Agricultural Students Research Articles

Benefits for peer educators in delivering wellbeing education to agricultural students

Benefits for peer educators in delivering wellbeing education to agricultural students

A Mixed Methods Assessment of an Online Mental Health and Resilience Program for Agricultural Sector Students

ABSTRACT Financial, environmental, and socio-cultural challenges affect the mental health and wellbeing of those working and living on-farm. Education programs can help in improving mental health and overall wellbeing, but most of these programs are offered to established farmers in a face-to-face format, leading to a gap in offerings to many subgroups, including young agricultural entrants. To address these gaps, this paper assesses the value of an online mental health and resilience education program for young agricultural entrants. An explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was applied. Firstly, a quantitative survey was conducted with 172 first year agricultural tertiary students, aged 18–20, to assess the knowledge and skills gained due to program participation. Regressions and propensity score matching were used to determine the effect of program participation. Subsequently, seven interviews were conducted with program participants to provide insights into their experiences of the program. Thematic coding was applied to analyze the qualitative data. Findings from the quantitative survey show a significant increase in mental health knowledge and skills amongst program participants compared to participants in the control group. The qualitative interviews show the ability to work through the material in their own time and space, creates a safe environment for online students. Other mechanisms contributing to learning are using “normal language”, a peer voice in communicating wellbeing, and building on learnings in previous education. This paper addresses a gap in literature by being the first study to evaluate online mental health education for agricultural tertiary students. It provides educators and other program designers with valuable information for future program design to support the wellbeing of young agricultural workers.

Factors That Influence the Work Readiness of Agricultural Vocational High School Students to Work in the Agricultural Sector

Objective: This study aims to identify factors that influence the work readiness of Agricultural Vocational High School students to work in the agricultural sector. Theoretical Framework: This study explores the influence of variables of learning motivation, job information, career expectations, industrial world practices, family support, self-competence, and spiritual intelligence on the work readiness of students of Agricultural Vocational High Schools. Method: This study is a quantitative study using a questionnaire to collect data from 132 student tourists. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results and Discussion: The results of the study showed that the variables of learning motivation, job information, career expectations, industrial world practices, family support, self-competence, and spiritual intelligence had a significant influence on the readiness of Agricultural Vocational School students to work in the agricultural sector both simultaneously and partially. Research Implications: The results of the study revealed the influence of 7 variables that together affect work readiness. By knowing the influence of these 7 variables, Agricultural Vocational High Schools can apply the seven variables to improve their students' work readiness. Originality/Value: This study includes the spiritual intelligence variable as one of the variables that influences the work readiness of students at Agricultural Vocational High Schools, where this spiritual intelligence variable has not been studied.

Sustainable Management of Agrifood Systems: Interdisciplinary Workshop as a Learning Tool in Bioresource Technology in secondary and technical education in Agriculture at ECIT Riachão do Poço, Paraiba, Brazil

This article addresses the project of an Interdisciplinary Workshop, AGROTEC, and the implementation of the sensory garden at ECIT Riachão do Poço, in Paraíba, as an interdisciplinary learning tool for high school and technical students in agriculture, including the topics of bioresource technology. The municipality of Riachão do Poço, located in the state of Paraíba, with a semi-arid tropical climate, is rich in agricultural practices. The objective of the Technical Course in Agriculture at the school seeks to promote a comprehensive and contextualized education. The workshop aimed to integrate knowledge from the disciplines of plant health, agricultural soils, horticulture, olericulture and bioresource technology, providing students with practical and meaningful experiences for their training. The methodology used included holding an interactive workshop, where students could apply theories in a practical environment, encouraging collaboration and active learning. At the end, students also had a class on media content management, disseminating the work carried out in the workshop. The results demonstrated an increase in student motivation, resulting in greater learning, obtaining higher grades than at the beginning of the subjects, in addition to a greater awareness of sustainability and agroecological practices. The project not only enriched the students' education, but also strengthened the school community, demonstrating the success of the interdisciplinary approach in technical education. The experience reaffirms the importance of pedagogical innovations in the training of critical professionals prepared for the challenges of the agricultural sector, especially in the areas of bioresource technology.

