PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE TEACHING PROFESSION IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The universal claim that education is a significant sure and powerful weapon for achieving sustainable development in all human societies today cannot be overstated. Education is regarded as a powerful tool for effecting desired changes in a country’s social and cultural life. Developing countries face a slew of unusual issues, such as extreme poverty, illiteracy, and so on. Of course, appropriate citizen education is the solution. According to Okemakido (2013), education helps buffer the high rate of literacy effect by emancipating the masses from the shackles of ignorance, equipping them with cognitive skills to induce development, making them politically, economically, and socially aware, and enabling them to produce and develop teaming human resources, producing caliber of personnel imbued with knowledge. productivity skills. Education, according to Uwaifo (2009), is the key to modernity and sustainable development, and teachers are the key. A human being known as a teacher, who plays an important role in every educational system, sculpts and molds the entire educational process. As a result, the teacher is in charge of implementing educational policies and plans. The teacher is the foundation of educational advancement. The degree of growth of a country is determined, among other things, by the quality of education provided to its citizens. This work is based on the assumption that the main emphasis of this work is on instructors’ attitudes, willingness, motivation, and, most importantly, passion for the teaching profession (Weje, 2007). It is imperative for the educational sector. to have dedicated and skilled instructors who will contribute to the advancement of a collapsing educational system, particularly in Nigeria. Teachers are the most influential people in the educational system. They pass on accumulated modern knowledge from generation to generation, interpreting it in light of the past in order to change the future. This is the professional job and obligation of the teacher in a formal school setting (Pathy, 2009). Given the enormous responsibilities bestowed upon teachers by their profession and society, their state of service is pitiful. In reality, both parents and the general public need to be educated about the realities of teaching and the teaching profession. They had never considered the possibility of a negative outcome. and low teacher ratings had a domino effect on the educational system and society as a whole (Barros, 2006). The attitude of an individual influences their response to stimuli, which is defined as a state of readiness shaped by experience. It is a precursor to behavior and can be positive, negative, or neutral. Attitude is composed of three components as an indicator of individual behavior: emotional, behavioral, and cognitive (Bhargava, 2014). Domestic environment, family background, socioeconomic background, beliefs, and educational institutes are all factors that influence a teacher’s attitude. School prestige, infrastructure, safety conditions, and social and professional standing are all important factors in influencing teachers’ attitudes (Ela, 2008). Another factor that influences is experience. one’s attitude. This is also true in the field of education. The teacher’s teaching experience is crucial in shaping attitudes (Suja, 2007). The attitude of the teacher toward the topic and the students has a significant impact on the students’ motivation to study. The most important factors influencing a teacher’s attitude are gender and type of training (Bozdoge, 2007). Female instructors are shown to have a positive attitude toward their profession (Capa, 2007). Teachers’ dissatisfaction with their careers is primarily due to inadequate financial compensation and salary delays (izevbigie, 2006). When these negative variables are removed, teachers may be more aware of and accountable for their responsibilities. The development of student teachers’ attitudes toward the teaching profession is aided by initial teacher education.
A positive attitude toward one’s career aids in the development of creative thinking and the motivation of students (Celikoz, 2004). Differences in student instructors’ attitudes toward teaching can also be attributed to differences in learning environments, instructional materials, and teaching strategies employed in initial teacher education programs. The attitude of the teacher influences the quality of the work and instruction. The skills that the teacher possesses influence her attitude (Pathy, 2014).
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
When compared to other professions such as engineering, medicine, and law, teaching in Nigeria is not well-regarded; the profession is still held in low regard and lacks professional autonomy (Oral, 2004). The number of potential university undergraduates Students who choose a teacher education program through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) each year are evidence of this, and the majority of them do so as a last resort. Because there are so few prospective applicants, candidates who do not meet the cutoff points in other faculties or who have flaws even after being registered in other faculties are pushed to the faculty of education to make up the difference. Similarly, the majority of non-academic university administrators believe that students who are unqualified for specialized studies like management sciences or pure and fundamental medical sciences should be directed to the education faculty (Osunde, 2009). This condition contributes to a negative view of instruction. Because university education faculty students are
Examining prospective teachers’ attitudes toward teaching is critical if they are to be trained to possibly take on teaching duties after completing their degree (Cetin, 2005). As a result, gaining a better understanding of their perspectives on teaching may provide useful information about the profession’s future and acceptance. As a result of the study’s findings, potential teachers’ attitudes and likely teaching practices in Nigeria will be assessed.
1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES
This study’s primary goal is to determine prospective teachers’ attitudes toward teaching in Nigeria. The study’s specific goals are as follows:
i. Determine the attitudes of prospective teachers toward teaching;
ii. Determine whether prospective teachers’ attitudes toward teaching differ by gender.
iii. Examine how the government’s attitude toward education affects prospective teachers.
Nigerian attitudes.
iv. Investigate the reasons for prospective teachers’ differing perspectives on the teaching profession.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
i. What are teachers’ attitudes toward teaching in the future?
Is there a gender difference in the attitudes of prospective teachers toward teaching?
iii. How does the government’s attitude toward education affect prospective teachers’ attitudes in Nigeria?
iv. What factors contribute to prospective teachers’ differing perspectives on the teaching profession?
1.5 THE STUDY’S SIGNIFICANCE
The study will concentrate on the motivations of pre-education students to pursue a career in teaching, the perspectives of higher education students (in service), the barriers that impede the teaching profession, and methods for improving the teaching profession. The report will also be a valuable resource for the
Because the recommendations will be useful in policy creation, education policymakers or frameworks should consider them. The study will also provide new ideas for those who wish to conduct additional policy studies, as well as areas for future literature on the perception of instruction among education students in Nigerian higher learning institutions. This study will provide new ideas for those who want to conduct additional research on teaching students’ perceptions of the profession in higher education institutions. It will also contribute to the knowledge base of Nigerian higher education on student perspectives and the teaching profession.
1.6 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVE
The study’s goal was to find out how education students in Nigeria’s higher education institutions perceived the teaching profession. This study will be conducted among education students at
a few colleges.
1.7 COMPLETION OF THE STUDY
The research looked into a variety of topics. Teachers from across the country were polled on their perspectives on teaching as a career in Nigeria.
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