THE PERCEIVED EXPERIENCES OF ECONOMICS STUDENTS-TEACHERS DURING TEACHING PRACTICES IN NIGERIA
Introduction
Teaching practice is regarded as an essential element in the process of becoming a teacher, according to Ruairc (2013). The student-teachers gain experience in the real classroom setting through the teaching practice that they participate in. It is well knowledge that student teachers gain experience in the “real world” of teaching through participation in teaching practice. Before entering the real world of the teaching profession, student instructors have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the art of teaching during this time period (Kiggundu and Nayimuli 2009). As a result of this, Perry (2012) contends that the beginning of student instructors’ teaching practices induces a complex range of emotions in them, including anticipation, anxiety, enthusiasm, and apprehension. Consequently, as a result of this, student instructors are given the opportunity to articulate their individual educational ideas, beliefs, and comprehensions. In other words, because of this, student teachers are given the opportunity to experiment and test their knowledge and skills in the field of teaching and learning while also gaining an awareness of the educational philosophies and theories that they personally subscribe to.
Putting teaching theory into practice is an essential component of any program that prepares future teachers. For a student-teacher and someone who wants to become a regular teacher, housemanship is analogous to what it is for a young medical doctor. A young lawyer who has just been admitted to the Bar can be asked why they have chosen to begin their legal career by apprenticing themselves to an older and more seasoned attorney. Why do inexperienced medical students want to train as house officers under more seasoned colleagues? Why do students who are enrolled in vocational education participate in industrial training? In a similar vein, why do prospective teachers or student teachers have to participate in Teacher Practice? These questions and the responses to them are quite similar to one another. There would be no need for any human being, anywhere in the world, to be exposed to certain risks that might be avoided. There is a proverb that goes, “Prevention is always better than cure,” or “a stitch in time saves nine,” which can be translated to mean the same thing. The vast majority of student teachers do not appear to be fully aware of this fact. This could be because teaching only takes up a small portion of the total time that is available. In order for a student teacher to become fully qualified, he needs to go through sufficient and appropriate teaching practice experiences.