Awareness and perception on the use of smartphone applications for crop protection among undergraduate students in Southwestern Nigeria

Mobile applications in crop protection especially for speedy pest diagnosis, monitoring, and management are increasingly gaining global attention and support. An understanding of the awareness and perception of the youths, particularly students in tertiary institutions (who are heavy users of smartphones), on the use of smartphone applications for crop protection, is crucial for sharpening their orientations towards embracing the digital ecosystem in agriculture. The imperativeness is evident in the ongoing government drive towards promoting students’ engagement in digital agriculture as accommodated in the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (2022–2027). Consequently, this study investigated awareness and perception of mobile phone applications among crop and agricultural extension-related final-year students in selected Universities in Southwest Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 407 students. Data were obtained with the aid of questionnaires. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation using SPSS software. Findings show that very few (less than 8%) of the respondents were aware of the usage of specific smart/android phone applications for pest identification, disease diagnosis, and weather forecasting. Less than 4% ever used smart/android phones for pest identification, crop protection, and information sourcing on disease diagnosis and management. However, their perception of the need for pest and disease diagnosis as a foundation step to enhance crop protection (4.65 points on a scale of 5), and readiness to use android/smartphone applications for this purpose (MS = 4.45) was positive. There are enormous implications for increased awareness and knowledge sharing on the use of android/smartphone applications for crop protection and other interventions to promote digital agriculture among students in Nigeria.

Influence of Students’ Participation in Young Farmers’ Club on Performance in Agriculture in Secondary Schools in Suba Sub-County, Kenya

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors for economic growth in Kenya. Setting up of young farmers’ club (YFC) in secondary schools is one way of attracting young people in agriculture as well as developing their production skills. Inadequate participation in young farmers’ club may lead to poor performance in agriculture and negative attitude towards the subject by secondary school students.The aim of this study was to determine the influence of students’ participation in young farmers’ club on performance in agriculture subject in secondary schools in Suba Sub-County. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed in the study which targeted 628 Form Three agriculture students in public secondary schools in Suba Sub-County. Data was collected from an accessible population of 286 Form Three Young Farmers’ Club members in 37 public secondary schools in Suba Sub-County. Stratified random sampling was used to get the study sample of 126 respondents. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. Experts from the field of Agricultural Education and Extension of Egerton University assessed the instrument to ensure validity. Reliability was estimated through a pilot testing of 30 agriculture students in five secondary schools in neighbouring Nyatike Sub-County. The reliability was estimated using Cronbach alpha co-efficient where a co-efficient of 0.817 was computed and taken as satisfactory. Data was arranged,coded and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The study findings revealed that students’ performance in agriculture subject is significantly enhanced by participation in Young Farmers’ Club. This study recommends that students’ participation in Young Farmers’ Club activities should be encouraged in all secondary schools as a way of augmenting the students’ performance in agriculture subject. This can be done by availing adequate time for YFC’s activities. In addition, students in YFCs should be accorded with the required facilities in order to make their participation worthwhile.

Implementation of a Secret and Verifiable Personal Remote Electronic Election of an Agrarian Organization per the Recommendation of the Council of Europe

Lockdowns and social progress have increased hours of work from home, often requiring remote methods of communication. Agricultural organizations from associations to cooperatives to joint stock companies must prepare to carry out more activities online. This article proposes a procedure for the possible implementation of a remote electronic election in personnel matters of the organization using the Belenios system, based on an evaluation of expectations from a questionnaire survey of agricultural college students and graduates. The proposed procedure is subsequently verified based on an evaluation of compliance with the Council of Europe recommendation on standards for electronic voting.

Making the invisible visible: Effectiveness of a training program to increase awareness and biosecurity compliance in poultry barn anterooms, using glowing substances

Biosecurity is the cornerstone of prevention strategies to limit infectious pathogen spread between poultry farms. However, poor compliance of biosecurity measures is often observed when entering or exiting barns. The lack of knowledge, understanding, risk perception or technical skill are often described for anteroom-related biosecurity errors (i.e., not respecting anteroom zoning in relation to changing boots, clothing, and hand sanitation). In this study, we designed and assessed the efficacy of an intervention aiming at improving biosecurity compliance in anterooms, using substances glowing under ultraviolet light, which mimic microbiological contamination. Training exercises offered in a single session were proposed to 145 participants with an interest in animal farming (veterinary students, agricultural students, poultry farmers and poultry farm advisors). The exercises’ efficacy was assessed by measuring the change in attitude and intentions of participants about specific biosecurity measures. The participants’ attitudes and intentions were quantified using a questionnaire before and after training. The change in score was assessed in a multivariate linear regression model to measure the effect of various parameters on this change. The attitudes and intentions of participants were statistically improved (p < 0.05) and were affected by the initial attitude and intention score, the gender of the participants and the status of the participant (type of student or activity in the poultry industry). The use of this exercise material, perceived as playful and engaging, could be included in the framework of biosecurity training for all stakeholders of the poultry industry.

Knowledge and perception of antibiotic resistance and stewardship among pre-health and agriculture undergraduate students.

