ASSESSMENT OF ATTITUDINAL DISPOSITION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TOWARDS AGRICULTURE AS A CAREER IN ZAMFARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study therefore, assesses the attitudinal disposition of secondary school students towards agriculture as a career in Zamfara State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to arrive at a sample size of 373 respondents in the study. Primary data in the study was collected through the administration of a structured questionnaire through agricultural science teachers. Data collected in the study was subjected to both descriptive statistics (frequency percentages and mean) while inferential statistics of multiple regression was used to analyze the hypothesis of the study. The findings in the study indicate that 90.0% of the respondents reported drudgery as a factor that distracts their interest in choosing agriculture as a career course. Other factors that were said to have influence on student’s choice of agriculture include; lack of job opportunity in the field of agriculture (33.1%), 24.6% of the respondent also reveals peer group influence as a factor that deter their choice of agriculture as a career course. The result of multiple regression analysis indicates that relationship between student’s attitude and their socio-economic characteristics are significant at both t and p value of 0.00 and 0.005 level of significance towards the choice of agriculture as a career.The study recommends that teachers, friends and parents should take the notion that agriculture is a “self-employing profession”, and they should enlighten secondary school students that they are already self-employed when they choose agriculture as a career course. ABSTRACT This study therefore, assesses the attitudinal disposition of secondary school students towards agriculture as a career in Zamfara State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to arrive at a sample size of 373 respondents in the study. Primary data in the study was collected through the administration of a structured questionnaire through agricultural science teachers. Data collected in the study was subjected to both descriptive statistics (frequency percentages and mean) while inferential statistics of multiple regression was used to analyze the hypothesis of the study. The findings in the study indicate that 90.0% of the respondents reported drudgery as a factor that distracts their interest in choosing agriculture as a career course. Other factors that were said to have influence on student’s choice of agriculture include; lack of job opportunity in the field of agriculture (33.1%), 24.6% of the respondent also reveals peer group influence as a factor that deter their choice of agriculture as a career course. The result of multiple regression analysis indicates that relationship between student’s attitude and their socio-economic characteristics are significant at both t and p value of 0.00 and 0.005 level of significance towards the choice of agriculture as a career.The study recommends that teachers, friends and parents should take the notion that agriculture is a “self-employing profession”, and they should enlighten secondary school students that they are already self-employed when they choose agriculture as a career course.