Factors affecting students' attitudes towards agricultural work
Abstract
This study aimed to identify Identifying the attitudes of students of the Agricultural Extension Department at the College of Agriculture at the University of Mosul and Tikrit towards agricultural extension work in general. Arranging items of attitudes of the students of the Agricultural Extension Department in the College of Agriculture at University of Mosul and Tikrit according to their relative importance. The population of the study was constituted of all students of The Agricultural Extension Department of The College of Agriculture in Mosul and Tikrit. (87) students in Mosul and (59) students in Tikrit, respondents of the total College of Agriculture in Mosul and Tikrit were (146) students. Results shows that the level of attitudes of the students of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Mosul and Tikrit towards agricultural extension work was moderate tended to negative. the result show that the items (I think likewise that agriculture is permanent oil) and (I would like there to be governmental support for the agricultural sector) came in the first and second when arrangement the items according to their relative importance at university of Mosul and Tikrit. also, there are not relationship between the attitudes of Students In university of Mosul And Tikrit Towards Agricultural Extension Work and Gender, Study Stage, upbringing, Admission to college. As for the most important recommendations reached by the research, it is to hold seminars that explain to students the importance of specializing in agricultural extension in achieving development, as well as the importance of university professors and colleges 'deans to amend students' negative or neutral attitudes towards agricultural guidance and make it positive.
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Introduction
Agriculture is one of the basic pillars of the national economy because it is the main source that supplies The population with food as well as being the source that supplies the manufacturing industries with raw materials, hence it must be Paying attention to this sector and developing it to keep pace with the increase in population numbers, at least in the near future (Mohammad and Salah, 2010) [1] . Whereas, the development of the agricultural sector depends on two basic elements, namely the material component represented by the outcome of progress Scientific and technical in a field related to agricultural production, the human element and its aptitudes and capabilities And skills that qualify the material element to be used efficiently in achieving development (Al-Taie, 2002) [2] . The human side, especially the youth, needs to learn skills and abilities and acquire positive Attitudes that qualify it to play the role expected of it in occupying a functional position in the agricultural architecture to face the challenges and that carrying out this role requires study programs and modern technologies that help in accomplishing the task of human development, which is done through the educational process (Shenaifi, 2013) [3] . So that the student is able to perform his work efficiently and qualified agricultural professionals are prepared to work in the agricultural sector During the rehabilitation process within the agricultural educational institutions, continuous efforts are required and an evaluation of the behavior of these students in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes is required. So, Attitudes are considered one of the most important determinants of human behavior and in the future, they become of special importance because they direct behavior in addition to values and standards (Abd-Ella, and Ebad-Allah, 2014) [3] . The study of Attitudes is of great importance to experts in the field of social sciences due to their prominent role in directing The social behavior of the individual is a driving force and a driving force for this behavior, and it is closely related to the person's behavior and his decisions in different situations (Al-Tanoubi, 1993) [10] . Given its importance, it is receiving great interest from researchers in an attempt from them To get to a precise definition of this concept because it is used in different meanings and the reason for this is the presence of different points of view To this day, there is no single codified definition of the trend, except for that definition that has been popularized more than others and still possesses Acceptance by the majority of researchers is the definition of Gordon Alport, in which it is stated that the Attitude is a state of mental readiness It is organized with the person through his experience and has a negative or positive effect on the individual's response to all topics and the situations evoked by this response (Al-Saad,et.al,2012) [5] . There is agreement among those interested in studying trends that they are learned and learned and that they are subject to www.extensionjournal.com modification and can grow and develop like all behavior patterns. The studies of (Abd al-Rahman,1987) [11] , (Malika,1980), (Zahran,1983) [13] and (Liegans,1989) indicated that the individual can learn his trends to adapt to his environment as he seeks to conform his behavior with his attitudes towards different issues and the nature of the trends is determined according to the individual's relationship with certain situations. In his environment. Given the importance Attitudes and being drivers of human behavior, this study came to determine the Attitudes of the College of Agriculture students towards Agricultural work and its relationship to some independent variables for students For this reason, perhaps the professors at Tikrit College of Agriculture should make every effort to change the students' negative and neutral attitudes towards positive towards extension work by clarifying the importance of agricultural extension and its relationship to all other agricultural specializations. This result agrees with (Sahar, 2016) and dis agree with (Al-Saad, et.al,2012) [5] .
