Statement of the Problem
Iniobong (2008) opined that the future
of any nation depends on the quality of its teachers. The saying that no
educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers and no nation can
rise above the level of its teaching staff shows the role of teachers and
teachers’ educational programmes in national development.
With the introduction of Universal Basic Education (UBE) only well trained teachers can successfully translate the objectives of UBE to reality. Education, according to Lassa (1996) is the key to national development and only teachers hold the key and can turn it to national development. In order to acquire practical professional experiences to meet up with the above task, the trainee teachers are sent on teaching practice, this enables the prospective teachers to be well prepared for the assumption of duty as professionally, motivated conscientious and efficient classroom teacher who will encourage the spirit of inquiry, creativity and intellectual development among the beneficiaries of educational system. The problem of the study therefore is to ascertain the attitude of student teachers towards teaching practice in higher institutions in Nigeria.
With the introduction of Universal Basic Education (UBE) only well trained teachers can successfully translate the objectives of UBE to reality. Education, according to Lassa (1996) is the key to national development and only teachers hold the key and can turn it to national development. In order to acquire practical professional experiences to meet up with the above task, the trainee teachers are sent on teaching practice, this enables the prospective teachers to be well prepared for the assumption of duty as professionally, motivated conscientious and efficient classroom teacher who will encourage the spirit of inquiry, creativity and intellectual development among the beneficiaries of educational system. The problem of the study therefore is to ascertain the attitude of student teachers towards teaching practice in higher institutions in Nigeria.
Research Questions
The following research questions are
stated to guide the study:
1. What
is the attitude of student teachers towards teaching practice?
2. What
are the problems facing practical teaching and its related activities in
Nigeria universities?
3. What
are the strategies for improving the attitude of student teachers towards
teaching practice?
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses are formulated
to guide the study:
1. There
is no significant difference in the mean ratings of the 300 and 400 level
students on the problems facing practical teaching and its related activities.
2. There
is no significant difference between the strategies for improving the attitude
of student teachers and that of teachers towards teaching practice.
3. There
is no significant difference in the attitude of student teachers in urban
schools and the student teachers in rural schools towards teaching practice.
Purpose of the Study
In general term, the purpose of the
study is to ascertain the attitude of the students in the faculty of education
in Nigeria universities towards teaching practice as an impetus for their
professionalization. Specifically, the study intended to:
1. Determine
the attitude of student teachers towards teaching practice.
2. Identify
the problems facing practical teaching and its related activities in Nigeria
universities.
3. Identify
strategies for improvement in the attitude of the student teachers.
Significance of the Study
The study will be of great importance to
the public as it aims at analyzing the attitudes of student teachers who are
the future trained teachers towards teaching practice. It will also help to
measure adequately, the confidence of their current skill in teaching.
The study will help to curb and solve
the problems of untrained/unqualified teachers in the educational system as
well as help to reveal the problems facing practical teaching and its related
activities in Nigerian institutions.
Lastly, the study will help to identify
the various strategies for improving the attitudes of student teachers and provide
adequate literature to the general public, other educational experts and
researchers who intend to carry out further investigation on the improvement of
teaching practice.
Scope of the Study
The study is limited to universities in
Nigeria, it is also restricted to the attitudes of student teachers towards
teaching practice.
Limitations of the Study
Every study has its own limitations.
Some of the constraints encountered in carrying out this study are:
1. Due
to the fact that there are numerous schools in Delta State coupled with the
fact that it will be a burden on the researcher both financially and time-wise
to undertake a comprehensive research on these schools. This work is therefore
limited by availability of finance and time factors, as there is stipulated time
for its completion.
2. The
lack of relevant literature on the other hand has also limited the scopes of
this research. This shortage or non-availability of relevance literatures from
which the researcher could gather facts obviously place a sort of difficulty on
his path, hence inhibiting a comprehensive research work.
Operational Definition of Terms
For purpose of clarity, the following
terms are operationally defined:
1. Attitude:
Attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual’s degree of
likes or dislikes for something.
2. Practice:
To do something or a course repeatedly in order to gain a skill in it.
3. Teaching:
Is the profession or practice of being a teacher, the act of giving
instruction.
4. Student:
A person who is studying at a school or college. Denoting someone who is
studying in order to enter a particular profession.
5. Profession:
A paid occupation, one that involves prolonged training and a formal
qualification.
6. Instruction:
A direction or order. The act, practice or profession of instructing.
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