Teaching Practices’ Impact on Pre-Service Teachers’ Empowerment and Professional Quality in Nigerian Post-Basic Schools

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to examine and ensure that teaching practice promotes and influences em-powerment dimensions, including teacher confidence, autonomy, decision-making, and professional self-identity, and to assess the various contributions it makes to quality production in teacher education across the state’s uni-versities in Osun State. However, a descriptive correlational survey design was employed in the investigation. The target participants were final year students studying in various state universities in the state. The study sampled 200 final-year students pursuing an education course, and 181 valid questionnaires were efficiently retrieved and evaluated. The data evaluation tool was a specific questionnaire designed for the investigation, the Teaching Prac-tice, Empowerment, and Quality Production Questionnaire (TPEQPQ). The results of the study showed that teach-ing practice supports and variously promotes the empowerment of pre-service teachers, particularly concerning teacher confidence, decision-making, and self-professional identity. It also improved the quality of teacher produc-tion by a wide margin in terms of instructional delivery, classroom management, and professional readiness. The conclusion is that teaching practice remains an indispensable component of teacher education, both as a platform for integrating theory into practice and as an agency of producing competent and classroom-ready graduates. The study therefore recommends that universities enhance supervision, mentorship, and institutional support frame-works to maximise empowerment outcomes while ensuring adequate resources and an effective feedback system.