Objectives of Study
Identifying the attitudes of students of the Agricultural Extension Department at the College of Agriculture at University of Tikrit towards agricultural extension work in general
From table (2) we can observe that the attitudes of Tikrit University students towards agricultural work were divided into three categories, are the negative (88-104), and its percentage was (26.6%) with a mean (99.31), while the percentage of the neutral (105-121) category reached (61.7%), With a mean of (110.10), and the positive category (122-139) the percentage was (11.7%), With a mean of (134). From this, we can say that nearly two-thirds of the respondents have neutral attitudes that tend to be negative towards agricultural work. This results not agree with (Abdwww.extensionjournal.com
Ella and Ebad-Allah.2014) [3] (Saeed Hameed, T,2019) [8] . Perhaps the reason for this is due to the decline and collapse of the agricultural sector in the country in general and in Tikrit in particular, which may be due to several reasons, the most important of which is the large shortage of agricultural production means such as fertilizers, pesticides and seeds, as well as the expansion of desertification that affected Iraq recently in addition to dependence on imports from outside the country, and not to rely on self-sufficiency.
Arranging items of attitudes of the students of the Agricultural Extension Department in the College of Agriculture and Forestry at University of Mosul according to their relative importance.
We can see that The table 3 shows arrangement of the items of the attitudes of students agricultural extension work at the University of Mosul, and it becomes clear to us that the two items (I would like there to be governmental support for the agricultural sector) and (I think likewise that agriculture is permanent oil) ranked first and second on the arithmetic mean of (4.56) and (4.48) Respectively. This is because the increase in government support for the agricultural sector contributes to building the state and strengthening its national economy, so the government should support the farmer and provide him with the necessary supplies for agriculture in order to provide a large stock of agricultural crops that can meet the needs of the Iraqi consumer and then export it to neighboring countries because the Iraqi vegetables have a special taste. And desired by all. While the item (I think that agricultural extension work is not suitable for the sons and daughters of the city) ranked last with an arithmetic mean of (2.15), because agriculture can be practiced by anyone who has an interest in it, it is not exclusive to rural people and has nothing to do with the socialization of individuals.
Arranging items of attitudes of the students of the Agricultural Extension Department in the College of
Agriculture at University of Tikrit according to their relative importance.
The Table 4 shows arrangement of the items of the attitudes of students towards agricultural extension work at the University of Tikrit, and it becomes clear to us that the two items (I think likewise that agriculture is permanent oil) and (I would like there to be governmental support for the agricultural sector) ranked first and second on the arithmetic mean of (4.98) and (4.90) Respectively. Perhaps this is due www.extensionjournal.com to the importance of agriculture, as it is considered a major source of food. Providing job opportunities for the unemployed. Its products are integrated into the industry, such as cotton, sugar cane, and others. It is considered a financial source for many projects. It is considered a decoration for the environment surrounding humans. Reducing pollution in the air. Purify the air and raise its oxygen level. Reducing high temperatures and humidity in the air. Stimulate the evaporation process. Reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Reducing soil erosion Wind relief. Raise the industrial activity inputs. Contributes to achieving national food security. While the item (I feel that working with agricultural extension is difficult and cumbersome for me) ranked last with an arithmetic mean of (2.52), Perhaps the reason for this is that agricultural extension work does not cause discomfort or that this work is not difficult for the individual, as what he wanted to do. Most people who work in this field feel pleasure and optimism.
Identify the correlation relationship between the attitudes of the students of the Agricultural Extension Department at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at University of Mosul towards agricultural extension work and some independent variables. Gender:
It is evident from Table 6 that the gender variable was divided into two categories, males with a percentage of (52.30%), and females, whose percentage was (47.70%). To find the correlation between the gender variable and students 'attitudes towards agricultural extension work, the Spearman correlation coefficient was used, which reached (0.106). This indicates that the correlation is not significant, and the reason for this may be due to the technical development in all fields of agriculture It reduced the muscle effort required to accomplish the farm work. This result is consistent with what was reached (Qasim, 1983), (Al-Tai ,2002), (Mohammad and Salah, 2010) [10] and dis agree with (Al-Saad, et.al,2012) [5] .
