Abstract:
Teaching practice gives student -teachers an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge into
practical knowledge. The student- teacher is able to interact with school administration, teachers
and learners as well as non- teaching staff. The study investigated student –teachers’ acquisition
of new knowledge during teaching practice exercise. A descriptive survey design was employed.
The respondents were one hundred and sixty and they were randomly selected from four
hundred and ninety-five student-teachers. The instruments for data collection were student’s
questionnaire, interview schedule and researcher’s observation schedules. The data was
analysed through descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that some student-teachers
acquired new knowledge on professional ethics in teaching career while other student-teachers
acquired new knowledge of interacting with school administration, teachers and learners as well
as non-teaching staff. In addition, the study reported that the student- teachers acquired
knowledge on how to cope with different personalities while other student- teachers acquired
soft skills. Further, the study indicated that some student- teachers acquired knowledge on
innovations and improvisation of teaching learning resources while other student-teachers
sharpened their knowledge in co-curriculum activities. Therefore, the study recommended that
all student-teachers should actively be involved in teaching practice exercise. Further, the study
recommended that proper induction for student -teachers proceeding for teaching practice
exercise is paramount. Moreover, the schools providing attachment to student -teachers need to
provide conducive environment. The findings from this study will help universities and colleges
when preparing student -teachers for teaching practice.
