INNOVATIVE STRATEGY FOR MEASURING SKILL PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Agricultural trades have been introduced for learning in Secondary Schools to complement Agricultural Science. Success or failure in Agricultural Science is being determined by West African Examination Council through essay test, multiple choice tests based on bloom taxonomy on knowledge, comprehension, application and alternative to practical. The observed effect is that most students who offered Agricultural Science, pass with Credit, but couldn’t practice farming because of lack of skill, instead they prefer office jobs that are difficult to find. Even those from parents in Agrarian Communities migrate to cities with their West African School certificate to hunt for jobs. Based on this unsatisfactory effect or effort of the Government to diversify the economy through Agriculture, Agricultural trades are now being introduced for learning in Senior Secondary Schools across the country. Performance in these trades cannot be measured fairly through essay cognitive test and alternative to practice. Hence there is need for new assessment instrument. Psycho-productive multiple choice or criterion reference test has been developed and tried and found successful as contained in this paper. It is therefore recommended that WAEC, other examination boards and other stakeholders should adopt Psychomotor or criterion reference test for measuring students in trades in Agriculture in Senior Secondary Schools across the nation to ensure a sustainable livelihood.