CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

A student teacher reflected that the practical component of teacher training – practice teaching – was a part of the course fraught with difficulty and thus exceedingly stressful. She did not appear to enjoy the experience. This student teacher’s experience identifies her own feelings around practice teaching. This anecdotal reference serves to position the research question as both relevant and constructive in terms ofthe ongoing research around teacher training in South Africa. Many problems confront teachers who enter the workplace for the first time after completing their studies. Student teachers who qualify from our current teacher training programmes are not always ready to enter the classroom. These problems are related to their practice teaching experiences, a conclusion that may be deduced from the researcher’s own professional dealings with student teachers. One gets the impression that some student teachers are inadequately prepared for the real situation during their practice teaching. Research conducted by Tang (2003) found the quality of student teachers’ learning experiences in the field to be a major concern. Converting theoretical knowledge into practice will always remain a challenge – learning to teach is a complex process (Solomon, Worthy & Carter as cited in Farrell, 2002). In support ofthese views, many researchers have written about the ‘shock of reality’, a phrase referring to the difficulty of shifting from theoretical training and academic knowledge to the actual work ofteaching (Johnston, Rastoy, Holdaway & Friesen as cited in Bertone, Meard, Euzet, Ria & Durand, 2003). Research undertaken in 1999 by the United States Department of Education’s National Centre for Education Statistics shows that only one in five teachers feels 1 ! well prepared to work in a modem classroom (Thomas & Loadman, 2001:195). Supporting this finding, French researchers alsD fDcused on the limitatiDns ofpractical experience (Charlie & Durand as cited in Bertone et aI., 2003). On the other hand, Borlo and Mayfield (as cited in Bertone et aI., 2003) found that practical experience can alsD be of great value in learning how to teach. An appropriate mix ofchallenge and SUPPDrt cDntributes tD students’ positive experiences ofpracticals (Tang, 2003). Anumberoffactorsaffectsuccessfulimplementationofanintegrated science curriculum, including various outputs and inputs related to teacher quality such as professional development experiences, adequate planning periods, and adequate content preparation of teachers with regard to content knowledge associated with the curriculum taught (Huntley, 1998; Knudson, 1937; Leung, 2006; Palmer, 1991; Southern Region Education Board, 1998). Other researchers have examined the relationship between teacher quality and teacher retention (Ingersoll, 2000; National Center for Education Statistics, 1996), and national organizations have defined minimum content preparation standards to improve teaching and learning (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium [ITASC], 2008; National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Educators [NCATE], 2007; National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2008). This study examines factors related to teacher quality inputs (i.e., coursework, grade point average, and teacher test scores). Okorie (1986) stated that, education is a part of life, which is deliberately controlled and experiences developed according to a conscious plan. According to Emereole (2000), it is usually planned according to the individual and societal needs and the most veritable instrument for change in any society. Therefore, the quality of education provided in any society and the nature of the change affected by that education are both dependable on the quality of teachers and the affected by that education are both dependable on the quality of teachers and the effectiveness of their teachings in schools (Awotua-Efebo, 1999). Kizlik (2007) posits that, education is a means to cooperative dynamic and life long process through which a society deliberately generates knowledge, skills, values and other form of behavior for its survival and sustenance, and transmits these from one generation to another. Asuru (2000) observed that, it is pertinent to note that the individual countries of the world provide education for their citizens for different reasons. According to Adagba (2005), the reasons are the different ways, which these countries believe that they would help the citizens as human being and their country as a Nation. Akpomi (2010) also stressed that, the Government of Nigeria in her aim to achieve their philosophy of education has therefore set up an implementation committee for the National Policy of Education in 1983, knowing fully that, the important of teaching practice and internship in teaching education cannot be overemphasize, the committee therefore recommends: Those methods of training teachers need to be rationalized, so that they reflect the Nation’s, Education philosophy, policies and structure. That massive training of untrained primary school teachers should be done by the method on the job training. The selection and training of lead teacher who will provide personal instruction to teacher, trainee and supervise them well