Evaluation of Social Studies Classroom Learning Climate in Colleges of Education from Trainee Teachers' Point of View

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that sought to investigate the kind of learning climate that exists in Social Studies
classrooms in Colleges of Education from trainee teachers’ point of view. Questionnaires were administered and responded to by 231 trainee teachers from 3 selected Colleges of Education using a convenience sampling technique. The quantitative data generated from closed-ended five (5) point Likert type scale items in the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Precisely, means and standard deviations. The study found that Social Studies Tutors do not create an effective classroom climate for learning, where trainee teachers are active participants as individuals. Considering the responses from trainee teachers on all the 13 items, the mean response was less than 3. This means that a large majority of the respondents view their Social Studies classroom climate as unfavorable since the greater majority of the responses range from Rare to Never indicating there is a serious problem regarding the kind of environment that exists in our Social Studies classrooms. Based on the findings, it is important for Social Studies Tutors to create an enabling learning environment in their classrooms for trainee teachers.