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Factors Associated with Agriculture College Students' Choice of Agronomy and Animal Husbandry as Major Fields of Specialization
Dissertation Abstract:
The study was designed to identify certain characteristics of junior and senior students in agricultural colleges and universities, and to determine the degree of their interest relative to their choice of major field and score in the occupational interest scale.
Included in the study were six state agricultural colleges and universities located in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The respondents were 300 junior and senior students of whom 150 were majors in agronomy and 150 in animal husbandry. The data were gathered with the use of an interview schedule and an agricultural occupational interest scale. Percentages, means, frequently counts, chi-square test and test of proportion were used to analyze the data.
The respondents were found to have an average age of 20.9 years, three-fourths males and belonged to families of 4 to 9 siblings, with an average size of 7.3. More than 50% came from places of origin with an average distance of 125.3 km from the college or university where they were enrolled. More than half graduated from public academic high schools. More than 75% were supported by their parents, others by relatives, scholarships and assistantships, while some were working students.
More than two-thirds of the parents belonged to the low-income group, earning less than P10,000 a year. Main occupation of the fathers was farming and the mothers, housekeeping. The majority of the parents had low educational attainment.
More than one-third of the students claimed to have been influenced by their own personal interest in the selection of their major field; the rest were influenced by their parents, friends, relatives and other people.
Of the ten variables tested for their relationship to the students’ agricultural occupational interest, only educational attainment of parents and nature of place of origin were found associate with animal husbandry. None of the ten variables were related to agronomy.
Three variables were found associated with the choice of major field: educational attainment of parents, nature of place of origin, and people who exerted influenced on the students.
No significant differences in occupational interest were observed among students in the different colleges/universities, although about 29% showed some variations in their vocational inclinations.