Abstract:
Agricultural education is vital for economic development of most developing countries
including Ghana. The central aim of the agricultural education at the basic level is to train
students in the basic principles of agriculture, provide avenues for the development of their
skills and change the attitudes of the young children towards agriculture. The study was
undertaken using a descriptive survey design to assess teachers and head teachers’ perceived
constraints to effective teaching of agricultural science at the basic education level in Cape
Coast District of Central Region of Ghana.
Pretested and validated questionnaires were used to collect the data from 54 randomly
selected respondents constituting the sample size for the study.
The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the teachers were mature and
experienced. Their major training in agriculture was at the training college level. Only a
few have had in-service training in agriculture. Few teachers used supervised practicals at
the school farms. Visits to nearby farms and seeking the assistance of resource people were
never used. Constraints identified were related to technical aspects of agriculture, the
syllabus, teaching materials, pre-service and in-service teacher training, teacher motivation,
supervision, negative attitudes of students and parents towards agriculture, teaching
environment, and evaluation. Action strategies to improve teaching of agriculture are
provided
