Undergraduate Students’ Perception and Attitudes towards Teaching Profession in University of Benin, Nigeria

The study investigated the perception and attitude of education students towards teaching as a profession, a case study of the University of Benin, Benin City. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. Three research questions were answered. Stratified random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of one hundred and twenty (120) students. A self constructed instrument was validated and used to collect data for the study. Data collected were analyzed using simple percentage. Results showed that the perception and attitude of education students toward teaching is not influenced by sex; parents had negative perception and attitude toward their children studying education; and students are not willing to take up teaching job because of low status, poor condition of service of teachers and negative perception of teaching profession by the society. A major recommendation offered suggests that counselors should organize counseling interventions, seminars and workshops for students, parents, teachers and society at large to develop positive perception and attitude towards teaching profession. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n1p18