Views of Young Farmers Club Members on Their Clubs' Activities, Their Career Interests, and Their Intentions to Pursue Agriculture-Related Career Preparation at the Post-secondary Level: An Embedded Case Study of Two Secondary Schools in Eastern Uganda

Abstract

The study had 102 participants who were members of Young Farmers Clubs (YFCs) from two secondary schools in eastern Uganda. The study's primary purpose was to determine the perceptions of the members of YFCs on their intent to pursue agriculture-related career preparation at the post-secondary school level. A secondary purpose was to describe club members and their reasons for club membership. The study was guided by six research objectives and employed a single case (embedded) design; the selection technique for the case was purposeful. The researcher used cross-sectional survey methodology to collect data.The findings indicated most of the club members were in senior four, i.e., grade 10, and almost one-third were 16 years of age. Almost all of the clubs' members were likely or highly likely to continue their education. And a high number indicated they were likely or highly likely to pursue career preparation in an agricultural field. Most of the members came from a nuclear family with nine or fewer members. One-half of them had at least one parent working in agriculture and a majority had a sibling or another relative employed similarly. Students mainly joined the YFCs to improve their academic performance, for personal interests, and to gain life skills. Most of the members were more interested in pursuing careers related to science and indicated little preference for the social sciences or the humanities. Intrinsic factors were the main factors influencing the club members' career choices, such as perceptions of their ability to succeed in a career or personal goals. The activities of their clubs had less influence on the members' career aspirations. Significant associations were found between student's sex and personal interest, their acquiring life skills as a reason for joining YFCs, and pursuing agriculture-related career preparation at the tertiary level. The Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda should encourage more schools to establish YFCs to assist students in acquiring life skills, improving their academic performance, and exploring their career interests. Additional research should be conducted on how to attract more females to careers in agriculture requiring tertiary education, especially in developing countries.