Omani School Students’ Attitudes toward Agriculture: Investigating the Role of Gender and Geographical Regions

Abstract

A 24-item questionnaire was designed to collect specific data in order to determine Omani students’ attitudes toward agriculture and, specifically, whether or not these attitudes differ according to gender and the geographical regions where students reside. A survey research method based on the use of a questionnaire was employed. The questionnaire items were divided into four domains: participants’ general knowledge about agriculture, their personal interest about agriculture, the role of government in supporting agriculture, and the role of agriculture in food security. The questionnaire was administered to 394 randomly selected Grade 10 students. Participants consisted of 189 male students and 205 female students in total. Questionnaires were distributed to 130 students from North Al Batinah Governorate, 142 from Al-Dakhiliyah Governorate, and 122 from Muscat Governorate. Questionnaire reliability was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha, an internal consistency method, which resulted in a value of 0.83 for the instrument. The study was conducted in the 2016/2017 academic year. The findings indicated that students’ attitudes toward agriculture, overall, were positive and both gender and geographical region had an effect upon their attitudes. The results of this study demonstrate a need to recommend improving students’ attitudes towards agriculture, especially for students who reside in the Muscat Governorate; for example, schools should be encouraged to include agricultural collaborative learning activities, both inside and outside the classroom. Overall, the study results suggest a benefit in conducting additional research in the area of agriculture education in Oman.