure and curricular quality, teacher quality is critical.
According to Amuah (2009), teaching agricultural science in countries such as Nigeria has been plagued by issues such as poor teacher attitudes and qualifications, insufficient funding, inadequate facilities, low professional efficiency levels of teachers, attitudes of school administration and parents towards agricultural science, and political lapses.
According to the chief examiner’s evaluation on agricultural performance at NECO in 2010, pupils overlooked agricultural basics and practical knowledge of the subject (West Africa Examination Council, 2010).
It also revealed that most pupils were unable to conduct simple experiments.The similar observation was made in 2011, when it appeared that most students had insufficient experience to laboratory work in agriculture.
This could be due to teachers lacking the necessary qualifications to use professional documents throughout the teaching process. In light of this, the purpose of this study was to see if the rate of content delivery by teachers effects junior secondary school students’ choices in agriculture.
According to Mukweru (2006), teachers are change agents in improving and sustaining agricultural production through agricultural education; therefore, their attitude should be positive because they play a critical role in curriculum implementation.
Shiundu and Omulando (1992) discovered that a large segment of the Nigerian community has a negative attitude towards technical and vocational education, despite JICA (2008) reporting that technical and vocational education training (TVET) is regarded as a strong vehicle for social and economic development in most countries.
Gross (1971) found that when instructors have a positive attitude towards agricultural innovation, they would devote more time and effort to ensuring that it is completely incorporated in actual classroom instruction. The research is relevant to this study, which seeks to determine whether professors impact students’ agricultural choices.
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