Agricultural Science Teachers Research Articles

Cost-benefit Analysis of Rating Scale and Criterion Reference Assessment Technique for Determining Students’ Performance in Rice Production in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The objectives of the study were to determine the difference in costs of ingredients, the benefit in percentage score of students’ performance and the difference between the benefit in percentage score of students’ performance determined through the two assessment modes RS and CRAT- by implicating rice production in Ebonyi State. The study adopted quasi-experimental design. The population of the study was 570 made up of 20 teachers of agricultural science and 550 students offering agricultural science for the Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) in Ikwo and Ivo Local Government Areas of the state. The sample of the study was 100 made up of 60 senior secondary II students and 40 teachers of agricultural science. Four sets of instruments were utilized for data collection. The reliability of the content- validated RS items was determined using Cronbach alpha formula which yielded a coefficient of 0.82.Split-half and Kudder-Richardson (K-R 20) was utilized to determine the stability of the test items which yielded a coefficient of 0.80. Procedural steps was adopted to administer and collect data from the two schools using the RS and CRAT items. Data collected was analysed using percentage, weighted mean and sign test to answer the research questions. Real limits of numbers were utilized to take decision on percentage. The study found out that the estimate cost of CRAT was cheaper than that of RS by ₦13,643.20. The study also established the benefit of CRAT (over RS) which can be utilized as a substitute to “alternative to practical” mode of determining students’ performance in rice production. It was recommended, among others, that external examination bodies should infuse the use of CRAT into their examination policy and that teachers of agricultural science should seek for training in CRAT development for use in determining students’ performance in relevant areas of agriculture.

Perception of Recipients of Agricultural Science Education of Agriculture and Agribusiness: A Survey

Effort of government at all levels to transform agricultural sector in Nigeria and diversify the economy from oil required that Nigeria educated youth should be persuaded to take active roles in the process. As youth have latent potential to overcome some major constraints to improving agricultural productivity. Major step in this direction is to encourage and support graduates of agriculture and related fields to take up career in agribusiness. On these premises this paper examined willingness of students of vocational agricultural education in colleges of education to take up career in agricultural-entrepreneurship. Questionnaires were given to 76 final year students in the department of Agricultural Science Education, The College of Education, Lanlate. The findings revealed that respondents have positive perceptions of agriculture and agribusiness and showed strong willingness to find their opportunity to contribute as leaders and participants in agricultural sector. Major challenges to willingness to actively participate in agribusiness were found to be limited-access to capital, land, agribusiness information and extension services, risk of uncertainty in agriculture, and high cost of inputs. The paper recommended strengthening of extension services and out of school agricultural knowledge, improve access to capital, land and information on government support and reinvigoration of agricultural-entrepreneurship education to make it relevant to needs of the recipients and address emerging challenges in agricultural sector.

Influences of the Transaction Intention of Farmland Transfer under Information Asymmetry: An Empirical Study of 1100 Questionnaires from China

The original intention of the tripartite rural land entitlement system was to activate farmland management rights and improve the efficiency of land element allocation. However, information asymmetry is prevalent in a market with imperfect competition. We analyzed the key factors affecting farmland transfer transactions with the structural equation model using survey data from farmers in five major grain-producing counties in Henan province, China. The purpose of our study was to investigate how these factors contribute to the avoidance of a “lemon market” emerging in farmland transfer and can promote the market regulation of farmland transfer operations. This study was conducted under the framework of asymmetric theory analysis with the purpose of discussing the fundamental forces driving farmland transfer transactions. The results show that (1) the economic characteristics of farmers play an important role in the formation of farmland transfer transactions, and their impacts on the willingness to transfer farmland in and out were 0.69 and 0.97, respectively; and (2) among the observable variables, the satisfaction degree of agricultural technology training and the proportion of non-agricultural income had a strong ability to explain the choice of farmland transfer behavior, and the factors that strongly impacted farmland transfer out behavior were physical condition and farmland quality. Thus, we recommend establishing a detailed land transfer pricing system based on the background quality of farmland and increasing the agricultural science and technology education, focusing on dredging information transmission channels to fulfill the new requirements of the three-right separation system on the government’s supervision of farmland transfer to promote effective links between small-scale peasant economies and modern agriculture.

