PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF TEACHING PRACTICE AMONG UNDERGRADUATES EDUCATION STUDENTS

1.1 Introduction

Teaching practice as an important component of becoming a teacher, teaching practice grants student - teachers experience in the actual teaching and learning environment. Teaching practice is known to expose student-teachers to the actual practice of teaching (Ruairc, 2013). It is during this period that student- teachers are given the opportunity to try the art of teaching before actually getting into the real world of the teaching profession (Kiggundu and Nayimuli 2009). Teaching practices is the most important element in the professional training of teachers across the world. The importance of teaching practice in teacher education programme cannot be overemphasized. It is the crucial periods of the translating theory into practice.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Teaching practice is a very important and compulsory component of the preparation of teachers for it represent the final steps in t5hde exercise it is a period in the education of the teacher aspirant when he is allowed, under expert supervision to experiment, in a real school environment with the things he has learnt in theory about teaching.

According to grim and Micheals (2006) teaching practice is an opportunity for teacher aspirant to gain practical classroom experiences under expert supervision Okorie (2005) emphasis that student teaching is not a trial period but a preparatory period and an opportunity for the student teacher to learn about the actual work of the teacher is the classroom as well as out of classroom experiences and good human relations”. In a recent study, Onwikwe (2008) found out that ideally student teachers should have the following characteristics to be effective.

The student teacher is given thorough preparation in the subject he has to teach as well as in educational technology and special methodology of the subject matter. Exposure to micro-teaching experience is essential:

• The student teacher works under the guidance of a co operating teacher throughout the period of the exercise.
• The student teacher dose not combines practice, teaching with other university/ college courses.
• The student teacher forms part the co- operating force and is expected to adjust to the conditions in the school.
• The student teacher participants in all the extra- curricular activities of the school throughout the period of the experience.
• The student teacher has opportunity to spend some time watching and observing the professional teacher at work before embarking on teaching himself.

As a result of growing school leaver unemployment, the Nigeria Government introduced the National Policy on Education revised 1980. A major provision of the policy was the introduction of the teaching practice programmes at the College of Education, Ekiadolor, with emphasis on the acquisition of practical teaching skills, valves and knowledge that would enable individuals to impact knowledge. One of the rationales for the emphasis on teaching programmes is that fact that is a skill practices which would equip its gainful employment. One basic necessity for the achievement of this objective is the availability of relevant teaching aids such as chart, chalk board, text books e.t.c. this would ensure that courses are taught according to the curriculum and the programmes in this regard the use of audio-unseals and related teaching facilities as suggested by most authors would be relevant.

In view of this, Perry (2012) argues that teaching practice creates a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, excitement and apprehension in the student-teachers as they commence their teaching practice. Thus, this provides student- teachers with the chance to express their personal educational philosophies, theories and understandings. In other words, this creates an opportunity for student- teachers to experiment and test their knowledge and skills in the profession of teaching and learning with an understanding of their personal educational philosophies and theories.

The student-teachers have been facing a lot of difficulties which they have dealt with for effective teaching and learning to take place. This research work will therefore attempt to investigate and discuss the difficulties the student- teachers undergo during teaching practice and will finally suggest ways for which teaching practice exercise can be improved. Teaching practice is a period of time during which a student teacher is assigned to a specific institution; primary or secondary school for a supervised teaching as one of the requirements for graduation and effective teaching experience.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Problems and Prospects of Teaching Practice among Undergraduates Education Students.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

This research work is to find out the problems and prospects of the teaching practice programme in college of education with special emphasis on college of education Ekiadolor Benin. The ideal is that student teaching should not be done concurrently with other course at the university or college.

The fact that student teachers are placed in school away from campus may suggest that they do not have to do other courses during the practice teaching period. A closer look at the secondary school year vis- a- viz the university I college year point to the contrary, in most cases observed teaching practice periods interlope with university/college semester.

As a result student returning from teaching practice some time loose as many as four weeks in and even some miss their carry over examinations. It is as a result of all these that the researcher intends to examine the problems as prospects of the teaching practice programmes in college of education Ekiadolor-Benin.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Problems and Prospects of Teaching Practice among Undergraduates Education Students in College of Education, Ekiadolor, Benin City. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To investigate relationship between problem faced by student teacher during teaching practices and their performance.
2. To investigate the relationship between classroom management challenges facing student-teachers and their performance.
3. To investigate the relationship between the challenges faced by student-teachers form their supervisors and their performance.
4. To examine the role of teaching practice in the life and upliftment of a nation and individuals.
5. To examine the recent experiences in the teaching practices among Undergraduates Education Students with a view to highlighting the methodologies adopted and proposing areas that need improvement.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Does student teacher encounter problems during teaching practice?
• Does absence of personal qualities can hinder pupil or student progress in the learning process?
• Does student like to practice teaching as profession after graduation?
• What is the role of teaching practice in the life and upliftment of a nation and individuals?
• What are the recent experiences in the teaching practices among Undergraduates Education Students?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no significant relationship between problem faced by student teacher during teaching practices and their performance.
• H1: There is a significant relationship between problem faced by student teacher during teaching practices and their performance.

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There is no significant relationship between classroom management challenges facing student-teachers and their performance.
• H1: There is a significant relationship between classroom management challenges facing student-teachers and their performance.

Hypothesis Three

• H0: There is no significant relationship between the challenges faced by student-teachers form their supervisors and their performance.
• H1: There is a significant relationship between the challenges faced by student-teachers form their supervisors and their performance.

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1.7 Significance of Study

The study is of importance to a considerable number of people, prominent among which both in the university and college of education. This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the Problems and Prospects of Teaching Practice among Undergraduates Education Students in college of education Ekiadolor-Benin, Benin City.

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.10 Definition of Terms

For the purpose of the study, the key concepts (words) used are operationally defined as follows;

Education: The acquisition of concepts and knowledge aimed at brining positive change in behavior.

Students: Anyone who studies or is devoted to the acquisition of knowledge.

Teaching: The process, to help someone to learn, to give lessons to show how to do something.