Undergraduate Agricultural Students Research Articles

Factors Affecting Personal Attitude of Undergraduate Agricultural Students to Start a Business

This study investigates the relationship between access to resources, subjective norms sociocultural forces; and the personal attitude of undergraduate agricultural students towards establishing a business. This relationship was looked at from a family-business status viewpoint. Data was collected from students of the six universities in South Africa registered for various agricultural programmes. Data analysis was computed using SPSS version 29. The study confirmed that subjective norms and sociocultural forces predict personal attitude towards starting a business, but not access to resources. The moderating role of family business status was not statistically significant for all factors. However, undergraduate agricultural students' access to resources and family business status relationships from families not owning a business were statistically significant. A significant relationship was also found between subjective norms and the family business status of agricultural students. The entrepreneurial syllabus should expose students to these extrinsic factors, as this shapes their attitude towards engaging in entrepreneurship. A positive personal attitude will likely lead to business establishment. Farming and entrepreneurship can address youth unemployment, employment creation, economic growth, and fighting poverty. Entrepreneurship is influenced by access to resources; however, agricultural students aren't finding it significant. Therefore, entrepreneurial education is essential for students to gain knowledge of this important business start-up factor.

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 < 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.

The Influence of Demographic Factors on Creativity Level of Undergraduate Agricultural Students

The purpose of this study is to establish the influence of demographic factors on the creativity level of undergraduate agricultural students. It seeks to understand how gender, status of family owned business, field of study, and place of upbringing affect the creativity level of these students. The research adopts a quantitative approach, using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey data, collected from 421 participants, is analyzed using structural equation modelling. Hypotheses are statistically tested to establish the relationships between demographic factors and creativity level of undergarduates students. The survey data for this research was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were undergraduate agricultural students from various South African universities. To statistically test the hypotheses and analyze the relationships between demographic factors and the creative level, structural equation modelling was used. The study reveals that all demographic factors do not significantly influence creativity level of agricultural students. This suggests that gender, status of family owned business, field of study, and place of upbringing are not reliable indicators to test creativity level of undergraduate agricultural students. This research adds to the existing creativity literature on entrepreneurship by providing insights into the role of demographic factors in shaping the creativity level of agricultural students. It contributes to an understanding of how these factors influence students' perception on their creative abilities. The findings highlight the grounds of not considering demographic factors when evaluating creativity in educational settings.

Students’ interest in agribusiness as a future career

Purpose. This study was conducted among Bangladeshi undergraduate agricultural students to see how likely they were to launch their agribusinesses after awarding Bachelor’s degrees. Methodology / approach. As an agricultural country, agribusiness among the students is increasingly important. To achieve the purpose, we selected undergraduate students from the University of Rajshahi as the respondents. Agriculture, Fisheries, and Veterinary Science students were surveyed to determine their interest in starting an agribusiness (opening their own enterprises) after graduation. Questionnaire data were subjected to a logit regression analysis. Results. Most students come from rural backgrounds and many work in family farming either directly or indirectly, only a small percentage of them (29.6 %) want to start an agribusiness after graduation. Most students think working for the Government or providing other services is safer than doing business. Except for students whose families had large landholdings, students were not interested in becoming agribusiness entrepreneurs, although female students were more curious than males. The students perceived agribusiness as too risky and preferred civil service or other service sector employment over any business. If they were to set up such companies, they would be the most interested in fruits and vegetables, feed mills, beef, floriculture, and fisheries. Part of the reason for this disinclination to entrepreneurship is South Asian culture, which values security over independence, although agriculture, where the product is perishable, is risky. Originality / scientific novelty. Over the last 10 years, there has been a decline in total agricultural employment despite a rise in the youth unemployment rate. Encouraging these young people to go into agribusiness, we can reduce unemployment and increase agricultural productivity. But, regarding the interest of young people in Bangladesh in agribusiness, there is no published material. Thus, this study is the first in Bangladesh to assess the interest of agricultural students in starting an agribusiness and describe its determinants. Practical value / implications. The state wants to encourage agribusiness, but does not have a policy to achieve the goal and universities do not even teach this subject to agriculture graduates. If the government is serious about expanding agricultural entrepreneurship, it will have to invest in agribusiness to reduce its risk: in agricultural mechanisation, better rural transport and infrastructure, insurance for agricultural enterprises, mentors to impart business skills and advice, and a national capital fund to invest in such enterprises and finance them by capital rather than by debt.