The global threat of antibiotic-resistant infections has resulted in health organizations compiling an Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP), in which the education of current and future medical prescribers and farmers is central to the preservation of current and future antimicrobial treatments. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the knowledge and perceived threat of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, as well as the perceived benefit of antibiotic stewardship education, among undergraduate students majoring in Biology and Agriculture at Fort Hays State University. I hypothesized that the difference in knowledge and perceptions between Biology and Agriculture students would be significantly different because of differences in curriculum requirements. Framed by the health belief model (HBM), a quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured online survey of 136 undergraduate student participants. A χ2 analysis was used to assess differences between the respondents in their knowledge and perceptions of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance, and antibiotic stewardship education at the undergraduate level. Results showed that, although Agriculture students perceived antibiotic resistance as less threatening than Biology/pre-health students, both undergraduate groups were knowledgeable about the problem and wanted more academic education on the issue. These findings create a solid foundation to initiate a conversation on the curriculum development to meet ASP goals and objectives at the undergraduate level while contributing to an ongoing international effort to educate future prescribers and farmers on the importance of antibiotics in medicine and farming and to reduce antibiotic resistance.

Tertiary Agricultural Students’ Proclivity to Use Social Media for Improving Learning Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era in Oyo State, Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in the higher education industry, leading to program closures and delays. Institutions were asked to adopt Web 2.0 teaching methods, including Social Media (SM), for engagement and multitasking. Despite this, educational institutions are yet to harness SM’s potential to improve learning outcomes among students. Hence, this study investigated students’ proclivity to use social media for improving learning outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic era in Oyo State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 210 respondents. Data were collected quantitatively through questionnaires on respondents' socioeconomic characteristics, knowledge, learning outcomes, and proclivity to use SM. Data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage, mean, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and linear regression at α0.05. Respondents’ average age was 23.96±3.52 years, majority (61.1%) were female, single (90.9%), and Christians (74.5%). Most (68.8%) students depended on their parents/guardians for their source of income, with an average monthly income of #30,418.27±56322.51. Majority (66.8%) had high knowledge of SM usage and learning outcomes (61.1%). Most (53.4%) indicated a high proclivity to use SM for improving learning. Students’ proclivity to use SM was not significantly correlated with their knowledge of use (r=0.025) while age (β=-0.287) contributed to their proclivity to use SM. Students are more willing to use SM for improved learning outcomes in Oyo State, Nigeria. The government and policymakers should create guidelines and recommendations for educators on how to integrate social media platforms into their teaching methods to improve learning outcomes.

Lecturers' expectations of the core content of agricultural english textbooks: An analysis of lecturer needs

This study discussed the effectiveness of the learning process in the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program. The purpose of this study was to understand lecturers' views on what they expected and needed for textbooks in English (ESP) courses for agricultural students. Three lecturers from three different universities were involved in the study. This research used descriptive qualitative methods. The needs analysis was carried out through semistructured interviews, and the data were collected and analyzed through coding and categorization techniques based on question categories. This research revealed several core aspects that appropriate the expectations of lecturers, namely, their appearance and practicality; presentation system; order of work on exercise and/or activities; topics and objectives; and context, texts, and language. These aspects are based on the needs and expectations of English lecturers for agricultural students, so the results of this study can be useful because they synchronize lecturer expectations and the content of textbooks.

Undergraduate Science and Agriculture Students Perceive Improved Academic Judgement upon Use of an Assessment Literacy Module

Undergraduate Science and Agriculture Students Perceive Improved Academic Judgement upon Use of an Assessment Literacy Module

Entrepreneurial Attitude of Agriculture Students in Odisha, India: An Analysis

The study explores the entrepreneurial attitude of agriculture students in Odisha, focusing on their readiness to engage in agribusiness activities. The research, conducted with 569 final-year B.Sc. (Agriculture) students across nine colleges, reveals that the majority (68.55%) exhibit a medium level of entrepreneurial attitude, with a mean score of 80.40. Among the various dimensions analyzed, planning orientation and marketing management ranked highest, indicating strong capabilities in these areas, essential for agribusiness success. However, the entrepreneurial mindset scored lowest, highlighting a need for targeted interventions to enhance this critical component. The study also found minimal influence of socio-demographic factors such as family background, type, and size on students' entrepreneurial attitudes, suggesting that personal experiences and education play a more significant role. Gender differences were observed, particularly in the entrepreneurial mindset, emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive educational approaches. The research concludes that while Odisha's agriculture students possess essential entrepreneurial skills, focused efforts are required to strengthen their mindset and risk-taking abilities to fully harness their potential in the agricultural sector. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and educational institutions to tailor entrepreneurship programs more effectively.

