VIEWS OF UNDERGRADUATES ON THE INFLUENCE OF FARM PRACTICAL TRAINING IN MOTIVATING AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS FOR ENGAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The need to equip agricultural graduates with skills that
could help them effectively engage in productive agricultural
practices led to the introduction of Farm Practical Training into
the curriculum of the University's Bachelor of Agriculture
program the realization of which seemed uncertain. Thus, this
study investigated the views of undergraduates on the influence
of farm practical training in motivating agricultural students to
engage in agricultural occupations in Nigeria Three research
questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. The study
was survey research on 500 level Bachelor of Agriculture
undergraduates of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology,
Ogbomosho, and University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. Two
hundred and thirty-three undergraduates were randomly
selected for the study. Data was collected through a structured
questionnaire. Mean and frequency were used to answer the
research questions while one null hypothesis was tested with a ttest
at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study showed
that undergraduates have positive views about farm practical
training and the knowledge acquired during the program could
stimulate them into agricultural occupations. Also, no significant
difference in the influence of farm practical training in
motivating male and female undergraduates to engage in
agricultural occupations. It was recommended that the farm
practical training programme should be intensified and taken
with utmost seriousness by the instructors and undergraduates,
various farm operations and activities should be encouraged and
job-oriented, adequate infrastructural facilities should be
provided and farm practical training programme activities
should not be gender biased.