Developing as a Teacher -- A Study of Nigerian Teachers

Overview & Synopsis

The quality of teaching staff and the subject of teacher education have been at the centre of education reforms in Nigeria for a long time. Fafunwa (1974) drew attention to the dependence of higher education on the foundations laid by primary and secondary education emphasizing the need for a well-qualified teaching staff as the vital step for training skilled manpower. Nigeria endorsed and benefited from Health and Education initiatives of the 1990s and 2000s, for example the initiatives following the Education for All Conferences (1990, 2000). Despite this, Nigeria's attempt at professional development for teachers has not recorded the success it was intended to achieve. Current processes have failed to support the teaching profession and to provide the required quality of education teachers provide. The main focus of this research concerns new teachers' experiences, perceptions and views relating to their Early Professional Development (EPD) and how participation in the Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme affects this. The research aims to find out if and how the experience of the PGDE affects new teachers' EPD, why this may be the case, and the role that learning and work contexts play in furthering or constraining these new teachers' EPD. In addition, the research will include an appraisal of the PGDE course (the course aims, approach, structure and content). This research is part of the author's doctorate in Education at University College London (UCL) Institute of Education (IOE) which will be concluded in 2017.