Performance in Modern Agriculture in Swaziland: A Comparative Study

Abstract

An analysis of the school performance in the external agriculture examination revealed that some schools consistently performed well while others constantly performed poorly. There has been no study conducted to compare high performing and low performing elementary schools in the area. The aimed to compare the high and low performing schools in Agriculture. It focused on 27 schools and targeted 15 high performing schools and 12 low performing schools. This study was carried out to collect data on the teachers of various schools in Eswatini. All the 38 teachers and 26 teachers from high and low performing schools respectively, participated in this study. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the subjects of study. The data collected were then validated by experts and teachers. Thirty agriculture teachers were selected for the pilot test to establish inter-item reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha and the reliability coefficient was .85. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The result indicated that High performing schools have the following features that low performing schools lack: motivation of learners to excel in academic work, practice farming in school garden, student making consultations with teachers, provision of extra lessons for students, monitoring class attendance and absenteeism, and teachers attending classes regularly. Aside from the teachers, the parents and the Ministry of Education were also more involved in the academic success of high performing schools than those in low performing ones. The study suggested that improving the academic performance of low performing schools should be prioritized. This can be done by addressing the various issues affecting low performing schools.