INTEGRATION OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION INTO SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ SKILL ACQUISITION IN ANKPA EDUCATION ZONE OF KOGI STATE.

Abstract

This study focused  on the integration  of cooperative  education  into  senior secondary  schools agricultural science curriculum for enhancing students’ skill acquisition in Ankpa Education Zone of kogi state. Five research questions were developed in consonance with what the study sought to find out. Two null hypotheses were also formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study  used  descriptive  survey  research  design.  The  target  population  for the  study  was  230 comprising of 215 teachers of agricultural science and 15 managers of Agro-allied industries. A random sampling technique was used to obtain a total of 120 agricultural science teachers for the study. A structured questionnaire  of sixty  one (61) items was used to elicit response from one hundred thirty five (135) respondents comprising of one hundred and twenty (120) agricultural science teachers and fifteen (15) managers of agro-allied industries within Ankpa Education zone. The instrument was face validated by three experts. The instrument was also tested for reliability with the correlation coefficient (r) of 0.83. The data were collected and analyzed using means and standard deviation   to answer the research questions, and t-test statistics was used for testing the null hypotheses. The findings from the study indicated that 10 items were identified as needs for integrating co-operative education in the teaching of agriculture in secondary schools, 20 items were  identified  as  entry-level  skills  need  in  Agriculture  for  skill  acquisition,  12  agro-allied enterprises  were  identified,  similarly,  9  challenges  that  teachers  and  students  could  face  in integrating  co-operative  education  were identified,  finally,  10 solutions  were  proffered  in the course  of  the  challenges  facing  integrating  co-operative  education  into  agricultural  science curriculum. The null hypotheses tested showed that there were no significant differences between the  mean  ratings  of  responses  of agricultural  science  teachers  and  managers  of agro-allied industries on the integration of cooperative education into senior secondary school agricultural science curriculum  for enhancing  students’ skill acquisition  in Ankpa Education  Zone of kogi state. It was recommended that government through the Ministry of Education should encourage partnership  of schools and  industries through  frequent  field trips, excursions  to enhance  skill acquisition,   and   that   challenges   facing   teachers   in   integrating   co-operative   education programmes should be strictly adhered to by granting in-service training for teachers at regular periods of time to promote skill advancement.

x

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Agricultural  Science  is one of the subjects  taught  at both junior and senior  secondary schools in Nigeria. The secondary Education normally takes place after the  primary education before the secondary school. The introduction of agricultural science into  the secondary school curriculum would enable school leavers appreciate the dignity of labour and teach them to be self- reliant  and  productive.  Secondly,  as  stated  in  agricultural  science  curriculum  (2009)  is  that agricultural science is to prepare secondary school  students for occupation in agriculture.  It is expected that Nigeria being a basically agricultural country needed informed lower and middle- level manpower that could utilize  scientific  knowledge to improve the quality and quantity of agricultural outputs. Considering the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria, one wonders whether this objective is vigorously pursued as it should be in the secondary school curriculum. Quality out-puts of students are sometime governed by what a particular curriculum has.

The secondary school curriculum is defined as a deliberately and systematically planned attempt to change the behaviour of the young and the inexperienced and also to enable them to gain the insight that would enable them to build a better society (Offama,  2002). The author further stressed that curriculum is a continuous process of series of activities undertaken by the school  to  improve  upon  the  life  of  the  individual.  Curriculum  can  also  be  taken  to  be  the instrument through which schools seek to translate the hope of the society into concrete reality. The  curriculum  can  be  integrated  to  ensure  greater  intellectual  curiosity,  improved  attitude towards  schooling,  enhancing  problem  solving  skills  and  higher  development.  Integration  of curriculum can as well play these roles.

Integrated curriculum as simply put is the process of making connections to real life or across disciplines.  These connections  may be skilled-based  or knowledge-based.  According to

Pattern (2001), three approaches to integrating curriculum exist which are:

1

1.        Multidisciplinary approach

2.        Interdisciplinary approach

3.        Transdisciplinary approach

I).  Multidisciplinary  approach  focuses  primarily  on  the  disciplines.  Teachers  who  use  this approach organize standards from the disciplines around a theme. There are many different ways to create multidisciplinary  curriculum  and they tend  to differ  in the level  of  intensity of the integration effort. The different ways are:

a)  Interdisciplinary Approach: this has to do with teachers integrating sub disciplines within a subject area. For example, integrated science integrates the perspectives of sub disciplines such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics and space science. Through this integration, teachers expect students to understand  the connections  between the  different  subdisciplines  and their relationship to real life. The programme reports a positive impact on achievement for students who participate (http:/www.ccet.ua.edu). Another is fusion.

