INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL LEARNING FACILITIES ON AGRIPRENEURIAL CHOICES OF STUDENTS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN GOMBE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of digital learning facilities on the agripreneurial choices of students in tertiary institutions in Gombe State, Nigeria. The study was guided by two specific objectives, two research questions, and two null hypotheses. The study which was conducted in Gombe State adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of this study was 3,610 respondents. This includes 3,512 final year students and 98 lecturers drawn from four tertiary institutions in Gombe State. The sample size for the study was 360 determined using the Taro Yamane formula. The sampling process employed a multistage sampling technique. The instrument for data collection in this study was a structured questionnaire titled “Digital Learning Facilities and Agripreneurial Choice Questionnaire (DLFACQ)”. The instruments was subjected to validation by experts, A reliability index of 0.87 was obtained using Cronbach's Alpha to determining the reliability index of the instrument. Mean and Standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while the hypotheses were tested using linear regression at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that Digital learning facilities are moderately available in tertiary institutions in Gombe State, Accessibility to digital learning facilities moderately influences students’ choice of agripreneurship, The study recommended among others, that, Tertiary institutions in Gombe State should not only provide digital learning facilities but also ensure their effective integration into teaching and learning processes, particularly in entrepreneurship and agripreneurship-related courses, so that students can translate digital exposure into practical business competencies.