INFLUENCE OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN AGRICULTURE ON CHOICE OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE AS STUDENTS’ FUTURE CAREER IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

(A CASE STUDY OF NORTH-CENTRAL ZONE, NIGERIA)

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Author

Presented To

Department of Education

ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to investigate the influence of academic performance in agricultural science on the choice of vocational agriculture as a future career by students in colleges of education in North-Central Zone of Nigeria. The study made use of survey research design. Four hundred and sixty-two students were the target population who also served as samples for the study across the six states of North-Central Zone in Nigeria. Three research questions and three Null-Hypotheses were formulated. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The method of data analysis was by frequency counts, and percentages. Regression Analysis and Pearson product moment correlation (PPMC) statistics were used to test all the three null-hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Results of the null-hypotheses showed that Null hypotheses one two and three were rejected. Among the findings of the study were: choice of future career in vocational agriculture was tied to academic performance in agriculture. Low academic performance had a strong but negative influence on choice of vocational agriculture as future career. High academic performance had strong and positive influence on choice of career in vocational agriculture. It was concluded that academic performance in agriculture was major predictor for choosing vocational agriculture as a future career. Low academic performance in agriculture was a hindrance to the choice of vocational agriculture as a future career. Students that chose vocational agriculture were less in number than those students who did not choose vocational agriculture as future career. The following recommendations were made: Career guidance enlightenment campaign should be inaugurated by the college and run by agricultural education department to organise orientation, seminars, symposium, career week and others; college authority in conjunction with lecturers should encourage hard work by rewarding students having CGPA above minimum yearly with automatic accommodation in the college, laptops and many other tangible items.