Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

Evaluation of the Challenges Facing Prospective

Teachers During Teaching Practice for Effective
Teacher Production in Tertiary Education in
Anambra State, Nigeria
Onyekwelu, Raphael Azubuike
Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education.
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam Campus

Abstract:- This study which evaluated the challenges make huge differences to children’s lives through the
facing prospective teachers during teaching practice for impartation of relevant knowledge and skills as well as serve
effective teacher production was guided by one research as models to the learners (Craft, 2012).
question and one hypothesis. Descriptive survey research
design was engaged. The population of the study Teachers are therefore meant to be properly trained
comprised 6 public tertiary institutions in Anambra because any obsolete knowledge or misconception of
State with about 2,456 level three students in teacher information relayed to students could have irreversible
education. Total enumeration sampling technique was consequences simply put, it could influence the children’s
utilized thus all the 6 government tertiary institutions lives negatively. On the reverse side, properly trained
were used for the study. 983 students were drawn from teachers have overwhelming positive influence in the lives
2,456 representing 40% of the entire population. The of the learners. This is the reason teacher education should
researcher designed an instrument entitled “Evaluation not only be an all round education but also continuous so as
of the Challenges of Prospective Teachers Educational to adapt to changing situations inherent in modern times.
Instrument” (ECPTEI) which was used to draw out The potential teachers should be properly fortified with
information from the respondents. The validity of the relevant technicalities that the profession demands. The
instrument was guaranteed while test retest method was Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN, 2013) is conscious of
used to test the reliability of the instrument. The result the importance of teachers in human capital development
was exposed to Cronbach Alpha method which gave rise thus listed the objectives of teacher education as follows;
to the coefficient value of 0.82 which is considered
adequate for the study. Mean, percentage and frequency  Produce highly motivated, conscientious and efficient
counts were used to answer the research question while classroom teachers for all levels of the educational
t-test was used to test the hypothesis. The findings system;
revealed that prospective teachers are faced with  Further encourage the spirit of enquiry and creativity in
enormous challenges like lack of accommodation, lack of teachers;
finance among others during their teaching practice. The  Help teachers fit into the social life of the community
researcher therefore recommended that the host and the society at large and enhance their commitment to
institution should use their good office to assist the national goals;
students in seeking and off-setting accommodations  Provide teachers with the intellectual and professional
before sending them out to the teaching practice schools background adequate for their assignment and to make
to enable them settle down easily for the tasks ahead them adaptable to changing situation; and
hence effective teacher production.  Enhance teachers’ commitment to the teaching
profession.
Keywords:- Evaluation, Challenges, Prospective Teachers,
Teaching Practice and Teacher Production. In order to achieve the above listed lofty objectives, the
training of teachers should be fortified to combat the
I. INTRODUCTION enormous task ahead of them. Teacher training is thus two
faceted; theoretical and practical so as to surmount the
Teachers are the bane of educational delivery process huddles of inculcation of relevant information and dexterity
and as such deserved to be adequately trained both in theory amidst students’ individual differences and goal attainment.
and practice. Teachers are the life-wire of the educational This is in line with what Aminigo & Nwaokugha (2010)
policy implementation through curriculum development and citing Obanya (1984) observed that all forms of professional
usage. It is in the light of the fore-goings that Nwosu (2020) training have both a theoretical and practical aspects.
echoed that teachers are among the principal guardians of
education and are the driving force for educational
improvement and development. This is because teachers can

