IJRDO-Journal of Educational Research ISSN: 2456-2947

PERCEPTION OF TEACHING AS A PROFESSION IN NIGERIA BY SANDWICH

STUDENTS OF EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY, ADO-EKITI

Adedayo, Julius O., Omotayo, Kehinde A. and Ayeni, Margaret F.

Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education,
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti
([email protected], [email protected], [email protected])

Corresponding author: Adedayo, J.O. - Department of Science Education, Ekiti State University, P.M.B. 5363,
Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. ([email protected] ; +234-7032781996).

Abstract
This study was a survey type of descriptive research design. It investigated the perception of sandwich
students about teaching as a profession in Nigeria. The sample comprised 296 sandwich students,
selected using purposive random sampling techniques from Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
The research instrument was a questionnaire. One general question was raised while four null research
hypotheses were postulated for the study. The research question was answered using descriptive statistics of
mean, percentages and pie chart. The hypotheses were subjected to inferential statistics of x2 and analysis of
variance, all tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings from this study revealed that most of the sandwich
students’ perception of teaching as a profession in Nigeria is negative. While the incoming sandwich students
perceived teaching as a profession negatively, the old students agreed that teaching is a profession in Nigeria.
Surprisingly, it was found that students who are practicing teachers perceived teaching as a profession in Nigeria
negatively contrarily to students who are non-practicing teachers. Based on these findings, recommendations on
ways of improving the perception of the students towards regarding teaching as a profession in Nigeria were
made.

Keywords: Perception, sandwich students, teaching, profession.

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Introduction
The concept of teaching is a domestic one in Nigeria. Teaching is a process of impacting
knowledge to someone, which is otherwise regarded as a process of education. Education is generally
seen as involving a desirable change in human behaviour through the process of learning, which is an
outcome of teaching. Thus, teaching is goal oriented and made up of a number of activities designed
with the intention that somebody should be learning what is being taught (Seweje, 2010). From the
discourse, obviously, teaching is expected to be accompanied by learning and must be directed at a
specific audience. This may be view of Crawford & De Cecco in Seweje (2010) when they related
theories of teaching to that of theories of learning in that the acts (i.e. teaching) of the teacher are the
cause while the accompanied learning outcomes of the students constitute the effect. Learning can
therefore be defined as a series of goal-oriented activities engaged in by the teacher that involve
interaction between the teacher and the learners with a view to impact knowledge.
However, Fafunwa (1974) defined education as what each generation gives to its younger ones,
which makes them to develop attitudes, abilities, skills and other behaviours which are of positive value
to the society in which they live. Perhaps, that was why Ogunojemite (2010) concluded that education is
the bringing up or development of the individual child through acceptable methods and techniques,
according to his abilities and interests and the needs of the society, to take his rightful place and
contribute to the growth of the society. To achieve this laudable purpose of education, the role of
teaching is crucial. Teaching is the major channel through which a child can be informed (through
various methods and techniques) about the needs of his society and be actively involved in such society.
The situation of teaching in Nigeria seems not taking its rightful position. An objective
consideration of the condition of teaching as a career in the country Nigeria would really subject one to a
doubting mind whether or not, teaching is a profession. The condition of service given to the teachers
seems not commensurate with what is applicable to other professional practitioners. This has to do with
financial benefits and other non-financial emoluments. The government attitudes to issues that pertain to
teachers and teaching processes are not encouraging. The society which they purport to serve is neither
friendly with them. This is evident in the way they respond to teachers’ yearnings and aspirations. Little
or no prestige is accorded teaching is Nigeria. Oftentimes, when secondary schools students are asked of
their desired career, hardly could any be found to desire becoming a teacher. They would rather prefer
other careers which they considered to be professional like Medicine, Engineering, Accountancy,

