Analysis of the opinion of secondary school students on choice of agriculture as a professional career course in Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study analysed the opinion of secondary students toward choosing agriculture as a professional career in Zamfara State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to arrive at the sample size of 373 college students for the study. Primary data were collected through administration of structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Findings of the study reveal the average age of 17.46 years for the students, majority (90%) of whom were male within an average family size of 10 people. The study also indicates that 32.82% of the students reported drudgery associated with farming as a factor distracting their interest in choosing agriculture as a career course. Other factors include lack of job opportunities (12.08%) and agriculture teachers’ personality (30.71%). The findings further reveal teaching methods (92%), agricultural teaching aids (44.07%) and use of modern agricultural operation facilities (27.65%) as the major means of attracting college students in choosing agriculture as career course. Multiple regression analysis result indicates a significant influence (P<0.05) between the socio-economic characteristics of the students and their attitude towards choosing agriculture as a professional career course. The study concludes that the choice of agriculture by the students is being influenced by drudgery associated with farming, teachers’ personality and parents’ economic status and hence recommends the need for motivational incentives that could attract them more towards choosing agriculture as a career course.