Perception of University for Development Studies, Faculty of Education Lecturers on the Preparation and Competences of the Student Teachers in the Faculty of Education

Abstract

Teacher quality matters enormously in the total scheme of schooling and student learning. Teachers and their roles influence students' performance in significant ways. Therefore, this study intended to finding out the perception of lecturers on the preparation and competence of student teachers in the Faculty of Education of the University for Development studies. The case study design was used for all the 33 lecturers with professional teacher education background in the Faculty of Education for the data collection. The finding of the study shows that 23 (70.8%) of the lecturers perceived the student teachers to be fair in their preparation while only 10 (29.2%) perceived their preparation to be good. In terms of competence, 25 (75.8%) and 8 (24.2%) of the lecturers perceived student teachers to be fair and good respectively. Based on the findings, the duration of teaching practice exercise could be increased to ensure that student teachers gain more experiences on the field before graduation.