Assessment of Teaching and Learning of Entrepreneurial Skills in Agricultural Education Program among Colleges of Educations in Northwest Nigeria

The study assessed the teaching and learning of entrepreneurial skills in Agricultural Education in Colleges of Education in Northwest Nigeria. Three specific objectives, three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted with a population of 276, which comprises of 225 lecturers and 51 technologists. Census sampling techniques was used with a sample size of 244, which comprised of 198 lectures and 46 technologists. Structured questionnaire with five-point rating scale was used. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach alpha coefficient reliability tool and the values of 0.90, 0.68 and 0.94 were obtained. Weighted mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while ANOVA was used to test the null hypotheses at 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that exposing students to practical skills, exposing students to modern communication skills, identification of investment opportunities to students among others were agreed as strategies to improve the teaching and learning of entrepreneurial skills in agricultural education. Strategies that were not adopted in Colleges of Education to enhance entrepreneurial skills development of students include; developing agripreneurship internship programme, encouraging and setting up agribusiness clubs in schools, establishment of agripreneurship development centres among others. It was also revealed that poor state of infrastructure, poor teaching remuneration for teachers, lack of synergy between industries and training institution, poor societal attitude to skills training and development among others, were challenges affecting entrepreneurial skills development in Colleges of Education, Northwest Nigeria. The result further revealed that, there was no significant difference in the mean responses of lecturers and technologists in Federal and State Colleges of Education on the strategies for improving the teaching and learning of entrepreneurial skills in agricultural education. The study recommended among others that, lecturers and technologists in Colleges of Education should review their teaching strategies.