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Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
 The Dimensions of Teacher Education in Teacher (2002) in Odunlade (2020) outlined the objectives of
Education Institutions in Nigeria. teaching practice to include;
Teacher education is grouped into two components
namely;  Provision to prospective teacher on the opportunity of
establishing appropriate teacher-student relationship
 The theoretical component---the theoretical component  Provision of an opportunity to evaluate the students’
consists of all the course work carried out by the potential as a teacher and suitability for the teaching
prospective teachers in the teacher education institutions. profession.
It entails the choice subject area, the necessary general  Development of personal relationship with others such as
courses as well as the education courses. Micro teaching administrators, teachers, parents and students.
is one of the theoretical courses to be studied that has in-  To provide future teachers with experience in school to
built miniature practical training. It is meant to give the overcome the problem of discipline and enable him/her
students an insight into how the practical teaching works. develop method of control.
It is done in the class under the supervision of the lecture  To provide an opportunity to put theories into practice
in-charge. It could last for maximum of 10-15 minutes. and develo Akbar (2002) in Odunlade (2020)ped
By the end of the exercise, the fellow students are given experience understanding of educational principles and
opportunity to criticise the student teacher objectively their implication of learning.
before the lecturer summarizes all the contributions  To enable the student teachers effectively plan and
amicably. prepare lessons.
 The practical component or the teaching practicum or  Development of skills in the use of fundamental
teaching practise---this is the time the student-teacher is procedures, techniques and method of teaching.
expected to put into practise all the theoretical  Development of desirable professional values and ideals
components into practical terms. It is an extension of the relative to teaching profession.
micro-teaching exercise earlier introduced during course
 To enable students acquire desirable characteristics and
work while in training. traits of a good teacher.
 To provide student teachers with opportunity to have
 The Concept of Teaching Practice
teaching evaluation and to gain from constructive
Teaching practice is the systematic practical training
criticism.
given to the potential teachers while they are in training.
 To provide an opportunity for self-evaluation and to
Teaching practice takes place outside their training institute.
discover one’s strength and weakness.
It is carried out in the public schools whether secondary
primary and early childhood levels of education. Similarly,  To develop skill in future teachers related to teaching
Ekundayo, Alonge, Kolawole & Ekundayo (2014) posited like fluent speaking, meaningful reading, use of
that teaching practice involves getting would-be teachers blackboard and other teaching materials.
familiar with the practical knowledge of teaching and
learning process in the areas of lesson plan preparation, It is established that teaching practice involves moving
presentation of the lesson, classroom control and out of the initial training institution to the assigned area of
management, communication skills, evaluation and acquire practical teaching or internship. This implies that the
the professional and personal attributes of an ideal teacher. student-teacher should be adequately prepared and informed
Towing the same lane, Nwanekezi, Okoli and Mezieobi on the expectations thereby fortifying the student-teacher
(2011) perceived teaching practice as the name ascribed to psychologically for the exercise ahead. This is what
the preparation of potential teachers for teaching practically prompted Aminigo and Nwaokugha (2010) to identify what
in the designated schools. preparations should students preparing for teaching practice
make as follows;
In his own view point, Odunlade (2020) citing Tanega
(2000) espoused that there are three dimensions of teaching  Orientations/Seminars; the students who are about
practice namely; embarking on teaching practice should be prepared
adequately by organizing orientations and seminars so as
 The practising of teaching skills and acquisition of the to familiarise them with what they about to face. This
role of a teacher, programme should be made compulsory for the
 The whole range of experiences that student-teachers go prospective teachers.
through in co-operating with the school of practice.  The financial obligation of this exercise should be
 The practical teaching as distinct from theoretical exposed to them to enable them get their family
studies. members ready for the financial support thus be in a
better position to work with new friends, colleagues and
students in the new environment.
Following the above listed areas of teaching practice, it
is obvious that teaching practice is a kind of experimentation  Working under the supervision of the senior colleagues
of the theoretical knowledge, skills and technicalities who are permanent teachers in the school of assignment.
acquired while in the teacher training institution in the field  Making sure that the student-teacher is regular in school
(actual classroom setting) so as to get acquainted and and keeping up to date records of activities so as not to
internalize the proficiency therein. Going further, Akbar miss the institutions supervisor.

