An Assessment of the Extent to Which Teaching Environment Enhances Quality Teaching To the Student- Teachers during Teaching Practice

All teachers aim at providing effective teaching leading to effective student learning. This is influenced by a teaching environment in which teaching and learning can take place and where the teacher can be effective. The student- teachers when on teaching practice, put the knowledge and skills they learned, (when on training) into practical teaching environment. An effective teaching environment must provide a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning in a classroom situation. By so doing, teaching time is increased and learning time is used to the maximum and then behavior problem in the classroom is minimized. The study aimed at assessing to what extent teaching environment enhances quality teaching to the student-teachers during teaching practice with special reference to Thogoto Teachers Training College in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design. From a population of 342 respondents, a sample of 30% from each group was taken using stratified random sampling technique which gave each item in the population an equal probability chance of being selected and participate in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for primary data collection. To ascertain the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, a pilot survey was conducted. The study found that the quality of education is directly related to the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. The research established that when student-teachers learn to take responsibility, gain confidence and improve their classroom management skills, an effective teaching environment is achieved leading to improved quality teaching.