Influence of choice of agriculture subject among public secondary school students in Kibirichia division Buuri sub-county, Kenya
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of choice of Agriculture subject
among public secondary school students in Kibirichia Division Buuri Sub-County. The
objectives of the study was : To find out how guidance and counseling of subject choice by
teachers influences choice of Agriculture subject among secondary school students, To
identify how teaching methods employed by Agriculture teachers influences the choice of
Agriculture subject, To access how career awareness influences choice of Agriculture
subject and To find out how students home and social background influences choice of
Agriculture subject among secondary school students in Kibirichia Division, Buuri subcounty.
Therefore the target population was 300 form four agriculture students in 10
secondary schools and all the agriculture teachers in the 10 schools. Simple random
sampling was used to ensure unbiasness among the respondents, as the respondents will be
given equal chances of being selected to participate in the study. The study was
purposively select 55% of 300 students form four students taking agriculture and 10
agriculture teachers. Therefore sample size will be 163 students and 10 teachers. The
research instrument that was questionnaires with open ended and closed ended questions.
A pilot study was done in one school which was randomly selected with five form four
students taking agriculture. To test for the reliability of the questionnaire the researcher
applied the test retest technique. Descriptive studies require meaningful description of a
distribution of scores using a few indices or statistics. Data was analyzed using SPSS
package version 20.0 and presented using frequencies, percentages. The study found that
guidance and counselling of subject choice by teachers influence choice of Agriculture
subject among secondary school students. There is little or no of Guidance and counselling
sessions taking place in schools which leaves the students to selects agriculture subject on
bases of their own experience. Guidance and counselling by other subject‘s teachers as
well as curriculum masters leads to forcing student to take agriculture subject. Teaching
methods employed by Agriculture teachers influence the choice of Agriculture subject.
Continuous assessment tests, Group discussion, theory examination, practical‘s, discussion
groups and field trips, Lectures and education visits, were the methods found most
influencing the choice of the subject, mainly the way is taught and examined. Career
awareness influence choice of Agriculture subject among secondary school students. The
findings revealed that the respondents would want to be farm managers or directors,
agriculture professors, agriculture teachers and others large scale farmers. Most teachers‘
talks to their students on the importance of the subjects they teach daily, monthly and also
termly. The findings found that most of the respondents came from the rural compared
from urban areas and therefore they choose agriculture because they come from rural. the
following recommendations are hereby suggested: The government through the ministry of
education should employ counselors who will guide and counsel the students on subject
choice in secondary schools, The school head teacher, through the curriculum master
should make sure the teaching methods employed by Agriculture teachers influence the
choice of Agriculture subject among secondary school students and The school
management should make sure that students are being given talks on career awareness so
as to equip them with knowledge on how to make choice on selection of Agriculture
subject
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5979]