RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEVEL OF ADEQUACY OF THE SCHOOL FARM AND THE ACQUISITION OF AGRICULTURAL SKILLS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KENYA

Abstract

The school farm is arguably the most important facility in the implementation of practical Agriculture. It is within this facility where students get the opportunity to engage in practical activities thus reinforcing the theoretical concepts learnt. With the continuous increase in student enrolment coupled with the increasing pressure on land due to human factors, the sustainability of using the school farm for instructional purposes remains uncertain. This study aimed at determining the relationship between level of adequacy of the school farm and the acquisition of agricultural skills among secondary school students in Malava Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya. Correlational research design was adopted. 15 secondary schools participated in the study whereby one teacher was purposively sampled from each school. Using the Yamane formula, 150 form three students of Agriculture were sampled. The data collection instruments included questionnaires and an observation guide. Reliability of these instruments was ascertained by conducting a pilot study in Khwisero Sub-County where Cronbach’s alpha of .89 and .72 were obtained for the agriculture teachers’ and students’ instruments respectively. Chi-square test of relationship was used to analyse the findings of this study aided by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. The study established that adequacy of the school farm significantly contributes to acquisition of agricultural skills.