Tertiary Agricultural Students’ Perception of Social Media Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era in Oyo State, Nigeria

Tertiary Agricultural Students’ Perception of Social Media Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era in Oyo State, Nigeria

Determination of the Factors Affecting the Department Preferences of Selcuk University Faculty of Agriculture Students

Determination of the Factors Affecting the Department Preferences of Selcuk University Faculty of Agriculture Students

The Influence of Education 4.0 on Decision-making and Agripreneurship Start-up Behavior among Agriculture Students in Kenyan TVET Institutions

This study examined the impact of Education 4.0 on decision-making processes and agripreneurship among agriculture students in Kenyan TVET institutions. The researchers conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines, utilizing databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, resulting in a final sample of 54 articles. The selected studies explored Education 4.0's influence on agricultural education, decision-making skills and agripreneurship behavior among TVET students. Articles included in the review met specific inclusion criteria: focus on Education 4.0's impact, involvement of agriculture students, publication in peer-reviewed journals, written in English and inclusion of empirical research or theoretical papers. Findings highlight that Education 4.0 initiatives, including technological integration and agripreneurship skill development, enhance students' abilities to make informed decisions and pursue agripreneurship opportunities in agriculture. Technological tools such as drones, GIS, GPS and AI play a crucial role in improving crop and livestock management, thereby facilitating better decision-making in agricultural practices. In conclusion, Education 4.0 significantly shapes decision-making processes and agripreneurship among TVET agriculture students. Recommendations include prioritizing investments in digital infrastructure, supporting educator training, and fostering industry partnerships to maximize the benefits of Education 4.0 in agricultural education. The implications extend to various stakeholders in agricultural education and entrepreneurship, guiding educators, policymakers, and students in leveraging Education 4.0 for enhanced learning and agripreneurship development.

A comparative analysis of career aspirations for agriculture students from rural and urban senior secondary schools

A comparative analysis of career aspirations for agriculture students from rural and urban senior secondary schools

Agriculture students’ use of generative artificial intelligence for microcontroller programming

AbstractMicrocontrollers are widely used in agriculture, yet most undergraduate agriculture students do not have the programming skills necessary to make use of these devices in their academic programs or careers. However, generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, have the ability to write complex microcontroller programs when properly queried. The study was conducted to determine the effects of undergraduate agriculture students’ (n = 22) use of ChatGPT to write a microcontroller program on their programming task performance, self‐efficacy, and attitudes toward generative AI. Nine of 11 (81.8%) student pairs were successful in the ChatGPT‐assisted programming activity, requiring between one (33.3%) and six (11.1%) queries to develop their programs. The two unsuccessful pairs used either one or two queries and produced somewhat functional programs that did not fully operate as specified. Pre‐ and posttest surveys indicated significant (p &lt; 0.001) increases in self‐efficacy for writing microcontroller programs, for using ChatGPT to write microcontroller programs, and attitudes toward generative AI. This research confirmed that undergraduate agriculture students can successfully use generative AI chatbots to write microcontroller programs and that successful task completion increases student self‐efficacy. Further research is needed to determine best practices for using generative AI in teaching and learning microcontroller programming.

Relationship of Agricultural students’ profile with their entrepreneurial attitude

Relationship of Agricultural students’ profile with their entrepreneurial attitude

Perceptions on Influence of Membership in Young Farmers Clubs on Career Interest and Participation in Agricultural Activities Among Secondary School Students in Nakuru North Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya

Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) activities globally have played a vital role in the mastery and attainment of knowledge in agriculture subject since it is best learned by use of practical activities. Increased youth participation in agricultural production is necessary and vital in facilitating food and nutritional security. In Kenya, Young Farmers Club of Kenya (YFCK) was established to help boys and girls to develop ideas for better farming, provide social and recreational activities, help give the necessary dignity to agriculture as an occupation and develop good and competent agricultural leadership. The objectives of YFCK included promoting interest in farming, sound training in advanced methods of crop and animal husbandly, leadership skills, self-reliance, self-confidence and responsibility. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception on influence of membership in young farmers clubs on career interest and participation in agricultural activities among day secondary schools students in Nakuru North sub-county. A descriptive survey design was adopted with a target population of 2,660 agriculture students and 32 agriculture teachers. Proportionate random sampling was used to select a sample of 120 respondents from the 19 day public schools. Data was collected from the sampled heads of agriculture subject using a questionnaire. Content validity of the instrument was ascertained by two panels of experts from Department of Agricultural Education and Extension and the supervisors. Reliability of the instruments was ensured through a pilot-test using 40 agriculture students and four agriculture teachers from Nakuru East Sub-county. The reliability of the instrument was tested using Cronbach Alpha coefficient. A reliability coefficient was 0.76 and 0.73 for YFCK members and Agriculture teachers respectively, at a significance level of α= 0.05. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive with the aid of SPSS 20.0 for Windows. Data was analysed using various tables and graphs. The researcher recommends that Agriculture teachers in collaboration with school administration should enhance YFCK activities. This is for proper and effective practical activities in teaching of Agriculture subject according to the syllabus. The findings of the study will be of importance to secondary school teachers, students and other scholars of higher institutions of learning by emphasizing in formation of young farmers clubs in day secondary schools in Nakuru North Sub- County, Nakuru County Kenya.