Constraints of Student Ready Programme in State Agricultural Universities

The study was conducted in state agricultural universities of Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala states during 2021-2022 to analyze the problems faced by undergraduate agricultural students undergone student READY programme. Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE), Agro-Industrial Attachment (AIA), Experiential Learning/Hands on Training, Project Reports are the components offered in the selected universities as a part of student READY programme. A total of 160 respondents (40 per university) were selected by using simple random sampling. Mailed questionnaires were used to collect data and appropriate statistical tools i.e. frequency and percentage were applied to analyze the data. The major constraints faced by students are lack of proper accommodation in RAWE villages, lack of transport facilities in RAWE villages, lack of farmer cooperation, inadequate stipend to meet the basic needs and lacking practical exposure during online classes. This research will help to modify the components that offered under student READY programme.

Social capital and career adaptability: the mediating role of psychological capital

PurposeThis study’s main objective is to determine the extent to which social capital and psychological capital can explain differences in career adaptability among higher education students.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a quantitative approach, utilizing a survey research design. Data were gathered using an online questionnaire completed by 384 fourth-year undergraduate agricultural students in Iran. The inverse square root and multistage sampling methods were used to determine the sample size. The partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method examined the associations between latent variables.FindingsThe results suggest that social and psychological capital significantly influence the career adaptability of agricultural students, highlighting their significance in enhancing career adaptability. Moreover, psychological capital positively mediates the relationship between social capital and career adaptability.Practical implicationsAgricultural higher education institutions must focus on developing students' social and psychological capital to cultivate career adaptability in agricultural students. Agricultural higher education institutions, for example, should help students develop soft skills.Originality/valueThis study offers novel insights into the significance of individual resources, such as social and psychological capital, in enhancing the career adaptability of students. In addition, the key contribution of this study is the researchers' empirical evidence that multiple career resources are interconnected (social capital, career adaptability, and psychological capital).

An Assessment of Undergraduate Student Interest in Poultry Science

Poultry production is an important and vital animal agriculture enterprise. The significant economic footprint of the poultry industry coupled with ever-increasing technological and production volume requirements predicates the need for well-qualified, trained employees to help carry the American poultry industry forward. Through the preparation of university-level agricultural degree program graduates lies an opportunity to help address this need. Undergirded by human capital theory (HCT), the purpose of our study was to assess undergraduate agricultural students’ poultry science interest at a non-land-grant college of agriculture (NLGCA). We used a valid and reliable, paper-based survey instrument to collect data from 137 undergraduate agricultural students at [UNIVERSITY]. We found that the majority of respondents were not interested in either poultry science academic programming or a career in the poultry industry. However, we did find that the majority of respondents were interested in completing summer semester internships in the poultry industry and that prior experience working in the poultry industry was a statistically significant predictor of students’ interest in careers in the poultry industry. Based on our findings, we recommend that poultry industry stakeholders (e.g., university faculty, industry representatives) strategically engage undergraduate students to recruit them into the poultry science pipeline.

Agrarianism in Agricultural Education: A Narrative Study

Agriculturalists can be divided into broad ideological camps with differing value sets. While many different groups exist, there are two primary ideological groups: (1) conventional or agrarian populists and (2) non-conventional or neo-agrarians. Agricultural education students’ values about agriculture shape how they will work in their future classrooms, schools, and communities, as well as how they will interact with students and community members. The purpose of this narrative study was to describe undergraduate agricultural education students’ conceptualization of their values about agriculture. The findings from this study highlighted the polarization of ideologies in American agriculture. The agricultural education students’ conceptualization of agricultural values was largely conventional. Some students formed conventional agriculture values as they grew up, while other students experienced a change of their values towards conventional attitudes while in college. Students’ responses to others with differing values ranged from indifferent to negative. These differences indicate a real challenge for post-secondary agricultural educators. Students have the right to maintain their own values in agriculture, however they must be able to work with others who have differing values. Research is needed to evaluate effective ways to help students learn how to work with people who have differing agricultural values.