Study Stage:
The Study stage was divided into three categories, the second stage and its percentage were (13.85%), and the third stage (26.15%), while the fourth stage reached (60.00%). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to find the correlation between study stage and student attitudes, and the correlation value was (0.141), and this indicates that the relationship is not significant. This indicates that the attitudes of the respondents are not affected by the academic stage of the respondents, whether they are in the second, third or fourth stage, and this is consistent with what he reached (Shaheen, 1983) [16] .
Upbringing:
The variable was divided into two categories, rural and urban, and their percentage were (76.92%) and (23.08%) respectively. When finding the correlation between upbringing and trends using the Spearman www.extensionjournal.com correlation coefficient, its value was (0.097), which is not significant relationship, this agree with (Sahar, 2016). This indicates that the upbringing of the respondents, whether rural or urban, has no effect on their attitudes towards agricultural extension work. Admission to College: Table (6) shows that the Admission to college variable in was classified into two categories according to desire was (33.85%), according to and their degree of rate were their percentage (66.15%), and the correlation relationship between acceptance in the college and the trend was not found. It shows that the relationship between acceptance and attitude is not significant. this agree with (Sahar, 2016) (Talal Saeed Hameed and Mohammed, 2022) [9] .
Civilization Openness: It is evident from Table (6) that the civilization openness has been divided into three categories, which are the low group (11-16) and its percentage was (16.92%), and the Moderate category (17-22), whose percentage was (56.93%), while the percentage of the high category was (23-28) (26.51%). To find the correlation between the civilization openness and the attitudes, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used, whose value was (0.078), and this indicates that the relationship is not significant. this is disagreeing with (Al-Saeidy and Al-Attabi, 2009) [2] .
Identify the correlation relationship between the attitudes of the students of the Agricultural Extension
Department at the Faculty of Agriculture at University of Tikrit towards agricultural extension work and some independent variables Gender: we can see from Table 7 that the gender variable was divided into two categories, males with a percentage of (75.00%), and females, whose percentage was (25.00%). To find the correlation between the gender variable and students 'attitudes towards agricultural extension work, the Spearman correlation coefficient was used, which reached (0.069). This indicates that the correlation is not significant, and the reason may be due, as we mentioned earlier, to the presence of a large number of administrative employees, and this It means that the job opportunities for graduates are less than other institutes, as well as the returns. Economic of administrative work compared to other work. This agree with (Mohammad and Salah, 2010) [10] , (Al-Jadou, 2015) [18] , (Matar, 2008) [19] , (Hameed and abd Al Faraje.2020) [6] , (Hameed and abd Al Faraje.2021) [7] .
Study Stage:
The Study stage was divided into three categories, the second stage and its percentage was (48.33%), and the third stage (18.34%), while the fourth stage reached (33.33%). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to find the correlation between study stage and student attitudes, and the correlation value was (0.020), and this indicates that the relationship is not significant. This indicates that the study stage does not affect the students' attitudes towards agricultural extension work, whether it is a second, third or fourth stage. This is disagreeing with. Upbringing: from table 7 we can see the variable was divided into two categories, rural and urban, and their percentage were (68.33%) and (31.67%) respectively. When finding the correlation between upbringing and trends using the Spearman correlation coefficient, its value was (0.082), which is not significant relationship, this agree with (Sahar, 2016) and disagree with (Al-Hayaly,2007) [7] .
Admission to college: Table (7) seems that Admission to college variable in was classified into two categories according to desire was (35.00%), according to and their degree of rate were their percentage (65.00%), and the correlation relationship between acceptance in the college and the trend was not found. It shows that the relationship between acceptance and attitude is not significant. this disagree with.
Civilization openness: Table (7) shows that the civilization openness has been divided into three categories, which are the low group (15-18) and its percentage was (15.00%), and the Moderate category (19-22), whose percentage was www.extensionjournal.com (46.66%), while the percentage of the high category was (more than 23) (38.34%). To find the correlation between the civilization openness and the attitudes, Pearson correlation coefficient was used, whose value was (0.434**), and this indicates that the relationship is significant between the attitudes and the civilization openness. This agree with (Al-Saeidy and Al-Attabi, 2009) [2] .
Conclusion
Acknowledgement
AcknowledgementsWe extend our thanks and appreciation to the presidency of Agricultural Extension and Technical Transfer Department, Deanship of College of Agriculture and Forestry / University of Mosul for providing research requirements and continuous support for us that helped us to complete this research.
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Funding
- University of Mosul
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