Investigating Academic Performance in Practical Agriculture: Evidence from Single-Sex and Co-Educational High School Students

This study investigated the attitudes of students to practical agriculture and examined whether there were significant differences in the mean scores in Practical Agriculture Achievement Test (PAAT) among the three categories of schools used for this study. This study was a descriptive survey design carried out in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria. Nine (9) public secondary schools were randomly selected from three different Local Government Areas (LGAs) out of eleven (11) present in Ibadan zone comprising three (3) Boys' only, three (3) Girls' only and three (3) Coeducational schools. A total of two hundred and fifty-five (255) Senior Secondary Schools (SSSIII) students from three selected categories of schools participated in this study. PAAT and AtPAQ were the research instruments used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test of independence, ANOVA and multiple comparison techniques. The ANOVA test was significant (p = .00). Boys' only schools had the highest mean scores of 48.14 followed by Girls' only schools with 42.72 while Coeducational schools had 34.92. Least Significant Difference (LSD), a multiple comparison technique, on the ANOVA showed that there existed significant differences in the mean scores of PAAT for all pairs of the three categories of schools. There was no association between students' mean scores and selected attitudinal variables. The study recommended awareness campaign on the importance of agricultural science education and training as a vocational subject which can make them self-employed after leaving school and also boost agricultural productivity in the nation.