Abstract
The study investigated the extent in-service education has impacted on participating teachers’ effectiveness and classroom interaction skill in Economics instruction. The study is a descriptive survey carried out in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The population of the study is 127, 4th and 5th-year sandwich students. Three research questions guided the study and structured questionnaire developed by the researchers was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts in measurement and evaluation and Economics Education. Test for reliability was conducted to ascertain the internal consistency of the instrument and a coefficient of 0.72 was realized using Cronbach Alpha, this shows that the instrument was reliable. Frequencies and Mean were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that inservice education has to a high extent improved participating teachers’ effectiveness and classroom interaction skills in Economics instruction. It was also revealed that inservice education has not equipped the trainees with different methods of teaching Economics nor different techniques of addressing individual differences of learners. More so, the teachers are still unable to vary the method to improve classroom interaction. The findings also revealed that among the challenges that inhibit the acquisition of effectiveness and classroom interaction through in-service education are, limited time of the programme, lack of commitment by lecturers, inadequate infrastructural facilities. The researchers, therefore, recommend education institution should provide facilities needed to improve the quality of the programme. Also, the issue of the content of the in-service programme and the commitment of lecturers should be addressed by education institutions that offer in-service training. This to ensure that varieties of methods/techniques of teaching are in-cooperated and used in teaching the in-service teachers for them to replicate them in their classroom instructional delivery.
Njideka D. E.; Ezegbe, B. E. & Okafor, I. C. (2019)