Entrepreneurial Intention among Undergraduate Agricultural Students in the Republic of Benin

ABSTRACT In sub-Saharan Africa, where the professional insertion of graduates remains a major challenge, entrepreneurship represents an alternative to youth unemployment. This study investigates the predictors of agribusiness entrepreneurial intentions amongst undergraduate agricultural students in the Republic of Benin. A sample of 351 final year agricultural students was selected from universities. The data were collected through structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression. The findings showed that 44.16% of respondents were willing to start their own agribusiness venture after graduation with a preference for agro-processing enterprises (35.48%) and crop production enterprises (26.45%). The significant factors that influence agricultural students’ entrepreneurial intention in agribusiness were age, their major field of study, type of university attended, previous experience in agribusiness, a role model as a friend, and perception of agribusiness environment. The study suggests the establishment of clubs for agribusiness entrepreneurship in agricultural faculties and universities; showcasing of young entrepreneurs in agribusiness through national competitions, and events, such as “Agri-Enterprise Week” at universities, inviting young agribusiness entrepreneurs to share their experiences with the students in the next generation as guests lecturer; and the creation by the government of a conducive agribusiness environment for youth graduates. In the light of these insights, several paths for future research emerge.

Cultural Differences in Critical Thinking Style: A Comparison of U. S. and Chinese Undergraduate Agricultural Students

This study aimed to compare critical thinking styles between students studying agriculture in the U.S. and China. A survey of critical thinking styles was administered to two groups of students in U.S. (n = 104) and China (n = 103). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied to determine if there were significant differences in critical thinking styles between the two groups. Results indicate that U.S. students tended to prefer an engaging critical thinking style, whereas Chinese students tended to prefer an information seeking critical thinking style. These differences between critical thinking style preferences may be explained by students’ cultural backgrounds. This study can help agricultural educators understand the differences in critical thinking style preferences among culturally-diverse students. Further, it provides empirical evidence to guide agricultural educators seeking to adopt effective pedagogical approaches to cultivate critical thinking among students from diverse cultural backgrounds. This study provides fresh insight into the individualism and collectivism theory by explaining the cross-cultural differences in critical thinking style between U.S. and Chinese agricultural students.

Cultural Differences in Critical Thinking Style: A Comparison of U. S. and Chinese Undergraduate Agricultural Students

This study aimed to compare critical thinking styles between students studying agriculture in the U.S. and China. A survey of critical thinking styles was administered to two groups of students in U.S. (n = 104) and China (n = 103). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied to determine if there were significant differences in critical thinking styles between the two groups. Results indicate that U.S. students tended to prefer an engaging critical thinking style, whereas Chinese students tended to prefer an information seeking critical thinking style. These differences between critical thinking style preferences may be explained by students’ cultural backgrounds. This study can help agricultural educators understand the differences in critical thinking style preferences among culturally-diverse students. Further, it provides empirical evidence to guide agricultural educators seeking to adopt effective pedagogical approaches to cultivate critical thinking among students from diverse cultural backgrounds. This study provides fresh insight into the individualism and collectivism theory by explaining the cross-cultural differences in critical thinking style between U.S. and Chinese agricultural students. Keywords: agricultural education, critical thinking style, international agricultural student, cross- cultural

Utilisation of Web 2.0 technologies among undergraduate agricultural students of higher educational institutions in Osun State, Nigeria

This study interrogated agricultural students’ usage of Web2.0 technologies in higher educational institutions in Osun State, Nigeria.A validated interview schedule was used to
 collect data from 360 respondents who were selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure while descriptive satistics like mean and inferential like Pearson Correlation were used to sumarise and make inference from the data respectively. The mean age of the
 respondents was 22.7±2.8 years and the majority (91.7%) were single. Also, the mean years of schooling were 18.07± 2.25 years while their mean monthly income was $40.06±$23.11. Also, more than half (55.80%) of the respondents had a high level of awareness about Web 2.0 technologies while about 62 percent of the respondents had a moderate level of Web 2.0 technologies usage. The findings revealed that at p

