STUDENTS’ OBSERVATION OF SCHOOL POULTRY FARM ON CHOICE OF AGRICULTURE AS CAREER AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

STUDENTS’ OBSERVATION OF SCHOOL POULTRY FARM ON CHOICE OF AGRICULTURE AS CAREER AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA  

Abstract

The study had four (4) specific objectives, four (4) research questions and four null hypotheses as a guide. The study made use of 710 SSIII agricultural science students and purposively selected 270 as sample. The data collection lasted for about four weeks in which the designed questionnaire was used to collect the data for study. In data analysis mean score and standard deviation were used to answer all the research questions, while regression analysis was used to test the stated null hypotheses. All the null hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance (p= 0.05). The findings among others showed that utilization of the school poultry farm in teaching and learning of Agricultural Science has a significant influence in the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students. The involvement of students in the management of the school poultry farm has motivated them, arouse their interest, improve their skills in agriculture, and influence their choice of agriculture as a career. And gender has influence on choice of agriculture as a career. Based on the findings it was recommended that: curriculum planners and policy makers need to emphasize the importance of utilizing the school poultry farm by teachers when teaching agricultural science in secondary schools; teachers should encourage the students to be actively involved in all practical related topics in order to motivate and arouse students’ interest in agriculture. The use of various practical teaching methods that will fully involve secondary school students should also be employed at all times. And agricultural science teachers should actively involve both male and female in the management of the school poultry farm.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

            1.1       Background of the Study

Agriculture is the art and science of growing plants and other crops and the raising of animals for food, other human needs, or economic gain (Ogieva, 2003). Agriculture contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), exports, generation of employment with high potentials to reduce poverty being the engine room for economic growth and improved livelihoods. According to FMARD (2011), protein requirement of 53gm per head per day is a World health Organization (WHO) recommendation for healthy growth which can largely be obtained from poultry products such as meat and egg. The 2008 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) data puts the total Nigerian poultry population at 175 million. In view of the importance of agriculture, the Nigeria government adopted the teaching and learning of the subject at all levels of education (FME, 2008). Agricultural science is therefore made one of the core vocational subjects taught at both junior and senior secondary schools.

Agricultural science is therefore designed to inculcate the necessary skills for the practice of agriculture for effective citizenship and contribution to food security for national sustainability. That is why the FRN (2004) outlined the major objectives of teaching and learning of agricultural science to reflect the:

1. ability to stimulate students’ interest in agriculture.
2. ability to enable students to acquire basic knowledge of agriculture.
3. ability to develop basic agricultural skills in students.
4. ability to enable students to integrate knowledge with skills in agriculture.
5. ability to expose students to opportunities in the field of agriculture
6. ability to prepare students for further studies in agriculture.
7. ability to prepare students for occupations in agriculture.

Agriculture science as a vocational subject at the senior secondary school level involved practical skills in various areas including poultry farming.

Poultry farming is the raising of domesticated birds such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, quails and geese, for the purpose of producing meat or eggs for food ( Smith, 2007) . Poultry are produced in great numbers with chickens being the most numerous. Chickens raised for eggs are usually called layers while chickens raised for meat are called broilers. Nigeria’s poultry industry is made up of local unimproved breeds and the high performing commercial breeds for poultry products as food and market purposes which can be practically possible for classroom instruction and commercial production in secondary schools.

The school farm is a laboratory, specifically designed and operated, for the purpose of carrying out practical in agricultural science in order to impart knowledge and managerial skills to students through practice (Olaitan and Mama, 2002). It is an area specifically earmarked for agricultural activities, usually sited in the school or at a walking distance to the school environment. The school farm has sections such as crop production section, forestry section, fish farming section, irrigation section, and livestock production section. The teacher guides the students and allows them to participate fully on practical aspect of the experiences gained in the classroom on the school farm. The teacher makes use of different methods and technologies, such as demonstration, observation, imitation, and supervised practice to explain techniques and complement the different learning experience required to teach the practical very effectively.

Students are made to use their heads, hands and hearts (3Hs) during management activities on the school poultry farm to produce poultry products, keep records and participate in managerial activities. Students from different background, especially those from farming families with some learning experience in agricultural activities, through management of the school poultry farm will ensure the acquisition of productive skills through prescribed activities and projects which are inherent aspects of the applied technology called agriculture. The school poultry farm is a sub section of the livestock production section of the school farm. The school poultry farm provides a place where experiential learning takes place. The term “experiential learning,” may generally be expressed as “learning by doing” or “participatory learning” (Olaitan and Mama, 2002).

For many years now, the nation’s rate of agricultural production could not meet the demand of the feeding population. Supporting this Uzo (2002) stated that the problems of self sufficient and increase of food in Nigeria remain static; farmers are fast decreasing as a result of old age, crude implement and frustration. The poor attitude of parents towards agricultural studies in the secondary schools contributes to students neglect on agriculture and feeling that the subject is meant for those men who are only good at manual dexterity and that academically inclined student cannot go down to scratch the soil. Carlisle (2011) opined that many men and woman uphold this idea of a man working on the farm while women maintain the domestic roles, and like many professions, agriculture is still dominated by men, and the communities still hold onto many patriarchal ideals. The solution to food problem in Nigeria would unavoidably hinge on the perceptions of the young ones on agriculture right at the secondary school students.

