THE APPRAISAL OF THE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS CONFRONTING STUDENT TEACHERS ON TEACHING PRACTICE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The importance of Teaching Practice in teacher education programme cannot be over-emphasized. It is a period to test the student-teacher ability in classroom teaching and learning situation. It is also referred to as a crucial period, where the student teachers put into practice all the theoretical concepts they have acquired in course of their programme. In translating theory into practices, student teachers encounter a lot of difficulties which they have to battle with for effective teaching and learning to take place.

Many educationists believed that the teaching practice is the must vital part of teacher education programme - every year in colleges of education and universities in Nigeria thousands of students were sent into schools to practice the act of   teaching   after   many   years   of   studying   in   variety   of institution, they find themselves as absolute beginners in the profession they have chosen and in which many of them spent a considerable part of their lives.

Many educator like Cohen and Gainer (1979), Afe (1990) and Khinzla (1990) believed that Teaching Practice is the most vital part of the teaching profession few would challenge the contention that the students practice in school should be a focal point of all the other training he receives.

It is on this occasion that he has his first opportunity to put into application some of the psychology, method and principles he has learned theoretically in lecture method.

Recently there has been a lot of concern about Teaching Practice on how to provide practical experience for teacher trainees in teacher education and helping teacher trainees to acquire, practice or refine their teaching skills, its effectiveness and purpose how far this has been achieved , these concern variously expressed by some educationist; student themselves and the mass media.

The research work therefore attempts in bringing to light some of these problems and solutions.

1.2    STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS

Teaching Practice is a period during which teachers to be are brought into the reality of what their professional field really look like and what it demands of them when it comes to teaching, there are remarkable difference between theory and practice. Year in year out student teachers are confronted with manifold of problems which they can cope with or cannot cope with depending on the circumstance surrounding the problems. It is against this background that this study appraises some of the problems and solutions confronting teaching practice, and what solutions have been advanced toward resolving this problem.

1.3   RESEARCH QUESTION

1. Would there by any significant difference between pre-service teachers in College of Education and that of the University of Benin in their appraisal of the problems associated with teaching practice?
2. Would there be any significant difference between pre-service teachers in College of Education and that of University of Benin in their appraisal of the solutions to    the    problems    confronting    students    Teaching Practices?

1.4   HYPOTHESES

The following hypotheses have been propounded in order to give guide to this research;

1. There are no significant differences between pre-service teacher in College of Education and that of the University of Benin in their appraisal of the problems associated with teaching practice.
2. There   is   no   significant difference   between  pre-service teachers in college of education and that of university of Benin in their appraisal of the solution to the problems confronting Teaching Practice.

1.5   PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to appraise some of the problems student teachers faced during Teaching Practices and to find possible solutions to the problems so as to make the aim of teaching practice a reality.

The study is also geared towards making the student teacher become aware of what the profession demand and what it takes to be a good teacher and to function properly in the same capacity in a school environs-It   is   also   geared   towards   making   conclusion   as   to whether the assumption held by different people as regards the problems faced by student teachers and possible solutions are genuine or not genuine.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The research is carried out to know the problem that student teachers encounter during teaching practice and how the problem could be solved.

Firstly, the student teacher wiil be made to realize the importance of this programme and likely problems he might face during this period. This knowledge will therefore make it easier for him to cope will these problems with less difficulty. It will be enable the teaching practice organizer or co-ordinator to ensure that proper training is given to their student especially on their different subject areas before sending them out for practice.

The supervising lecturer will also no doubt gain from this research work. They will be made aware of the concerns of these student teachers and therefore be sympathetic in their assessment method.

The ministries of education will also be aware of the student's teacher attitudes towards teaching practice and problems faced by them, so as to know how to help them of these problem and it will also aid the achievement of the aims and objectives of teaching practice in teaching education.

Lastly, the outcome of this study will increase the volume of this literature in the area of problem faced by student teachers and possible solution,

1.7    SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF STUDY

The scope of this research is delimited to the problems facing the student teachers during teaching practice and possible solution to these problems. Student with teaching practice experience were the sample of this study- They are College of Education students and students in the Faculty of Education, University of Benin.

1.8   LIMITATION OP STUDY

It would have been possible to extend the study to cover many institution as possible but for the limiting factor of time and finance.

More also the researcher was faced with the problem ol scarcity of material because few recent works were available for the research topic:

DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Education:   A process whereby a person receives ideas, skills, and knowledge that would not have received in his ordinary environment through the traditional family or community educative process.    
2. Profession:     This    is    the    occupation    that    requires specialized training.
3. Individual difference: Individual invariably differ from one and other. In the extent and manner of their growth and development progress tends not to be uniform in all areas within the individual e,g, physical growth may progress at a different rate than intellectual growth.