Career aspirations of undergraduate agriculture students of Odisha

Career aspirations of undergraduate agriculture students of Odisha

Perceptions of Undergraduate Agricultural Education Students on the Effects of Question Difficulty and Postquestion Wait-time on Cognitive and Emotional Processes

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of undergraduate agricultural students on the cognitive and emotional processes produced after exposure to low- and high-level questions, as well as the effects of post-question wait-time to determine the benefits of differing lengths of post-question wait-time based on the level of question. Forty students were shown four different treatment videos in this with-in subjects design, with each video being followed by either a low- or high-level question. Following each question, a wait-time period of either five seconds or ten seconds was employed before the subjects were instructed to answer the question. The student perceptions resulted in a difference between low- and high-level questions on question difficulty, variability in cognitive engagement, and positive and negative emotions, as well as a difference on their perceptions of what constituted an adequate amount of post- question wait-time for low- and high-level questions.

Predicting entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in higher education: a case from Iran

PurposeAlthough extensive governmental efforts have taken place to promote entrepreneurship in Iran, based on global entrepreneurship monitor report, the rate of perceived opportunities among young people, especially those with university education, has dropped. Since the perceived entrepreneurial opportunities are the first and most important step in the entrepreneurship process, this study identified the factors affecting the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in Iranian higher education.Design/methodology/approachThe statistical population included 127 senior undergraduate students in all majors of agriculture at Ilam University. The sample size was determined by using the Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sampling table to be 100 senior undergraduate agriculture students at Ilam University, Ilam province, Iran, selected through a stratified random sampling technique.FindingsThe results showed that the perceived entrepreneurial opportunity among students was moderately low. According to structural equation modeling, the alertness, human capital, social capital and environmental support variables had a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition.Research limitations/implicationsRegarding the research implications, the present study, with providing and testing a model for developing the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among students in a developing country (Iran) with diverse cultures and values, has improved the literature of entrepreneurship in higher education.Practical implicationsBased on results instructors in higher agricultural education can use active teaching and learning methods, such as creating ideas, experiential and service learning, teamwork and practical work, critical thinking and problem-solving in education. Also, financial, technical and consultative support of instructors and managers in agricultural colleges to implement, launch and commercialize agricultural students' entrepreneurial ideas and projects is needed.Originality/valueThe findings indicated the importance of alertness, human capital, social capital and environmental support on the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among students. Findings showed that ecological approach could be used to develop students' entrepreneurial opportunity recognition.

Online learning for agricultural courses during COVID 19 : Students’ perceptions about its effectiveness

The coronavirus pandemic has imperilled the teaching-learning process, forcing to adapt to online modes from kindergarten to the tertiary level, globally. In this setting, a study was conducted among randomly selected 120 undergraduate agricultural science students of Kerala Agricultural University regarding their experience based perceptions on the online learning effectiveness for their courses. As per the results, online learning was considered effective in terms of learning material supply, ease of taking exams, cost-effectiveness, doubt clearance and learning flexibility while it was considered ineffective with regard to team feeling and motivation. Connectivity issues, technical problems and lack of interaction have negatively affected the interest and the attention span of the students. The social science subjects (Agricultural Extension and Home Science) were recorded as easier to study online, though the conceptual clarity was negatively impacted in Agricultural Economics and Statistics. Plant Pathology, Agricultural Entomology and Plant Breeding were counted as hard to learn online. This study tries to call for change management in the online teaching-learning process in agricultural education system so that the prevailing uncertainties due to pandemic can be overcome and the teaching-learning activities can be resumed with quality and effectiveness.

