TEACHING PRACTICE

The study examined classroom management challenges encountered by student-teachers during teaching practice exercise in secondary schools in Edo State. Four research questions guided the study. The descriptive survey design was adopted, a sample of 160 students were randomly selected from a population of 800 in the Faculty of Education, University of Benin. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire titled Classroom Management Challenges for Student-Teachers (CMCQST), analysis was done using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that student-teachers experience different classroom management challenges such as student indiscipline, lack of engagement, and difficulties in managing large class sizes. Prevalent types of challenges included time management issues, short student attention spans, disruptive behaviour, and difficulties in addressing diverse learning needs. The study also showed that mentor teachers and university supervisors play a significant role in mitigating these difficulties by providing practical advice and constructive feedback. Furthermore, student-teachers coped with classroom management problems by employing strategies such as reinforcement, adjusting lesson plans, seeking advice, and varying instructional activities

The central thrust of reforms in the teacher education programme is to produce teachers who can perform adequately in the world of work and meet the present day challenges. Teaching practice is a vital aspect of the teacher preparatory programme in teacher training institutions and in Faculties of Education in Nigerian universities. It serves as an opportunity for studentteachers to be exposed to the realities of teaching and professional activities in the field of education.

This study assessed challenges faced by undergraduates during teaching practice; a case study of 2019/2020 teaching practice exercise of the Faculty of Education, University of Benin, Benin City. Five research questions were raised to guide the study. Concepts related to the study were reviewed as contained in literature. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised of 300 and 400 level undergraduate students in the department of Educational Foundation (History Education) in the 2019/2020 academic session. The total population was one hundred and fifty-seven (157) and was taken as the sample size since it is of manageable size. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled “Challenges of Undergraduates during teaching practice: A case study of history students, University of Benin, Benin City”. The finding revealed that; Instructional aids constitute a major challenge to teaching practice experience of History Education undergraduates. Factors
such as ill-equipped library, deficit instructional materials and the need to
improvise were identified, it also reveal that supervision constituted a challenge. Factors such as low supervisor-undergraduates ratio was identified as a challenge. However, supervisor being an expert in history, supervisors not showing up on time and non-interactive nature of supervisor were not considered as challenges

This study analyzed the challenges faced by final-year guidance and counseling students at the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, during their teaching practice. Five research questions guided the investigation. The sample comprised 131 final-year guidance and counseling students from the Department of Educational Evaluation and Counseling Psychology. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to analyze the data, and hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed no significant gender differences in the challenges encountered by final-year guidance and counseling students during their teaching practice. The study concluded that the challenges faced by these students included a lack of teaching materials, overcrowded classrooms, unsupportive learning environments, and strained student-teacher relationships. The study suggested that the government ought to assign additional resources to the provision of educational materials, guaranteeing that guidance and counseling students possess the necessary tools for successful teaching practice implementation.