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Banking and Finance, Marketing, Law and the like, based on their acceptability in the society. This
presumes that they do not see teaching as a major profession like others.
Most of the students who are in the Faculty of Education found themselves there just to gain
admission into the University, without genuine interest in the education course they are pursuing. Close
observation and interaction with the students seem to reveal that the female students in the Faculty of
Education fare better than their male counterpart in their view about teaching as a profession in Nigeria.
Perhaps this is so because they consider themselves not as a major supplier of domestic provisions on
the assumption that when they marry, their husband would take good care of them. Even, the working
adults who come for degree programme in the Faculty of Education, otherwise referred to as Sandwich
students, appear not to differ in their perception towards teaching as a profession in Nigeria. One would
expect that they are running the programme so as to become a professional teacher but this may be far
from their true intention. Perhaps, their desire is just to become a degree holder and gain higher societal
value. This study therefore intended to find out the perception of sandwich students of teaching as a
profession in Nigeria.
Professionalization of Teaching in Nigeria
Globally, teaching is classified as a profession. The pertinent question however is whether it is so
in Nigeria. Is teaching as a profession enjoying the same prestige and privileges being accorded other
highly rated occupation which are often considered to be at the forefront of professional spectrum?
Teaching in Nigeria over the ages has been stigmatized with derogatory terms such as a profession for
the poor or exclusion occupation for the down-trodden (Ajayi, 1997). To some people in Nigeria,
teaching is engaged in by people considered as altruistic social labourers whose rewards are in heaven.
On this perception, many school leavers embark on teaching just as a stepping stone pending the time
they would find a lucrative job. However, teaching is a noble profession that encompasses the
characteristics of other occupations capable of providing gainful living and prospects.
The pathetic situation of teaching in Nigeria has been worrisome to major stakeholders of the
profession. Efforts were made to ensure that teaching takes its rightful professional position in Nigeria
as is the case in the developed countries. The roles of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in this regard
have been remarkable over the years. This gave birth to the establishment of the Teachers’ Registration
Council of Nigeria (TRCN) in 1993. This Council is primary charged with the task to professionalise
and sanitise teaching in Nigeria. To accomplish this great task, TRCN is mandated (among others) to:
- registration of professional teachers;
- ensure that only professionally qualified teachers are found in the classroom;
- production of well-trained teachers;
- set a high intellectual and moral principles that will enable the teaching profession to attain the
highest standard possible; and
- provision of structure for teachers.

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The activities of TRCN in Nigeria have yielded some encouraging outcomes. The teachers in
Nigeria had been registered as professionals in pedagogy while unprofessional teachers have embarked
on courses that would qualify them as professionals through sandwich programmes either in the
University or College of Education.

Statement of the Problem:

The attitudes and lukewarm responses of teachers to the issue of professionalization of teaching in
Nigeria are worrisome. There is mixed feelings as to whether teaching can be regarded as a profession in
Nigeria or not. Prospective Student-teachers are reluctant to be identified with teaching as if it is not a
stand out profession. The perception of students who are working class but undergoing sandwich
programme seems not to be different in this regard. The question then is that: What is the perception of
sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria?

Objectives of the study

This study aimed at finding out the perception of sandwich students of teaching as a profession in
Nigeria. It attempted to examine the relative perceptions of Practicing teachers and non Practicing
teachers among the students; fresh and returning students and male and female sandwich students
towards teaching as a profession in Nigeria.

Methodology
The study is a survey type of descriptive research. The population for the study comprised 832
Sandwich students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti during 2012 academic contact. A sample of 296
sandwich students was selected using purposive sampling techniques. Purposive sampling was
employed to select students according to level (incoming and old), practicing and non-practicing teacher
sandwich students, male and female while proportional sampling was used to select students from Ekiti,
Ondo, Lagos, Osun and Kogi States. The research instrument was a questionnaire tagged “A
Questionnaire on the Perception of Sandwich Students on Teaching as a Profession in Nigeria”. 300
copies were distributed but only 296 were correctly available for analysis. One general question was
raised while four null research hypotheses were postulated for the study. The research question was answered
using descriptive statistics of mean and percentages. Hypotheses one to three were analysed using inferential
statistics of chi-squared analysis while hypothesis four was subjected to F-ratio analysis, all tested at 0.05 level of
significance.

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Research Questions
What is the perception of sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria?

Research Hypotheses
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the perception of incoming and old sandwich students on
teaching as a profession in Nigeria.
Ho2: There is no significant difference in the perception of practicing and non-practicing teacher
sandwich students on teaching as a profession in Nigeria.
Ho3: There is no significant difference in the perception of male and female sandwich students on
teaching as a profession in Nigeria.
Ho4: There is no significant difference in the perception of sandwich students from Ekiti, Ondo,
Lagos, Osun and Kogi States on teaching as a profession in Nigeria.

Results
Descriptive Analysis
What is the perception of sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria?

Table 1: Frequency counts and percentages of students’ perception of teaching

YES NO
S/N ITEM
N % N %
1 I agree that teaching is a profession in Nigeria 136 46.0 160 54.0
2 I am a student of Education because I deliberately choose it 125 42.3 171 57.7
3 I feel satisfied as a teacher 108 36.5 188 63.5
4 Teaching is accorded the rights of a profession by the 92 31.0 204 69.0
government and society
5 I am proud to be a teacher 74 25.0 222 75.0
6 I engage in other venture to fulfill my domestic financial 237 80.0 59 20.0
obligations
7 I agree that I am a professional teacher 185 62.5 111 37.5
AVERAGE 126 42.5 170 57.5

From table 1, the average percentage of the students’ positive perception is 42.5% while the average of
the students’ negative perception is 57.5%. This showed that the students’ perception of teaching as a

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profession in Nigeria is negative, meaning that on the average, the students did not perceive teaching as
a profession in Nigeria. This is further clarified in a pie chart below.