Revamping of Doctoral Education in Agricultural Sciences in India

Central and State Agricultural Universities, including institutions affiliated to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), are responsible for offering Doctoral education in Agriculture and allied subjects in India. Graduates with doctoral degrees are deemed to be fully equipped to contribute to their chosen career fields in teaching, research and extension. The University Grants Commission’s (UGC) latest move asking universities to start considering the research period in Ph D programmes as equivalent to teaching experience has been perceived differently by academicians. The rationale for such a move by the UGC still needs to be fully reviewed. However, an initial argument could be made that it is an effort primarily to facilitate filling up of vacant faculty positions across India’s agricultural universities and higher educational institutions. As a common standard practice, these universities and institutions require a faculty candidate to have at least two years of teaching experience in order to be considered for the faculty position.

Exploring Content, Pedagogy, and Literacy Strategies among Preservice Teachers in CASE Institutes

Educational leaders implement professional development activities to facilitate teacher learning and growth. Each summer, scores of secondary agriculture teachers attend Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) institutes as a form of professional development. Recently, teacher preparation programs have begun offering CASE institutes for preservice teachers. This study explored the lived experiences of preservice teachers in two CASE institutes. Three central themes emerged from the data: 1) preservice participants wrestled with adoption of inquiry teaching strategies as a teaching method, 2) contextualized literacy in the agriculture classroom helped preservice participants understand their role as a teacher of literacy, and 3) participant content knowledge growth was intertwined with self-growth in formative assessment, classroom management/grouping, and literacy strategies. The findings were presented through vignettes to provide a thick, rich description of the case. Recommendations include offering modified CASE institutes for preservice teachers, use of lead teachers who are familiar with the developmental challenges of preservice teachers, and monitoring participant content knowledge to facilitate growth in pedagogical content knowledge.

Supervision of Agricultural Programmes: A Panacea for Teachers’ Capacity Building for Job Effectiveness in Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria

The study was carried out on Supervision of Agricultural Programmes as a Panacea for Teachers’ Capacity Building for job effectiveness in Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. A population of 1420 teachers in Secondary Schools in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State was used for the study. Purposive Sampling Technique was used to select 52 Agricultural Science teachers as the study sample. Two research questions guided the study. The Instrument for data collection assessed the qualifications, years of experience, instructional methods and evaluation style as well as ways of enhancing teachers’ effectiveness. Percentage and Frequency are used to analyze the data gathered from the respondents. The findings of the study revealed among others that some Agricultural Science teachers do not possess the requisite qualification to work as teachers thus, their capacities need to be upgraded. Based on the finding of the study it was recommended among others that government should engage more qualified Agricultural Science teachers in Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria.

The public policy of agricultural land allotment to agrarians and its impact on crop productivity in Punjab province of Pakistan