b)  Fusion: In this multidisciplinary approach, teachers fuse skills, knowledge, or even attitude into  the  regular  school  curriculum.  Fusion  also  involves  basic  skills.  Many  schools emphasize positive work habits in each subject area. Literacy across the curriculum is an example of fusion. For example, students practiced skills related to developing supported opinions on disposal of hazardous wastes in science (Pattern, 2001). Another example of multidisciplinary approach is service learning.

c)  Service  learning  of multidisciplinary  approach:  This  involves  community  projects  that occur during class time. Glenn (2001) found out that more than 80% of the schools that integrate  service  learning  into  classroom  report on improve  in grade  point  average  of participating  students.  According  to  the  author,  such  programmes  foster  a  lifelong commitment to civic participation, sharpening people’ skills and prepare students for the work place.

II).  Interdisciplinary  integration:  In  this  approach  is  to  integrate  teachers  to  organize  the curriculum around common learning across disciplines. They chunk together the common learning embedded in the disciplines to emphasize interdisciplinary skills and concepts. The last approach is transdisciplinary integration.

III). Transdisciplinary integration approach has to do with teachers organizing curriculum around students’ questions and concerns. Students develop life skills as they apply interdisciplinary and disciplinary  skills  in  real-life  content  (Glenn,  2001).  All  these  could  be  achieved  through curriculum integration.

When the curriculum is integrated, the focus should be on designing a curriculum that is relevant, standards based and meaningful for students. At the same time, the curriculum should challenge students to solve real world problems. Barab and Landa  (1997) indicated  that when students focus on problem solving, motivation and learning increased. Also, the senior secondary school  agricultural  curriculum  is structured  around  three  major  concepts  namely;  production, protection and economics while topics relating to these concepts were organized into six units namely;  basic  concepts,  crop  production,  Animal  production,  Agricultural  Economics,  and Extension  in  order  to  prepare  students  for  future  occupation  in  agriculture.  Resources  and infrastructures are needed to achieve these.

In preparing students for occupation in agriculture, resources and infrastructures such as library, laboratory, land, tools, equipments, and functional livestock should be provided. If schools are not able to secure some of these, they should liase with any agribusiness company around and develop training agreement with them so that students could come once or twice every week to learn on the job in these companies. This is a type of co-operative occupational education which is done during school session.

Integrating co-operative education into agricultural science curriculum is very important for effective preparation of students for world of work. According to Ramsey (2010) co-operative education is a learning programme of students that help in expanding their interest and exploring

their  carrier  options by integrating  classroom  learning with practical  experiences  in the  work place. The author further stressed that students are better prepared to make transition from high school  to  work.  Raw  (2013)  stated  that  co-operative   education  experiences   provide  the opportunity to practice employability skills such as time management,  strengthen independence, self confidence  practice, and to explore vocational  goals.  Co-operative  education is a real life learning  that  extends  beyond  the  classroom.  Through  our  co-operative  education  programme students alternate terms in classroom with paid  work terms in position related to their field of study. This means that co-operative education is the arrangement between school and employers which enable students to  receive  part time vocational  instruction  in the school and on-the-job training  through  part  time  employment.  On-the-job  training  is an importance  of co-operative education.

One of the importance of this education is the on-the-job training. It offers the  students learning at the training station which is appropriate to the occupational objectives of the students’ related to relevant existing carrier opportunities and is sufficient duration to enable the students developing  better  employable  skills.  Moreover,  it  enables  the  students  to  work  in  the  right environment agreeing with the vocational theory which states that the training environment should be a replica of the environment the student is going to work after graduation.

Writing on the need for co-operative education, Ogbazi (1985) stated that as long as the teaching of agriculture in Nigeria is not interdependently integrated with regular supervised part time employment in work related to in-school instructions, the Nigeria  schools will continue to produce students who are not adequately prepared  for  employment  in occupations  that are in harmony  with  their  carrier  objectives.  Hence  co-operative  education  is  one  of the  strategies designed to help prepare our students realistically for employment in agriculture. Experts believe that the teachers should help the students to plan experiences in business, on the farm, at home, in agricultural  establishments,  at  schools,  or  combination  of the  situations  that  is best  for each student. This help to prepare the students for the world of work.

According to Olaitan (1985), emphasize that the type of education Nigeria youths  need today is the type of education that would give them meaningful orientation towards preparation for the world of work, away from the present system of education in which the student cannot put the knowledge gained in the school into practice. This is because the greater percentages of youths are ill-prepared and therefore ill-equipped and therefore unproductive. However, since the teaching of agricultural  science  is  limited  to  the  classroom  instruction,  limited  supply  of  input  with  no experiences  through  co-operative  education,  secondary  school  agricultural  students  graduates without basic entry-level skills in agricultural occupation. Effective teaching has this role to play.

