Challenges and Opportunities in the Implementation of Rural Farm School among Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20569451Keywords:
agricultural education, experiential learning, implementation challenges, rural development, Rural Farm School, sustainable farmingAbstract
This study examined the challenges and opportunities encountered by students in the implementation of the Rural Farm School (RFS) at Mahinog National High School in Camiguin. It employed a quantitative descriptive-survey design supplemented by informal interviews. Complete enumeration was used to include 76 Grade 7 and Grade 8 RFS students. A modified expert-validated questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha of .91 was administered, and the data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation, z-test, and analysis of variance. Results showed that the students experienced implementation challenges to a high extent (M = 3.63, SD = 0.29). The most prominent concerns involved sustaining operational costs for demonstration farms and modern equipment (M = 3.70, SD = 0.46), addressing the shortage of qualified agricultural educators (M = 3.67, SD = 0.50), improving the social perception of RFS, and strengthening facilities, partnerships, and monitoring systems. The detailed results reported no statistically significant relationship between challenges and opportunities (r = .20, p = .089). Perceptions of challenges did not significantly differ according to sex, family income, and livelihood source; however, a significant difference was reported according to household size, F(2, 73) = 96.02, p < .001. The findings indicate that RFS remains a valuable approach for experiential agricultural education, but its sustainability requires adequate resources, teacher development, stronger partnerships, and systematic program monitoring.
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