The study estimates the impact of land allotment policy to agrarians on crop productivity in Punjab province of Pakistan. The term "agrarian" refers to a respondent who has formal education in agricultural sciences (agronomy, soil science, agricultrual economics, and horticulture etc.), otherwise known as "non-agrarian". In 2009 the Punjab government allotted agricultural plots to agrarians. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect data of 384 crop growers by using well-structured questionnaire from two main cop zones of Punjab province of Pakistan. From July to September 2017, the data of rice and sugarcane were collected from mixed crop zone, and cotton and wheat from cotton-wheat crop zone. Various econometric methods were used to approach study objectives. Results found that compared to non-agrarians, crop productivity of wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane was 28.9, 23.4, 19.8, and 8.3%, higher at agrarians’ farms, respectively. Agricultural education and recommended use of farm inputs were main factors of getting higher crop yield at agrarians’ farms. Artificial neural network (ANN) reported that at agrarian plots, farm inputs, particularly Pure N, Pure P, Pure K, and seed rate were used at recommended level for wheat, cotton, rice, and sugarcane crop. The overuse of Pure N and seed rate and underuse of Pure P, Pure K and farmyard manure (FYM) were found the main reasons for getting lower crop yield at non-agrarians’ farms. Moreover, Cobb-Douglas (CD) production function evident that, although the farming experience of non-agrarians significantly increased the crop productivity, excessive use of Pure N and seed rate and non-agricultural education have no significant impact on crop yield. On the other hand, propensity score matching (PSM) method confirmed that public policy of land allotment to agrarians has significanlty increased the yield of wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane by 16.5, 14.2, 12.3, and 23.2%, respectively. The study results suggested that besides of land allotment to agrarians, the government should also focus on the provision of formal and informal agricultural education and training to non-agrarians. More specifically, it is necessary to provide knowledge of basic crop production technology to non-agrarians. Furthermore, to exploit maxim crop yield it is highly suggested to apply fertilizers at the recommend level estimated by the ANN method.

Assessment of in-service training programme attended by secondary school agricultural science teachers in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Nigeria

The paper training programmes attended by Agricultural Science Teachers in Secondary School in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. Specifically, the study determined the demographic characteristics of the respondents, the in-service training programmes attended by the respondents, the organisers or sponsors of the in-service programme, areas where agricultural science teachers obtained training, constraints to agricultural science teachers’ in-service training programmes and strategies for improving in-service training programmes. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. One hundred and twenty (120) agricultural science teachers were randomly selected from a population of 200 Agricultural Science teachers in 94 senior secondary schools in the study area. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics namely: frequency, percentage and mean. The findings showed that the majority of the respondents were male aged between 29-35 years, had B.Ed. degree and teaching experience between 1—5 years. The in-service programmes attended by agricultural science teachers include seminars and workshops. Ministry of Education, Teaching Service Commission, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Universities were major organisers of in-service training programmes. Based on the findings, the study recommended that school administrators and relevant government agencies should provide adequate funding or set aside special fund for periodical training and retraining of agricultural science teachers.

Assessment of In-Service Training Programme Attended by Secondary School Agricultural Science Teachers in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Nigeria

The paper examined the in-service training programmes attended by Agricultural Science Teachers in Secondary School in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. Specifically, the study determined the demographic characteristics of the respondents, the in-service training programmes attended by the respondents, the organisers or sponsors of the in-service programme, areas where agricultural science teachers obtained training, constraints to agricultural science teachers ’ in-service training programmes and strategies for improving in-service training programmes. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. One hundred and twenty (120) agricultural science teachers were randomly selected from a population of 200 Agricultural Science teachers in 94 senior secondary schools in the study area. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics namely: frequency, percentage and mean. The findings showed that the majority of the respondents were male aged between 29-35 years, had B.Ed. degree and teaching experience between 1—5 years. The in-service programmes attended by agricultural science teachers include seminars and workshops. Ministry of Education, Teaching Service Commission, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Universities were major organisers of in-service training programmes. Based on the findings, the study recommended that school administrators and relevant government agencies should provide adequate funding or set aside special fund for periodical training and retraining of agricultural science teachers.

A Road Map for Conservation, Use, and Public Engagement around North America's Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Utilized Plants