Effective  teaching  of agricultural  science  is expected  to provide  students with  enough background in knowledge and skills. Agricultural science does not include on-farm production of crops  and  livestock  enterprises  but  also  many  non-farm  occupations  that  require  skills  and knowledge  in allied  subjects  such  as marketing  and  processing  of  agricultural  products,  and servicing  the agricultural  industries.  Skills  according  to  Rbinson  (2000)  is any psychomotor, manipulative and technical tasks needed for performance in many given occupation which could be acquired through observation training and learning. In line with the above explanation, one can deduce that skills are human capability of performing technical work very well with dexterity and competence.  In the same way, Osinem and  Uwoji (2005) referred to skills as the ability of a person  to  perform  an  act  expertly.  It  is  that  expertness,  practice  and  ability  or  proficiency displayed in the performance of a task. The authors stressed that skills involved the acquisition of performance capability through repetitive performance of an operation. Therefore, there is a need to acquire skills.

Skill acquisition is the process of gaining effective and ready knowledge  in developing ones  aptitude  and  ability  in  a  particular  field.  Skill  acquisition  is one  among  other  policies embarked upon in Nigeria with the sole aim to alleviate poverty, youth restiveness, sophisticated crime  and  corruption  rate,  rural and  urban  drift,  unemployment  and  other  social  vices.  Skill acquisition in Nigeria secondary education level is meant to equip our students more with practical

and less theoretical knowledge on income generating skills. Mbanis (2008) noted that when youths are given  adequate  training  in skills,  they can  be self employed  after  schooling;  hence  they become active partners in both community and national development.

The school  in addition  to  providing  training  in knowledge  and  also  needs  to  provide training in skills and this can be achieved through integration of co-operative education into the agricultural science curriculum. The school in general and the teacher of agriculture can go into agreement  with  government  establishments  such  as Agricultural  Development  Project  (ADP), Agricultural Research Institutes and Private agro-allied industries located in the community. These government and private programmes apart from helping to increase food production can serve as valuable  resource  centres  for  teaching  agricultural  science  in  secondary  schools.  Secondly, industrial  facilities  provide  real   life   experiences  on  various  topics  in  agricultural  science curriculum. The industrial staff can be used as resource persons in the school and the agro-allied industrial workers can provide teacher of Agriculture Avenue for orientation on latest agricultural production methods and techniques. Co-operative education is yet to gain its rightful status.

It is unfortunate that co-operative education had not assumed its rightful status in Kogi state and Ankpa Education Zone in particular  due to some logistic problems.  This  method of instruction if integrated into the agricultural science curriculum in Kogi State secondary schools will go a long way to reduce the present  emphasize  on theoretical  experiences  with abstract application and help to create awareness and interest in students, increase their entry-level skills for agricultural occupations.

Statement of the Problem

In Ankpa education zone of Kogi state, the teaching of agricultural science is faced with a lot of problems  that  hinder  the realization  of agricultural  science  objectives  in the  secondary schools. One of the problems is curriculum related. Egonu (1997) opined that the problem facing agricultural education is how to develop suitable curriculum that are relevant to the needs of the students.  Ankpa  education  zone  of  Kogi  state  have  secondary  school  graduates  who  lack

occupational  skills  and  on  the  job  experiences.  This  could  be  attributed  to  poor  curriculum implementation  and  evaluation  in  the  secondary  schools  has  not  been  realized  as  expected especially in the area of industrial training and production. Olaitan (1993) attributed low esteem of agriculture to the school curriculum and prescribed examination which tend to be theoretical with emphasize mainly on learning.

Another problem facing the teaching and learning of agriculture in Ankpa education zone is inadequate facilities and equipments exist are obsolete. Mkpa (1990) reported that even when instructional materials are available in schools; most teachers do not use them in teaching. This led to more emphasis on theory than practical agriculture with the result that most schools complete their  secondary school agricultural  syllabus  in the classroom only  and the aim is to pass the examination rather than skill acquisition.

