Identification of Constraints and Effective Educational Strategies Influencing the Professional Competencies of Agricultural Extension Officers

Identification of Constraints and Effective Educational Strategies Influencing the Professional Competencies of Agricultural Extension Officers

Abstract

By granting access to knowledge and information, agricultural extension contributes to enhancing the welfare of farmers and other stakeholders. This has caused an increased focus on efficient training methods to improve the capabilities of extension employees. Therefore, the study concentrated on identifying barriers and effective instructional strategies that influence the professional competences of extension officers in Nigeria’s Oyo and Ogun states. In the study locations, 84 extension officers were chosen at random from 4 agricultural zones, and of them, 80 responded to questionnaires and returned them for analysis. Both descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean) and inferential (chi-square, PPMC t-test) statistics were used to analyze the data. The average age of the respondents was 46 years old, the majority were men (65.0%), married (95.0%), lived in households with five or more people (53.75%), had a job that they had held for nine to sixteen years (40%) or had completed university education, with 47.5% having completed an HND. The most effective educational technique was FNT/MTRM (=1.91), and the least effective was job shadowing (=0.73). The most desired time to develop extended competencies was during in-service training (45.7%). The most common competency (=19.7) was organizational management, and overall, 51.2% of respondents had high levels of competency. Lack of money was the biggest barrier to competency acquisition (=1.77). Age (r=0.244, p0.05), years of work experience (r=0.224, p0.05), educational delivery methods (r=0.435, p0.05), and degree of competency all showed a significant link. Additionally, there was a strong negative correlation (r=-0.292, p0.05) between the limitations on obtaining competences and the competency level of extension officers. It was advised that the ADPs should diversify their teaching strategies and recruit highly qualified instructors in order to enhance the approach employed during FNT/MTRM. They should also provide incentives and awards to encourage staff members who are actively interested in their professional growth. TEXT OF THE CHAPTER

Cover Page – – – – – – – –

Title Page – – – – – – –

Accreditation – – – – – – –

Commitment – – – – – – – –

Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – –

Abstract – – – – – – – –

Table of Contents – – – – – – –

First Chapter: Introduction

Background Information – – – – –

Problem Description – – – – –

Goals of the Research – – – – – –

Research Issues – – – – –

Research Propositions – – – – –

The study’s importance is – – – – – –

Study’s scope and limitations are as follows:

Terms explained – – – – – –

Review of Related Literature in Chapter Two

2.1 The Start – – – – – – – – –

Conceptual Framework 2.2 – – – – – – –

Theoretical Framework, Section 2.3

2.4 Empirical Review – – – – –

Chapter 3: Research Techniques

Introduction, paragraph 3.1

3.1 Research Approach – – – – – – – –

3.3 Study Area – – – – – – – –

3.4 Study Participants – – – – – –

Sample Size and Sampling Methods, Section 3.5 –

Instrumentation 3.6 – – – – – – – –

3.7 Instrument Validation – – – – – –

3.8 Instrument Administration – – – – –

3.9 Data Analysis Technique – – – – – – –

Presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data in Chapter 4

Introduction – – – – – – –

4.2 Data Presentation and Analysis – –

Testing Hypotheses, Section 4.3 –

Discussion of Findings, Section 4.4

Summary, conclusion, and suggestions are included in Chapter 5.

Introduction, paragraph 5.1

5.2 Conclusion – – – – – – –

5.3 In summary – – – – – – – – –