ABSTRACTCrop wild relatives—the plant species closely related to agricultural crops—are valuable genetic resources used by plant breeders to increase pest and disease resistance, stress tolerance, nutritional profile, and other traits critical to productivity, quality, and sustainability. Wild utilized plants provide food and a variety of other ecosystem and cultural services to people. North America harbors a rich native flora that includes wild relatives of important food, fiber, industrial, feed and forage, medicinal, and ornamental crops, as well as a diversity of regionally significant wild utilized plants. Many of these species are threatened in their natural habitats, and most are underrepresented in plant genebanks and botanical gardens. These conservation gaps limit the portfolio of useful plant diversity available to present and future generations. Likewise, the myriad potential uses of North American crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants are underexplored, and public awareness of their value and threats is limited. Greater coordination of efforts among plant conservation, land management, agricultural science, and botanical education and outreach organizations will be necessary to secure, enhance use, and raise awareness with regard to these species. A road map for collaborative action is presented here, focused on five priorities: (i) to understand and document North America's crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants, (ii) to protect threatened species in their natural habitats, (iii) to collect and conserve ex situ the diversity of prioritized species, (iv) to make this diversity accessible and attractive for plant breeding, research, and education, and (v) to raise public awareness of their value and the threats to their persistence.

An Appraisal of The Use of School Farm Facilities in Teaching of Animal Husbandry in Public Secondary Schools in Umuahia Educational Zone of Abia State, Nigeria

This study aimed to determine the school farm facilities available for teaching of Animal Husbandry; the extent of use of the available school farm facilities; the constraints to the availability and use of school farm facilities and the strategies for enhancing the use of school farm facilities in the teaching of Animal Husbandry. Four research questions and hypotheses were developed. Survey research design was adopted with a sample size of 191 persons, comprising 24 Agricultural science teachers and 167 SSII students from Umuahia Educational Zone in Abia State. Data was collected through a well-structured questionnaire of 63 items, titled: Appraisal of the Use of School Farm Facilities in the Teaching of Animal Husbandry (AUSFFTAH). Data collected was analyzed using mean and standard deviation, while t-test was used to test stated hypotheses. The study revealed that 17 school farm facilities were not available and the 3 school farm facilities available were used to no extent. Respondents agreed that 13 items were constraints to the availability and use of school farm facilities.and 10 items were strategies of enhancing the availability and use of school farm facilities in teaching of Animal Husbandry. The study recommended that government and the ministry of education should ensure that trained agricultural teachers teach Animal Husbandry; policy makers and curriculum planners should ensure that practical agriculture takes place in secondary schools, external examination bodies should ensure that all external examinations on Animal Husbandry are based on skills acquired in the farm, among others.

Predictors of Skills Acquisition among Students with Learning Disability in Agricultural Science Subject

In inclusive education principals’ competence, parent involvement and availability of infrastructure were viewed among the contributing factors that determines the effectiveness of secondary schools. Despite their important in the area, there was less substantial study regarding to these predictors in Adamawa state secondary schools. The aim of this study is to identify the predictor in the implementation of inclusive education on skills acquisition among students with learning disability in agricultural science subject. Therefore, the study investigated how the agricultural science teachers perceived the most predicting variable among the predictors in the implementation of inclusive education in Adamawa state secondary schools, Nigeria. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design with multi-stage cluster sampling technique. A validated survey instrument was distributed to 243 agriculture teachers in Nigeria that were asked about their perception on the selected factors in implementing inclusive education on skills acquisition among students with learning disability in agricultural science subject. The analysis of the data revealed that all the variables significantly predicted skill acquisition among students with learning disability in agricultural science subject, however; parent involvement appeared to be the leading predictor with (? = .397, P = .000). Therefore, in other to improve on the other predictors in Adamawa state secondary schools; it is essential to emanate an extensive, organized and rational program for improving their predicting effects by looking at the items that measured it in the questionnaire, thus may improve the level of effective implementation of inclusive education in Adamawa state secondary schools.