Factors influencing design thinking ability in modelling climate smart agricultural practices by under-graduate agriculture students of central agricultural university Imphal: a binary logistic regression modeling

Design thinking a modern human centered problem-solving concept that can be used in the face of complex problems is expected to create meaningful innovations after internalizing the problems of farmers and associating them with Climate Smart Agricultural Practices which is offering array of solutions to enable farmers mitigate the problems of Climate Change. The study aims to identify factors influencing Design Thinking ability among undergraduate students of agriculture in modelling Climate Smart Agricultural Practices. This inquiry was conducted at three Colleges of Agriculture under Central Agricultural University, Imphal, in which B.Sc. (Agriculture) degree is provided. Total of 28 final year students have been randomly selected as respondents for the study. Nine independent variable viz., Age, Gender; OGPA; Competency on ICT; Creative Problem Solving; Ability to Visualize Abstract Ideas; Memory Retention, Aptitude & Reading Behavior; and one dependent variable viz. Operationalization of Design Thinking were considered in the scientific inquiry. The binary logistic regression model was significant at p = 0.037 with AIC & BIC values of 40.86 & 54.18, respectively indicating moderate acceptable explanations of independent variables on outcome of dependent variable. With the subsequent Cox & Snell R2 and Nagelkerke R2 values of 0.471 and 0.629, revealed that the independent variables interacted and explained the significant outcome of the dependent variable in the range of 47.10 to 62.90%. The model identified; Age; Gender; OGPA and Creative Problem Solving had significant effect on Design Thinking. The study suggested that strategies need to be focused on development of students’ Aptitude; Competency on ICT, Memory Retention; Ability to Visualize Abstract Ideas and Reading Behavior.

Academic-related perceptions, beliefs, and strategies of undergraduate agricultural students

Students’ academic-related perceptions, beliefs, and strategies are fundamental elements that influence teaching and learning within colleges of agriculture. This study investigated students’ academic efficacy, academic self-handicapping, and skepticism about the relevance of school for future success at the University of Tennessee’s Herbert College of Agriculture. The students were academically efficacious, rarely self-handicapped, and did not doubt the relevance of their degree. In addition, a low negative association was found between academic efficacy and self-handicapping, a negligible relationship was found between academic efficacy and skepticism about the relevance of school for future success, and a moderate relationship was found between academic self-handicapping and skepticism about the relevance of school for future success. Therefore, instructors are encouraged to move past traditional lecture-based instruction and challenge their students at higher cognitive levels, which will allow students to realistically explore the complexities of agriculture. Furthermore, academic self-handicapping may be an indicator of lower academic efficacy and/or skepticism about the relevance of a student’s degree. Future research should further explore these relationships.

Nijerya’da Ziraat Fakültesi Öğrencilerinin Girişimciliklerini Etkileyen Faktörler

Nigeria is an agrarian economy and the recognition of entrepreneurship as a mover of national development has made it to gain popularity in her educational system in recent years. This study focused on the factors influencing Entrepreneurial Intentions (EIs) of undergraduate agricultural students in Nigeria using Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Well structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to gather relevant information from final year undergraduate agricultural students in private, state and federal government owned universities in Nigeria using multistage sampling techniques. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics, factor analysis and multiple regression model. The results showed that personal attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms and perceived educational support were the main factors influencing students’ EI positively at (P<0.01). Arising from this revelation, the study recommended the development of positive attitude towards becoming entrepreneurs as well as enhancement of educational facilities in the universities to improve students’ EI.

Understanding the Role of Cultural Orientations in the Formation of Entrepreneurial Intentions in Iran

The purpose of the present study was to examine how cultural orientations influence students’ entrepreneurial motivations and intentions in a developing country, namely Iran. Two cultural orientations, namely independent and interdependent self-construal, were incorporated into a model of entrepreneurial intention that draws upon the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and self-construal theory. In total, 290 final year undergraduate agricultural students from four public Iranian universities participated in the study. Questionnaire data were gathered. Using the partial least squares structural equation model, independent self-construal significantly and directly related to entrepreneurial intentions. Interdependent self-construal positively related to subjective norms, and independent self-construal positively related to perceived behavioral control. Both independent and interdependent self-construal helped explain the attitudes of individuals toward entrepreneurship with interdependent self-construal playing a greater role. The present results and their implications can help both policy makers and educators develop effective strategies for promoting entrepreneurship.