Since teaching of practical agricultural science had been greatly emphasized right at the secondary school level, it is observed that secondary schools practical work will encourage the students’ positive perceptions on agriculture particularly through poultry production. Knowledge do not come from more bookwork but practical application of materials learnt in real life situation hence, there is the need to have proper management of school poultry farm by both male and female students to achieve the aims of agricultural science education. This makes it absolutely necessary for the researcher to survey the students’ perceptions of school poultry farm on the choice of agriculture as career by senior secondary school students in

Kaduna state, Nigeria.

I.2 Statement of the Problem

In Nigeria today, with the prosperity and diversity of job opportunities provided by agriculture in the country, youths from all parts of the country are leaving agriculture for trading and other businesses. One of the major problems facing Nigeria today is unemployment which is attributed to unfavourable disposition of the youth to agriculture. The primary aim of agricultural education according to Phipps (2008) is to train present and prospective farmers for proficiency in farming. The national curriculum for secondary school recommended that all secondary schools must keep a standard school farm where crops and at least one species of livestock from either pigs, rabbits, poultry, goats, sheep, cattle and fish production (FME,2008). It also emphasized the use of practical note books, weed albums, insect box, and record books to be used by individual students. The syllabus provides that the school farm should be used for training students in skill development through demonstration, observation and practice. There is need for a well-planned and comprehensive practical training in agriculture. The realization of the national objective of career oriented agriculture will depend on how school farm (poultry farm) is managed and maintained by agricultural teachers and students. The inability to manifest agricultural science practical skills and indication of interest in choosing agriculture as career appear to be due to inadequate learning of the expected skills.

Skills in poultry production are identified as stated in the curriculum for the training of the secondary school students to equip them with saleable skills for employment in either paid or self employed jobs in agriculture thereby making them useful to themselves and by extension, contribute meaningfully to the economy of the country. The researcher observed that in most senior secondary schools, the school poultry farms are not likely well developed and utilized to develop appropriate agricultural skills capable of motivating students’ interest and career in agriculture. Therefore, this study is set out to find out the perceptions of secondary school students on school poultry farm influencing their choice of agriculture as career.

1.3 Objectives of the study

The general objective of the study is to determine the students’ perceptions of school poultry farm influencing the choice of agriculture among secondary school students in Kaduna state, Nigeria. The specific objectives are; to:

1. assess the perceptions of the influence of utilization of school poultry farm on the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.
2. determine the perceived students’ involvement in school poultry farm influencing the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.
3. determine if gender influence the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.
4. establish the perceived determinants of school poultry farm influencing the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.

1.4 Research Questions

            The following research questions were answered in the course of the study. 

1. To what extent do the perceptions of the utilization of school poultry farm influence the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary schools students in Kaduna State?
2. To what extent does students’ involvement in school poultry farm influence their choice of agriculture as a career among secondary schools in Kaduna State?
3. Does gender influence the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State?
4. What are the perceived determinants of school poultry farm influencing the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna state?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

            The following null hypotheses are formulated to guide the study and shall be tested.  

1. Perceptions of the utilization of school poultry farm do not have significant influence on the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.
2. Perceived students’ involvement in school poultry farm does not have significant influence on the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.
3. Gender has no significant influence on the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.
4. Perceived determinants of school poultry farm do not significant influence on the choice of agriculture as a career among secondary school students in Kaduna State.

            1.6        Significance of the Study

It is the researcher’s view that the findings of the study will be of immense benefits to students, policy makers, planners of educational program, West African Examination Council (WAEC), and National Examination Council (NECO) and the society in general. The results of the research work will be beneficial to the senior secondary school students. When teachers utilize the school poultry in teaching and learning and involve the students in the management of the school poultry, the student develop interest, acquire saleable skills, gains employment, and becomes self-reliant and the standard of living of the student will improve.            The study will be of paramount importance to all charged with the responsibility of planning agricultural education programme for senior secondary schools, particularly in the area of poultry farm management. The information generated will provide vital information about the management of school poultry farms to education policy makers, curriculum planners, school administrators, agricultural science teachers, colleges of agriculture and universities to ensure proper management and implementation of curriculum and management of school poultry farms. It will also serve as a guide to West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) for registering of schools with school farms as criteria for qualifying to present candidates for agricultural science for Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).

The society will be enlightened on the benefits to get from the poultry products, which will help to increase food production and enhance foreign exchange generation for local, state, and federal governments. The study will help to enlighten the individual, society and the public on the crucial role of agriculture in the economic development of the local, state and federal governments if some of the critical problems like shortage of capital, and poor remuneration to teachers and farmers are properly addressed. It is also hoped that this will improve the image of farming/farmers amongst the larger public and consequently serve as motivation to students in secondary and tertiary institutions to pursue a career in the field of agriculture.

1.7 Basic Assumptions for the study

For this study it is assumed that:

1. most senior secondary schools have school poultry farm.
2. senior secondary school students maintain the school poultry farm.
3. school poultry farm influences the students choice of agriculture as a career.
4. students are equipped with skills in poultry production areas.

1.8. Delimitation of the Study

The study was delimited to the Influence of school Poultry management on Choice of Agriculture as a career among Senior Secondary School Students in Kaduna State.  The study was also delimited to the: perceived utilization of poultry farm in teaching and learning; perceived involvement of students in the management of school poultry farm; influence of gender on the choice of agriculture as a career  and the perceived determinants of choosing agriculture as a career. The study was delimited to SSS III both male and female students in Kaduna State, reasons being that they are more conversant with agricultural science and exposed to practicals right from JSSI or SSI.

STUDENTS’ OBSERVATION OF SCHOOL POULTRY FARM ON CHOICE OF AGRICULTURE AS CAREER AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA  

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