Fig. 1: Pie Chart of Students’ Perception of Teaching as a Profession in Nigeria

From the pie chart (fig.1), it is revealed that the percentage of students who perceived teaching as a
profession in Nigeria was 42.57% while the percentage of those who did not perceived teaching as a
profession in Nigeria was 57.43%. This shows that most of the students do not consider teaching as a
profession in Nigeria.

Research Hypotheses
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the perception of incoming and old sandwich students of
teaching as a profession in Nigeria.
Table 2: X2 analysis of incoming and old students’ negative perception of teaching as a profession
N X2 df Asymp. Sig. Remark
Incoming Students 155
Old Students 6.54 1 0.011 Sigt.
141
Total
296
P < 0.05

Table 2 above showed that x2 value (0.011) < 0.05 significant level. This means that there exists a
significant difference in the negative perception of incoming and old sandwich students of teaching as a

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profession in Nigeria.

Level

60

50

40
Percent

30

52.36

47.64

20

10

0
Incoming Students Old Students

Level

Figure 2: Bar Chart of Incoming and Old Students’ Perception

The bar chart above showed the percentages of negative perception of incoming and old sandwich
students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria. The percentage of incoming students (52.36%) is higher
than that of the old students (47.64%). This means that the negative perception of teaching as a
profession is higher among the incoming students than among the old students.

Ho2: There is no significant difference in the perception of practicing and non-practicing teacher
sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria
Table 3: X2 analysis of practicing and non-practicing teachers’ negative perception of teaching as a
profession
N X2 Df Asymp. Sig. Remark
Practicing Students 195
Non- Practicing 29.85 1 0.001 Sigt.
101
Students
Total
296
P < 0.05

From table 3, X2 (1, n = 296) = 29.85, p = .001< .05. This implies a significant disparity between the

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perceptions of the students. Therefore, there is significant difference in the perception of practicing and
non-practicing teacher sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria.

Figure 3 above is a bar chart showing the percentages of negative perception of practicing and non-practicing
sandwich student-teachers of teaching as a profession in Nigeria. The percentage of practicing students of 65.9%
is higher than that of the non- practicing students of 34.1%). This implies that the negative perception of
teaching as a profession is higher among the practicing students than among the non- practicing students.

Ho3: There is no significant difference in the perception of male and female sandwich students of
teaching as a profession in Nigeria.
Table 4: X2 analysis of male and female sandwich students’ negative perception of teaching as a
profession
N X2 Df Asymp. Sig. Remark
Male 132
Female 3.46 1 0.668 Not Sigt
164
Total
296
P > 0.05

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The table 4 revealed that X2 (1, n = 296) = 3.46, p = .668 > .05, which showed no difference in the
students’ perception. Thus, there is no significant difference in the perception of male and female
sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria.

Ho4: There is no significant difference in the perception of sandwich students from Ekiti, Ondo,
Lagos, Osun and Kogi States towards teaching as a profession in Nigeria

Table 5: ANOVA of students’ perception in South-West Nigeria

Sum of Mean
Source of Variation Df Fcal Sig.
Squares Squares
Between variables 0.172 0.043 4
Within variables 72.193 0.248 291 0.173 0.952
Total 72.365 295
P > .05

From table 5 above, F (4, 291) = 0.173, p = 0.95 > 0.05. This means that there is no difference in the
students’ perception across the states. It therefore showed that, there is no significant difference in the
perception of sandwich students from Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos, Osun and Kogi States towards teaching as a
profession in Nigeria.

Discussion
The result of this study revealed that the perception of sandwich students of teaching as a
profession in Nigeria was negative. The percentage of students who perceived teaching as a profession
was lower than the percentage of those who did not perceived teaching as a profession in Nigeria. This
shows that most of the students do not consider teaching as a profession in Nigeria. Perhaps, this is why
students are not willing to become a teacher, since they do not consider it as a recognized profession in
Nigeria.
It was also revealed from the results of this study that the perception of incoming and old
sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria differs. The negative perception of teaching as
a profession in Nigeria is higher among the incoming students than among the old students. The
difference may be due to the exposure to information received by the old students from their course of
studies in education. For instance, a 100 level course at EKSU coded EDU 100 which entitled
“Introduction to teaching profession” emphasises on the concept of teaching and its professionalization.
This might have given the old students a short of reorientation to teaching as a profession globally,
irrespective of all odds in any environment or locality.

