AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RELEVANCE OF SCHOOL FARM IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Particularly in emerging countries, agriculture is essential to the growth of economies. The industry's capacity to support economic expansion, provide food security, and create jobs highlights its importance. Incorporating school farms into the curriculum has grown more important due to the rising need to improve agricultural education, especially at the secondary school level. In addition to classroom training in agricultural science, the school farm provides a hands-on learning setting that helps students better comprehend theoretical principles (Aina, 2015). The goal of secondary agricultural science education is to provide students the information, abilities, and mindsets needed to comprehend the core ideas of agriculture. The science and technology related to farming, agricultural production, animal husbandry, soil science, and agro-economics are the main topics of study in this field (Olabisi & Adekunle, 2015). Nonetheless, students' capacity to completely appreciate the intricacies of agricultural processes may be constrained by studying about agriculture in a classroom setting without any hands-on experience. By giving students the chance to apply theoretical principles in a practical situation, school farms help close this gap. Furthermore, students participate in a variety of agricultural tasks, including planting, raising animals, and testing the soil, on school farms, which serve as real-world demonstration plots. These farms play a vital role in improving the agricultural science classroom experiences and academic achievement of students. According to Kande and Owolabi (2015), a number of research have demonstrated the beneficial effects of experiential learning settings on students' academic performance. These studies contend that practical experience serves to reinforce theoretical knowledge. Pupils who participate in school farm activities typically get a deeper comprehension of agricultural methods, which enhances their performance on internal and external exams. Enhancing the cognitive and psychomotor areas of learning is one of school farms' most important contributions to academic success. Agricultural science is a multifaceted discipline that blends technical expertise with theoretical understanding. Students may enhance their critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities via hands-on activities on school farms—all of which are crucial for academic achievement. Kolawole (2018) claims that pupils who participate in hands-on agricultural activities often perform better academically than those who just get theoretical education. Additionally, school farms give students a hands-on learning experience that helps demystify some of the more difficult concepts in agricultural science. For example, when students actively participate in agricultural operations, topics like soil fertility, plant development cycles, or animal nutrition can be better comprehended (Fakoya & Alade, 2016). Students who are actively involved in agricultural science not only do better academically but also develop a favourable attitude towards the field, which may inspire them to seek employment or additional education in agriculture. School farms have a substantial positive impact on students' academic achievement as well as their learning of agricultural skills, which are critical for career advancement. Since agriculture is a practical discipline, the school farm acts as an apprenticeship where students learn important skills including managing crops, taking care of animals and managing the farm. For students who want to work in agriculture or similar sectors, these are essential skills. School farms educate students for future issues in the agricultural industry by exposing them to real-world farming conditions (Adeoye, 2017). Moreover, the focus on hands-on learning through school farms is consistent with the objectives of agricultural education, which is to educate people who can contribute to sustainable agricultural development and national food security (Aina, 2015). Thus, school farms raise students' employability and entrepreneurial potential in addition to their academic achievement.

Notwithstanding the obvious advantages of school farms, a number of implementation-related issues have been noted. One of the main issues is a lack of finance. A school farm needs funding to be established and maintained in order to purchase land, purchase agricultural supplies, and purchase inputs like seeds and fertiliser. It's possible that many schools, particularly those in rural regions, lack the funding needed to maintain school farms (Olabisi & Adekunle, 2015). The viability of these projects may also be hampered by the lack of qualified professors of agricultural science who can efficiently oversee school farms. Furthermore, one major obstacle in urban schools is the availability of land. Due to space restrictions, schools in urban areas may find it difficult to start large-scale farms, which might reduce the efficacy of practical agricultural teaching (Kolawole, 2018). Governments and school administrators must fund school farms and offer the assistance they need to be sustainable in order to solve these issues. Therefore, the study examines the relevance of school farm in academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary school.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

In secondary education, agricultural science is especially important, especially in countries like Nigeria where agriculture still plays a major role in the national economy. Even yet, a lot of students still struggle in agricultural science, particularly when it comes to external exams. This subpar performance has been linked to a lack of experience learning and practical exposure, both of which are necessary for a thorough comprehension of agricultural ideas (Akande & Owolabi, 2015). In many cases, theoretical training alone is insufficient to hold students' attention or assist them in gaining the information and abilities needed to succeed in the topic. This issue is made worse by the fact that many secondary schools lack operational school farms. Due to a shortage of land, a lack of funding, and insufficient assistance from educational authorities, schools—especially those in urban areas—often have difficulties in starting and sustaining school farms (Kolawole, 2018). Students are thus denied the hands-on learning opportunities that are essential to comprehending and using the concepts of agricultural science. 

Furthermore, there is sometimes a mismatch between theoretical learning and real-world application in schools that do have farm facilities since they are not properly integrated into their instructional procedures. Concerns concerning the general quality of agricultural education are raised by students' low performance in agricultural science, which is a reflection of this gap in practical learning (Olabisi & Adekunle, 2015). Given these concerns, it becomes imperative to examines the relevance of school farm in academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary school.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to examines the relevance of school farm in academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary school. The specific objectives is as follows

To determine the extent to which school farms enhance students' interest in agricultural science

To examines the relevance of school farm in academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary school

To investigate the challenges faced by secondary schools in maintaining functional school farms.

To recommend strategies aimed at improving school farm activities to boost academic performance of secondary school students.

1.4 Research Questions

The research questions have been prepared to guide the study

What is the extent to which school farms enhance students' interest in agricultural science?

What is the relevance of school farm on the academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary school?

What are the challenges faced by secondary schools in maintaining functional school farms?

What are the strategies aimed at improving school farm activities to boost academic performance of secondary school students?

1.5 Significance Of The Study

It is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of great importance to the management of secondary schools in Oyo state as the finding of the study seek to establish the difference between school with school farm and agricultural laboratory. The study will also be of great importance to the ministry of education as the study will aid in policy formation to guide the establishment of school farm and agricultural laboratory in secondary schools in Nigeria, the study will also be of importance to researchers who intend to embark on a study in a similar topic as the study will serve as a reference point to further research. Finally, the study will be of great importance to researchers, academia’s students, teachers and the general public as the findings of the study will contribute to the pool of existing literature on the subject matter and also contribute to knowledge.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

The study focus on relevance of school farm in academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary school. Empirically, the study will determine the extent to which school farms enhance students' interest in agricultural science, examines the relevance of school farm in academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary school, investigate the challenges faced by secondary schools in maintaining functional school farms and recommend strategies aimed at improving school farm activities to boost academic performance of secondary school students.

Geographically, the study will be delimited to selected secondary schools in Oyo State.

1.7 Limitation Of The Study

Like in every human endeavour, the researcher encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. More so, the researcher simultaneously engaged in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.8 Operational Definitions Of Terms

School farm: A School Farm is a farming initiative setup by school authorities in order to enable agricultural students acquires practical farming skills to complement knowledge gained in the classroom.

Agricultural science: Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture.

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