IMPACT OF TEACHING PRACTICE ON INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL UTILIZATION AND SUBJECT MATTER MASTERY SKILLS OF BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study determined the impact of teaching practice on instructional material utilization and subject matter mastery skills of business education students in colleges of education in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Two specific purposes guided the study, with two corresponding research questions and two null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 387 business education students in colleges of education across Adamawa State, and due to the manageable size, the entire population was utilized. A structured questionnaire titled "Impact of Teaching Practice on Teaching Skills of Business Education Students Questionnaire" (ITPTSBESQ) was developed by the researcher on a 4-point rating scale. The instrument was validated by three experts in research methodology from Modibbo Adama University, Yola. A pilot test was conducted at Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe, to establish the reliability of the instrument, and Cronbach Alpha coefficient analysis yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.739. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while the hypotheses were tested using Simple Linear Regression at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that teaching practice had a significant impact on instructional material utilization skills and subject matter mastery skills of business education students. The study concluded that teaching practice exerts positive and significant impact on the nature and quality of instructional material utilization skills and subject matter mastery skills among business education students in colleges of education in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommended that government should extend and implement the proposed stipend for students on teaching practice to enable them procure equipment for improvising and utilizing instructional materials in teaching and learning processes. Additionally, admission into business education programmes should be strictly merit-based to admit competent candidates who can effectively master subject matter, thereby enhancing effective curriculum delivery in colleges of education in Adamawa State, Nigeria.