Agriculture Teachers’ Competence on Skill Acquisition among Students with Auditory Processing Disorder

The inclusion of students with learning disability in regular classroom settings has been identified worldwide as essential to the provision of effective education for all and the creation of a more accessible environment. There have been few empirical studies in developing countries on teachers’ competence to educate students with specific learning disabilities in an accessible environment. This study aimed to explore the influence of agricultural science teachers’ competence on skill acquisition among students with auditory processing disorder. Different types of teachers’ competence were examined, including methodological competence, motivational competence, material utilization competence, and teaching evaluation competence. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design with a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. A survey instrument was developed and distributed to 237 agriculture teachers in Nigeria that were asked about their perception on teachers’ competence in inclusive education in providing agricultural skills and support for students with auditory processing disorder. Therefore, the agriculture teachers were asked to complete the questionnaires given one week. Data revealed that the agriculture teachers reported moderate level of teachers’ competence for teaching students with auditory disorder in inclusive school settings. Implications of these results include the need for further investigation into the training needs of agriculture teachers regarding competencies for inclusive education practices, such as differentiation and universal design for learning to promote social justice.

Assessment of The Capacity Building Needs of Agricultural Science Teachers for Innovative Instructional Delivery in Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria

The study was conducted to assess the capacity building needs of Agricultural Science teachers for innovative instructional delivery in secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design with a sample of 28 Agricultural Science teachers drawn through purposive sampling from a population of 244 teachers in secondary schools drawn from both Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas of Rivers State was used. Three research questions guided the study. A 20-item research instrument entitled “Capacity Building Needs of Agricultural Science Teachers Questionnaire (CBNASTQ)” was developed and used for the study. Likert 5-point mean rating scale was adopted. Cronbach’s Alpha reliability method was used to determine the internal consistency of the CBNASTQ and a reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The study revealed amongst others that Agricultural Science teachers need to improve on the skills acquired through continuous professional development. Based on the findings, it was recommended amongst others that Government should ensure the continuous capacity building of teachers through the organization of workshops, seminars, symposia, and conferences to enable them to interact with one another and acquire new skills.

School District Superintendents' and Attorneys' Perceptions of the Most Important Educational Law Issues Impacting Agricultural Science Teachers

Teachers are tasked with the important role of educating and empowering the Nation’s youth. Although teaching is a rewarding vocation, teachers are subjected to risk and liabilities on a daily basis. The rising number of school-based litigation and the litigious nature of today’s society bolster the need for teachers to abide and understand the administrative, statutory, judicial, and constitutional laws mandated in the state of Texas. Aside from the general liabilities faced by educators, agricultural science teachers are exposed to additional liabilities due to their unique professional responsibilities. A systematic delivery of educational law training could potentially aid in improving the educational law competency of teachers in Texas. However, educational law training is only viable if the most pertinent educational law issues are being addressed. To identify the most important educational law issues, this Delphi study involved the inquiry of school district superintendents’ and attorneys’ opinions of the most important educational law issues. The panel indicated teacher rights, student discipline, special education, and teacher’s communication with students as the most important general educational laws issues. Moreover, the issues of student safety/supervision, communication with parents and superiors, and financial responsibility were the most important agricultural education-related issues faced by teachers.

CORRELATION OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ QUALIFICATION AND THEIR COGNITION

The study correlates agricultural science teacher’s qualification and their levels of cognition. Two objectives, two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted descriptive-correlational survey research designs. The population was all the 168graduates’ teachers teaching agricultural science in the public secondary schools of Bauchi state, Nigeria. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 120 teachers. Florida taxonomy of cognitive behaviour was used as instrument for data collection and was pilot tested using thirty (30) Agricultural science teachers outside the study area and obtained a reliability coefficient of 0.98. The instrument was administered to the selected respondent for data collection. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and pearson product moment correlation. The results revealed that agricultural science teachers with bachelor degree exhibit higher level of cognition than teachers with master’s degree at both lower and higher cognitive levels with both teachers teaching at lower cognitive level. There was no significant relationship between secondary school agricultural science teacher’s qualification and their level of cognition. It was recommended that Agricultural science teachers should be send for in service training to upgrade on the six levels of cognitions (knowledge and comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation).

