Introducing indigenous education to university undergraduate students: feelers from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria – O.D. Kolawole

The article investigated the perception of OAU undergraduate students of Agriculture offering a special elective course (SEE 001/002), entitled Indigenous education in Nigeria, as regards its appropriateness and curriculum relevance to higher education. The specific objectives were to analyse the socio-economic/demographic characteristics of the students; identify the course contents and their relevance to the development of indigenous knowledge theory and practice in higher education; and determine the acceptability of indigenous approach to education among students. A purposive sampling of 100 agriculture undergraduate students was carried out with the use of structured and unstructured questionnaires. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics (such as percentages, measures of central dispersion) and inferential statistic (correlation and chi square analyses). The result showed that a positive and significant relationship existed between a student’s cultural background (r = 0.225), parent’s occupation (r = 0.175) and his favourable perception of the adaptation of indigenous knowledge in higher education.
From: SAJHE 19 Special issue 2005, pp. 1189-1196