Planning Strategies and Learning Reflection Practices among Pre-Service Teachers in Upper Basic Education in Tai Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between planning strategies and learning reflection practices among pre-service teachers in upper basic education in Tai Local Government, Rivers State, Nigeria. Two (2) specific objectives and research questions posed were answered, and corresponding null hypotheses were formulated, stated, and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. A correlation research design was adopted for this study, and the population consisted of seventy-three (73) pre-service teachers, comprising 27 student-teachers and 47 corps members deployed to Upper Basic Education in Tai Local Government, Rivers State. No sampling method was employed, as the entire population served as a sample for the study. Two (2) sets of instruments titled "Questionnaire on Planning Strategies (QPS) and Learning Reflection Practices Scale (LRPDS)” were used for data collection, which were validated by three experts in educational management, measurement, and evaluation. The reliability indexes of 0.83 and 85 were obtained, respectively, using the test-retest method. Research questions were answered using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and a transformational test was conducted to ascertain if the null hypotheses were significant or not. It was found out that there was a significant relationship between lesson plan quality and learning reflection practices among pre-service teachers in Upper Basic Education in Tai Local Government, Rivers State, and a significant relationship between instructional methods and learning reflection practices among pre-service teachers in Upper Basic Education in Tai Local Government, Rivers State. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that the government should develop integrated training programs for pre-service teachers that explicitly emphasise the symbiotic relationship between lesson planning, instructional methodologies, and learning reflection.