The  researcher  equally  observed  that  lack  of  professional  competency  by  teacher  of agriculture  in  organization  and  administration  in  some  schools  also  create  problems  in  the teaching and learning of agricultural science in some schools, teachers of Biology are  made to teach agricultural science despite the fact that such teachers are not qualified to teach agricultural science. This can be attributed to shortage of agricultural teachers. Olaitan (1998) in his opinion stated that the acute shortage of teachers of agriculture are as a result of low and irregular payment of salaries therefore make those teachers to teach agriculture at various schools move for greener pasture  where  they  can  earn  more.  The  result  is  that  most  secondary  schools  graduates  of agricultural  science  in Ankpa education  zone in  Kogi  state could  not acquire  the basic  skills needed for agricultural occupation and majority of the graduates are jobless or unemployed which could be attributed to various vices in the society such as cultism, armed robbery among others. Most of the unemployed secondary school graduates in the state are found roaming the streets of towns or cities in search of non-existing jobs in some sectors of the economy. This implies that if the students were  equipped  with necessary work-skills,  the secondary  school graduates  could contribute positively to increase in food production and thereby becoming self reliant and their

nuisance  in the town and  cities  reduced.  Therefore,  the study seeks to  bridge  these  gaps  by integrating  co-operative  education  into  senior  secondary  agricultural  science  curriculum  for enhancing work skills acquisition.

Purpose of the Study

The  overall  purpose  of  this  study was  to  integrate  cooperative  education  into  senior secondary  school  agricultural   science   curriculum   for  enhancing   student   skill   acquisition. Specifically, the study sought to:-

1.     determine the needs for integrating cooperative education into senior secondary school curriculum for enhancing skill acquisition.

2.      identify entry-level skills required for various occupations in agriculture

3.     identify the agro-based  enterprises that the school could partner with for  enhancing students skill acquisition

4.     find  out  challenges  teachers  and  students  will  face  in    integrating  co-operative education in the secondary schools

5.     identify  the  strategies  for  ameliorating  the  identified  challenges  of  co-operative education

Significance of the Study

The findings  of this study are of benefit  to  students,  teachers  of agricultural  science, curriculum planners, and agro-allied industries.

The findings on the needs of integrating cooperating  education programme  into  senior secondary school agricultural science curriculum if adopted will be of benefit secondary school graduates by exposing the students to other areas which the school lack  facilities and thereby gaining experiences that would help develop abilities in solving real  farming problems at their own level.

The findings  of the needs for integrating  co-operative  education  into  senior  secondary school agricultural curriculum will also benefit the teachers of agricultural science if adopted by

providing the teachers with useful information that would help them to improve their method of teaching.

The findings  will offer information  on the entry-level  skills required  by students.  The students will gain these entry-level skills to prepare them for occupation in agriculture and also providing information on the various skills in agricultural science where they can be trained and make a living after graduation.

The findings  of this  study will provide  information  on advertisement.  The  agro-allied industries  will  benefit  from  this  study by creating  avenue  through  which  the  industries  can advertise their products.

The  findings  on the  challenges  teachers  and  students  face  in  integrating  co-operative education  into  senior  secondary  agricultural  science  curriculum  if  adopted  will  benefit  the curriculum planners as it will provide necessary information that will help them take measures to rectify the challenges.

Research Questions

The following research questions were developed to guide the study.

1.    What  are  the  needs  for  integrating  co-operative  education  into  the  senior  secondary agriculture curriculum in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state?

2.    What are the entry-level skills required for various occupations in agriculture?

3.    What  are the Agro-allied  enterprises  the school could partner  with for enhancing  skill acquisition in students in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state?

4.    What are the challenges  teachers  and students will face in the integrating  co-operative education into secondary schools agricultural curriculum in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state?

5.    What  are  the  strategies  for  ameliorating  the  identified  challenges  of  integrating  co- operative education into agricultural science curriculum in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state?

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.

i.    There is no significant difference in the mean rating of agricultural science teachers and managers  of  agro-based  industries  on  the  entry-level  skill  of  various  agricultural occupation

ii.     There is no significant difference in the mean rating of agricultural science teachers and managers of agro-based industries on the challenges teachers and students will face in integrating   co-operative   education   into   agricultural   science   curriculum   in  Ankpa education zone of Kogi state.

Scope of the Study

The study is focused on integration of co-operative education programme in agricultural science curriculum in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state for enhancing skill acquisition among senior secondary school graduates. The study also identified the need for co-operative education in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state, identify agro-based industries the school could partner with for enhancing skill acquisition in Ankpa education zone of  Kogi state, find out challenges  the teachers  and  students  will  face  in integrating  co-operative  education  into  agricultural  science curriculum in secondary schools in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state, and identify strategies for ameliorating  the  identified  challenges  of  integrating  co-operative  education  into  agricultural science curriculum in Ankpa education zone of Kogi state.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT Added to cart

---

---

---

---

---

Related Project Topics :