Stressors, Coping Strategies, and Achievement during Teaching Practicum in a Nigerian Public University

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed pre-service teacher stressors, coping strategies, and achievement during teaching practicum in a Nigerian public university. Method: The study adopted the quantitative case study approach. The population consisted of all 300-level students in the faculty of education in the university who had completed their teaching practicum for the first semester of the 2020–2021 academic session. The quota sampling technique was used in selecting a sample of 130 pre-service teachers. We analysed data using multiple regression. Results: Findings revealed the stressors and coping strategies, controlling for gender, did not significantly predict achievement in the teaching practicum. Several coping strategies and sources of stress were identified among student teachers. Conclusion: Although pre-service teachers in many Nigerian teacher training institutions report various stressors and coping strategies, these do not predict their achievement during practicum. Implication for practice: The results can be useful in curriculum planning and policy design, especially for methodologies of coping and overcoming the various stressors accruing from the teaching profession in general. For universities and colleges of education, teacher trainers have knowledge about the teaching practicum, stressors, and the various coping strategies to be considered and appropriated into pre-service teachers’ training for optimal performance.