EFFECT OF VITAMINS C AND E INTAKE ON BLOOD ... - EuroJournals

European Journal of Social Sciences - Volume 2, Number 1 (2006)
Conclusion and implications
The results of this study indicate that the preservice teachers of Obafemi Awolowo University were
preoccupied with mainly survival or self concerns as they set about for teaching practice. Among their
greatest worries in this regard were school location, classroom discipline and pupil-teacher
relationships. Of all these, the nature of the environment in which the teaching practice exercise was to
take place seemed to have contributed to the predominance of this category of concerns among the
subjects. Under such circumstances they had limited concerns for the learning needs of the pupils and
their social and emotional well being. This suggests the need for the organizers of the practicum to
take some measures aimed at making student teachers move from concerns about ‘survival’ to concern
about pupils’ learning in conflict situations. Student teachers need to be assured of their personal safety
in their placement schools. This may be achieved in a number of ways. One of these is by posting
them to schools that are distant from conflict zones and informing them ahead of the commencement of
the practicum that such an action has been taken. If the organizers of the exercise or the university
authority are convinced that it is safe to work in such schools but the student teachers still have some
doubt, the accredited leaders of the communities engaged in the conflict may be invited during the
orientation of student teachers for teaching practice, to assure them of the safety of the environments of
their placement schools.
The results of this study also show that the greatest task concerns centred upon teaching methods.
Being preoccupied with self and task concerns they gave limited consideration to pupils’ learning or
even assessing pupils’ work, record keeping and management of time. It is thus apparent that the
teacher education programme of the university did not equip the subjects of this study with adequate
personal and pedagogical skills to instill self confidence in them as they prepared for the teaching
practice.
These data thus support the conclusions drawn from similar studies to the effect that those
learning how to teach often lack the requisite knowledge of classroom procedures to understand the
complex interrelationships among management, behaviour and academic tasks (Kagan, 1992). Also, in
regard to developmental stages in learning how to teach, as implicit in Fuller and Bown’s (1975:37)
model, our data seem to suggest that progression from low to higher order concerns depends, among
other things, on the interest and dedication of the student teachers in their programme of studies. This
calls for a selection procedure based first and foremost on students’ interest in the teacher education
programme of the university.
Although the average Nigerian is yet to be convinced that teaching is an attractive profession
(Fadipe, 1992:205) admission into teacher education programmes in Nigerian universities should, as
far as is practicable, be confined to those interested in teaching. It is this group of student teachers that
can be expected to develop some feelings, be preoccupied with and give thought to the various aspects
of their programmes including teaching practice. There are more chances of finding these types of
student teachers among those who graduated from Colleges of Education and subsequently seek
admission into university teacher education programmes than among those who have to follow that
programme because they could not obtain admission into other programmes in which they are
genuinely interested.
The results of this study suggest some implications for teacher education. The process of
selecting candidates for the teacher education of the university studied needs to be reviewed. There is
the need for teacher educators to ensure that teacher trainees are not only interested in teacher
education programmes but are also adequately exposed to courses in classroom management and
especially techniques of managing disruptive behaviour as early as possible in their programmes. This
also calls for a review of the university’s teacher education programme to include such course
management and behaviour skills learnt in the courses should be practised in micro-teaching sessions
before trainees embark on their first teaching practice. During such sessions, teacher educators need to
lay as much emphasis on learners and how they learn as they do in regard to making and using
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