© Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/education-2-12A-7 Assessing Pre-Service Teachers Teaching Anxiety

Abstract This paper focuses on teaching anxiety experienced by pre-service teachers during the period of teaching practices among student teachers in Nigeria. A 23 items questionnaire with a reliability index of r = 0.87 was administered to140 students when they were in 300 and 400 levels. Chi-square test was use to found relationship between student teachers ’ teaching anxiety. Result shows that there were significant relationships between 12 of the items. Anxiety was found to be particularly associated with classroom control problems, with being evaluated by supervisors, with forming relationships with students and the subject teachers, and with achieving lesson goals. There was no significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers teaching anxiety. The students were more confident at the second teaching practice and the level of anxiety was lower than at their first teaching practice. The paper concluded that efforts should be made by teacher educator lecturers to allay the possible fears pre-service teachers may be harbouring before the commencement of teaching practice exercise