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Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
 Learning and internalizing both the personal and how lesson should be prepared as well as note writing,
professional qualities of an effective teacher. assessing of the lesson objectives, fidgeting during
 Putting into practice all the theories and principles of supervision, improper use of teaching aids and partial
teaching learnt during course work which is the first knowledge of eclectic teaching methods are part of the
phase of the teaching practice. challenges facing student-teachers during their assignment.
 Being well-informed on the outstanding objectives of the
teaching practice as being essential to the professional Teaching practice being an integral part of teacher
training. education is the kind of apprenticeship training teacher-in-
 Student-teachers should submit themselves for training under goes so as to internalise the teaching
supervision at appropriate time for evaluation which is procedures, commitment and dutifulness required of an ideal
congenial. teacher. Teaching practice affords the student teacher the
 Determining and selecting suitable working tools for opportunity of being an independent teacher who is prone to
effective and efficient teaching practice. use creative ingenuity in the teaching profession to make
 Continuously planning and re-planning one’s schedule advancement in teaching scenario. With problems here and
and activities to attain success. there, the student teacher would experience what is termed
divided attention which would definitely encumber
Adekola (2010) gave credence to the above expositions successful teaching practice that promotes effective teacher
when the scholar posited that student-teacher on teaching production. The researcher is worried that any bottle-neck
practice who wish to successful should guided by the that obstructs this apprenticeship period could result to
following; irreversible circumstances at the long run. It is for this
reason that the researcher seeks to identify these problems
 Obey the rules and regulations of the hampering victorious teaching practice for effective teacher
universities/colleges sending trainee out for teaching production hence the study.
practice.
 The Purpose of the Study
 Familiarize yourself with university/college grading
The purpose of the study is the evaluation of the
system for teaching practice
challenges facing prospective teachers during teaching
 Obey the rules and regulations of the practising school.
practice for effective teacher production in tertiary education
 Familiarize and co-operate with the permanent teachers in Anambra State, Nigeria. Precisely, the study sought to:
and principal of the assigned school.
 Display enough seriousness, devotion, commitment, and  Identify the challenges facing prospective teachers
discipline to your performance while in practise to during teaching practice for effective teacher production
indicate your readiness and willingness for the job of in tertiary education in Anambra State, Nigeria.
teaching.
 Ensure that the lesson plan is comprehensively prepared  Research Question
always in line with the approved scheme of work for
each lesson.  What are the challenges facing prospective teachers
 Support your teaching with appropriate instructional during teaching practice for effective teacher production
materials. in tertiary education in Anambra State, Nigeria based on
 Be ready for the class before embarking on the teaching gender?
and learning encounter.
 Ensure your master your subject content very well.  Hypothesis
 Be humble and respectful to the supervisor
 Let the school administrator know your movement as  There is no significant difference between the mean
any point in time. Use the movement book if necessary. rating scores of the respondents on the challenges facing
 Be punctual and regular at school all through the prospective teachers during teaching practice for
internship period. effective teacher production in tertiary education in
Anambra State, Nigeria based on gender.
Despite the above listed rules and expectations from
the student-teachers, there are a good number of challenges II. METHODOLOGY
facing the them which could emanate either from the
students themselves, the host institutions and the place of Descriptive survey research design was engaged. The
posted for the teaching practice exercise. Stemming from population of the study comprised 6 public tertiary
the above narrative, Emesini, Ugwu, Mbah & Ikpozu (2019) institutions in Anambra State with about 2,456 level three
identified inadequate programme planning, lack of fund to students in teacher education. Total enumeration sampling
give students required assistance,, poor transport system, technique was utilized thus all the 6 government tertiary
improper supervision by both institutions among others are institutions were used for the study. 983 students were
problems encountered by the practicing teachers. Still on the drawn from 2,456 representing 40% of the entire population.
same terrain, Ekundayo, Alonge, Kolawole & Ekundayo The researcher designed an instrument entitled “Evaluation
(2014) posited that problem of accommodation, of the Challenges of Prospective Teachers Educational
incompetency in class management, improper knowledge of Instrument” (ECPTEI) which was used to draw out

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Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
information from the respondents. The validity of the the researcher along with four trained research assistants
instrument was guaranteed while test retest method was used using fill-on-the-spot technique. Out of 983 copies of
to test the reliability of the instrument. The result was questionnaire distributed, 980 was retrieved due to the
exposed to Cronbach Alpha method which gave rise to the stringent approach adopted and were used for data analysis.
coefficient value of 0.82 which is considered adequate for
the study. Mean, percentage and frequency counts were used III. ANALYSIS
to answer the research question while t-test was used to test
the hypothesis. Four point Likert scale indicating level of Research Question 1. What are the challenges facing
problem was utilized: Strongly Agree [SA=4], Agree [A=3], prospective teachers during teaching practice for effective
Disagree [D=2] and Strongly Disagree [SD=1]. These are teacher production in tertiary education in Anambra State,
coded and weighted to answer the research questions using Nigeria based on gender?
2.5 as the benchmark. The instrument was administered by

