Teaching Practice Exercise for Education Students in Nigerian Universities: Challenges and the Way Forward

The purpose of this study was to find out the various problems student-teachers face during the teaching practice exercise and proffer possible solutions. The study adopted the descriptive research of the survey type. The population consisted of all the lecturers and students of the Faculty of Education in three universities namely, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko and University of Benin, Benin-City. The sample was however made up of 69 lecturers and 244 students across the three universities. A self designed instrument tagged ‘Teaching Practice for Education Students in Universities Questionnaire (TPSIUQ)’ was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by research experts in educational planning and in test and measurement in Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. Cronbach Alpha method was used to determine the reliability coefficient which stood at 0.79. The finding showed, among other things, that the student teachers face accommodation problem most especially when they are posted outside the university town. The result further showed that lecturers and students do not differ in their perception of the problem being faced by the student teachers. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that there should be proper orientation for the student teachers before going on teaching practice exercise. It was again recommended that the university authority should give the student teachers financial support for their upkeep during the exercise. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p486