Comparative Study of Performance of Middle and Junior Secondary School Leavers Farming in North Tongu District, Volta Region, Ghana
Date
2000-06
Authors
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Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
The Study on Basic School Agriculture outcomes was conducted in the North Tongu
District of the Volta Region of Ghana from May to June 1998. The main objective of
the study is to compare the impact of the differences in the Middle School and Junior
Secondary School Agriculture programmes on the performance of the graduates in
farming. The Middle School Agriculture programme was vocational/practical without
teaching or learning of theoretical knowledge while the Junior Secondary School
Agriculture Programme was academic-vocational (Integrated).
Specifically, the study compares and explains the differences between Middle School
and Junior Secondary School leavers by: age, gender and marital status, use of
school-based agricultural knowledge in home farming while in school, levels of
agricultural knowledge, ranking of factors influencing the choice of farming, ranking
aims for farming, utilisation of formal agricultural knowledge in farming, achievements
from farming, security in life and the needs of the respondents in farming.
The survey research methodology was employed. With a personal interview schedule,
the snowball non probability sampling technique was used to gather information from
the Middle School and Junior Secondary School graduates farming in the North
Tongu District. With questionnaires, stratified random sampling was used to collect
information from Agricultural Extension Agents, Junior Secondary School Agriculture
Teachers, District Director of Agriculture and District Agricultural Education Officer.
The Statistical Package for the Social Scientist (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. The performance of the farmers was compared using the following statistics:
percentages, rank scores, The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test and The Kendall
Coefficient of Concordance.
The study shows that Junior Secondary School graduates are better farmers than
Middle School leavers in the North Tongu District because their performance is
related to the type of Agricultural Education programme they pursued. Junior
Secondary school graduates tend to be more independent, think and act abstractly in
selecting farming practices that have abstract advantages while Middle School leavers
appear to be more dependent and select yield optimising practices with easily
observable advantages.
The performance of the Junior Secondary School graduates is explained by their use
of school-based agricultural knowledge in home farming while in school, ranking of
school training as a factor influencing the choice of farming, ranking of aims in
farming, ranking of crop yield optimisation practices and attainment of higher tangible
achievements from farming. A similar performance is observed on the basis of
gender. However, the perceived levels of security in life and needs of the respondents
have not been explained by the differences in the Basic School Agriculture
programmes they pursued.
The study provides information on the study of Basic School Agriculture outcomes and
the intervening factors in the utilization of formal agricultural knowledge for farming.
Description
Thesis(M.Phil)-University of Ghana, 2000