Table 1 Responses of Participants on the Challenges Facing Prospective Teachers During Teaching Practice for Effective Teacher
Production in Tertiary Education in Anambra State, Nigeria Based on Gender.
Item: do you agree Male = 365 Female = 615
on the following as Frequency counts Freq. Counts
the challenges faced
during teaching
S/n practice? SA A D SD x SD Rmk SA A D SD x SD Rmk
1 Accommodation 139 156 37 33 3.09 0.53 A 203 198 109 105 2.98 .65 A
2 Finance 143 127 56 39 3.02 0.58 A 200 213 89 113 2.81 .58 A
3 Teaching techniques 146 114 53 52 2.96 0.57 A 321 187 59 49 3.27
4 Classroom 100 165 36 64 2.82 0.62 A 256 200 111 48 3.50 .56 A
management
5 Lesson note 164 123 58 20 3.18 0.55 A 199 210 100 106 2.81 .54 A
preparation
6 Stage fright 80 90 150 45 2.56 0.62 A 204 232 121 58 2.94 .62 A
7 Transportation 189 100 52 24 3.24 0.54 A 188 110 179 138 2.56 .58 A
8 Assessing the lesson 160 124 35 46 3.09 0.56 A 159 186 134 136 2.59 .60 A
objectives
9 Responding to 144 121 46 54 2.97 0.58 A 169 98 136 212 2.36 .56 D
students’ questions
10 Adapting to the new 265 100 nil nil 3.72 0.51 A 198 189 125 103 2.78 .58 A
environment
Grand mean 2.69 0.62 A 2.86 .66 A

Table 1 presents that all the respondents agree that the gave rise to 2.69 with SD of 0.62 and 2.86 with SD of 0.66
challenges facing prospective teachers are accommodation, for both male and female respectively.
finance, teaching techniques, classroom management among
others as seen the items with serial numbers 1-10 for males  Hypothesis 1:
and items 1-8 and 9-10. All of which have their mean rating There is no significant difference between the mean
scores ranging between 2.56-3.72 which is in line with the rating scores of the respondents on the challenges facing
benchmark of 2.5. However, the females disagree on item prospective teachers during teaching practice for effective
with serial number 9 that responding to students’ questions teacher production in tertiary education in Anambra State,
does not pose any challenge to them with mean rating score Nigeria based on gender.
of 2.36 which is below the benchmark. The grand mean

Table 2 T-Test Statistics between the Mean Rating Scores of the Respondents on the Challenges Facing Prospective Teachers
During Teaching Practice for Effective Teacher Production in Tertiary Education in Anambra State, Nigeria Based on Gender.
Variables N Mean SD t-cal t-crit. Sig. level Remark
Male 365 2.69 0.62 1.68 1.96 0.05 Not sig.
Female 615 2.86 0.66

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Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
Table 2 shows the mean rating scores of 2.69 with SD REFERENCES
of 0.62 for male and 2.86 with SD of 0.66 for female, the t-
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significant. Since the t-critical is greater than the t- (Eds) Teaching practice guide book. Port Harcourt;
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[4]. Ekundayo, H.T., Alonge, H.O., Kolawole, A.O. &
Following the analysis, the findings revealed that almost all Ekundayo, S.K. (2014). Teaching practice exercise for
the respondents agree that prospective teachers are faced education students in Nigerian universities: Challenges
with a lot of problems during teaching practice exercise in and the way forward. Mediterranean Journal of Social
the tertiary education in Anambra State. The hypothesis Sciences, 5(9); 486-492. www.rearchgate.net
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of fund, poor transport system, improper knowledge of
lesson note writing and accommodation among others are
impediments to teaching practice students.

V. CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis and findings, it is concluded that

there are the challenges facing prospective teachers during
teaching practice for effective teacher production in tertiary
education in Anambra State, Nigeria based on gender

RECOMMENDATION

From the findings and conclusion of the study, it is

recommended that;

 The government through the host institutions should

endeavour to assist prospective teachers with finance as
well as accommodation during teaching practice so as to
enable them face with zeal their primary assignment for
effective teacher production not just in Anambra State
but nation-wide.

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