Educação científica e realidade agropecuária em Cuba: algumas ideias sobre sua mudança epistemológica

This article addresses the epistemological revolution that today is observed in the context of research and higher agricultural science education in Cuba. It means that in this context a new vision of scientific knowledge, its ontology, theory of knowledge, logic, and method, its relationship with technology and the knowledge of the peasants, as well as its social and environmental conditions and impacts, is taking place. This change of epistemological paradigm is related to the need for the sustainable development of agriculture as an alternative to the conventional model of agricultural development centered on the cultivation, dependence on imported high industrial inputs and the practice of vertical-bureaucratic agrarian extension of production institutions of scientific knowledge. The study included bibliographic-documentary review and systematization of the teaching and research experience of the authors in the field of philosophy, epistemology, and the methodology of educational research.

Enhancing the Performance of Secondary School Students in Agricultural Science for Food Security in Ebonyi State.

This study was set to determine the strategies for enhancing the performance of secondary school students in agricultural science for food security in Ebonyi State. A survey research design was adopted with a population of 53 respondents (14 male and 39 female agricultural science teachers) sampled purposively from 48 secondary schools in Izzi local government area of Ebonyi State. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured 4-point weighted 21-item questionnaire developed by the researcher sectioned A and B with response options of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (DA) and Strongly Disagree (SD) after intensive literature review and the numerical values of 4, 3, 2 & 1 was assigned to the instrument respectively. The instrument was validated by three research experts while the reliability index of 0.77 was established using Cronbach Alpha reliability estimate. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the two research questions while t-test was used to test the two null hypotheses at .05 level of significance and appropriate degree of freedom. Some of the findings among others include that teachers can enhance the performance of secondary school students in agricultural science for food security in Ebonyi State. It was therefore recommended that facilities should be made available for proper training of secondary school students for productivity on graduation and as well for food security in Ebonyi State.

Evaluating Interdisciplinary Teaching: Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education

Interdisciplinary learning experiences (i.e., experiences which illuminate learning of, and connections among, multiple disciplines) are essential to building a more robust understanding of the interconnections of multiple systems. Having an interdisciplinary understanding positively influences the ability of learners to contribute to solving wicked problems (e.g., soil degradation, climate change), most of which fall within the realm of agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR). Therefore, within AFNR Education, preparing learners via interdisciplinary experiences could empower the next generation of problem solvers. The Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) has emerged as a potential method for teaching AFNR and science in an interdisciplinary way. However, research has yet to evaluate the impact of CASE on teachers’ intentions to teach science within curricula. In this study, intentions to teach science were compared between CASE-certified and non-CASE-certified educators via a national survey of 212 randomly sampled teachers, 81 of whom were CASE-certified. Within four of the eight courses evaluated, CASE-certified teachers intended to teach more science than non-CASE-certified teachers, while non-CASE-certified teachers intended to teach more science in the remaining four courses. The findings suggest opportunities to enhance the interdisciplinary structure of CASE curriculum and/or explore alternative models for facilitating interdisciplinary learning within AFNR Education.

STUDENT TEACHER PREPAREDNESS FOR TEACHING PRACTICE AT FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SCIENCES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ESWATINI

Student preparation in teacher education is a crucial factor for teaching practice. Unfortunately, research conducted on student teacher preparedness for teaching practice at the Faculty of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences lacking. Thus, the purpose of the study wasto describe student teacher preparedness for teaching practice at the Faculty of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences at the University of Eswatini. This was a correlational study employing self-administered questionnaires in data collection. A census of 80 fourth year Agricultural Education and Consumer Sciences Education students was used. Post hoc inter-item reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha revealed that the questionnaire was .74 reliable. Three experts from the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension validated the instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational statistics. Results revealed that student teachers were prepared for teaching practice on the following: student discipline; setting test and exam questions, student assessment practices; effective use of teaching aids; classroom management; understanding student behaviour; and Information and Communication Technology.The study concluded that the student teachers were prepared for teaching practice and there was congruence between the preparation and the teaching practice. The Faculty of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences should match the needs of students and those of the teaching practice school.