The study further showed that the negative perception of teaching as a profession in Nigeria is
higher among the practicing students than among the non- practicing students. Those students who are
practicing teachers might be skeptical in agreeing that teaching is professionalized in Nigeria due to
their experiences on the job. As was discussed earlier in the background of this study that the situation

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of teaching in Nigeria is worrisome may inform their negative perception. Evidently, their day to day
experiences on the job seem to be at variant to the characteristics of teaching profession as they were
taught in their course of study, hence conclude that it is not worthy of being classified a profession with
what is on ground in Nigeria. Thus, they are running a sandwich programme in education not to become
a teacher but just to become a degree holder and gain higher societal value as suggested earlier in the
background to this study.

The result of the study however revealed no significant difference in the perception of male and
female sandwich students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria. This was contrary to the earlier
submission in this study that the female students fare better than their male counterpart in their
disposition to teaching as a profession in Nigeria.

Similarly, there is no disparity in the perception of sandwich students from Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos,
Osun and Kogi States on teaching as a profession in Nigeria. This revealed that the perceived impression
of the students of teaching as a profession in Nigeria is not limited to only a state but cuts across the
states in Nigeria.

Conclusion
From the results of this study, it can be concluded that sandwich students do not consider
teaching as a profession in Nigeria. Though, old students have fair perception of teaching as a profession
in Nigeria than the incoming students while both male and female sandwich students showed no
difference in their perception. Finally, the negative perception of the students of teaching as a profession in
Nigeria is not different across the five states of Western Nigeria where the students came from.

Recommendation
On the basis of the outcomes of this study, the following recommendations were made to give
teaching a better place as a stand out profession in Nigeria:
1. Government of Nigeria should provide a worthwhile condition of service for teaching in the
country.
2. Teaching should be professionalized absolutely in Nigeria.
3. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) should be allowed to function according
to the purpose for which it was established.
4. Practicing teachers should rise up against the challenges facing teaching profession in Nigeria.
5. Nigerian populace should as a matter of reality accept teaching as an indomitable profession like
other so called “professional careers”.

References
Ajayi, K. (1997). Breaking the barrier to full professionalization of teaching in Nigeria by the year 2010
and beyond. Studies in Educational Planning and Administration, 1(1), 1-9.

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Akuezuilo, E. and Akudolu, L. (2006). The dividends, challenges and ways forward in the
professionalization of teaching in Nigeria. Lead Paper Presented At The National ICT Skills
Acquisition, Summits And Campaigns, TRCN, Awka.

Crawford, W & De Cecco, J. P. (1988). The psychology of learning and instruction (2nd Ed). India
Province: Itall Private.

John, U. E. and Agba, A. M. (2010). Professionalising teaching in Nigeria for effective service delivery
and national development, European Journal of Social Sciences, 17(3).

Ogunojemite, G. B. (2010). Agencies of education in Nigeria. In S.A. Jegede and A.A. Popoola (Ed)
The Dynamics of Instruction, CUS Department. Lagos: Premier.

Fafunwa, (1974).

Seweje, R.O. (2010). The teacher and the teaching profession. In R.O. Seweje and K.A. Omotayo (Ed)
Professionalism in Pedagogy. Lagos: Heritage.

Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (2004). Teachers code of conduct. Abuja: TRC.

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EKIT STATE UNIVERSITY, ADO-EKITI

A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE PERCEPTION OF SANDWICH STUDENTS ON TEACHING AS A

PROFESION IN NIGERIA
PART A

Department: ……………………….…………..……. Level: …………………………

Year: …………………………
Work Place Address:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………
Resident State: ………………………………………. Gender: Male – ; Female –
Academic Qualifications: B. Sc/B.A/HND ; NCE ; ND ; GRD II
Subject Specialization: ……………………………………………………….

PART B
S/N ITEMS YES NO
1 I agree that teaching is a profession in Nigeria
2 Teaching in Nigeria satisfies these criteria of an ideal profession:
i. Provides an essential social service
………………………………………………………
ii. Based on a systematic body of knowledge
……………………………………………
iii. Requires a period of academic and practical training
…………………………...
iv. Autonomous i.e. freedom to practice
…………………………………………………..
v. Has a code of ethical conduct
……………………………………………………………....
vi. Provides in-service growth through training of staff
……………………………..
3 I feel satisfied as a teacher, put aside the financial aspect of it
4 I am proud to be a teacher
5 I am a teacher today because I deliberately choose it
6 I agree that I am a professional teacher
7 I am committed to my duty in school with the notion of a professional teacher
8 Teaching is not accorded the rights of a profession by the government of my
state
9 The average perception of the Nigerians towards teaching as a profession if

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positive
10 I engage in other business(es) – petty or major – to fulfill my domestic
financial obligations

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