Pre-Service Teacher Education Quality and Graduate Teaching Effectiveness in Nigerian Colleges of Education: A National Study

This study conducts a national-level investigation of the relationship between pre-service teacher education programme quality and the teaching effectiveness of college graduates in schools across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. The quality of the College of Education pipeline is a fundamental determinant of basic and secondary school instructional quality in Nigeria, yet a systematic national-level empirical investigation of this relationship does not exist in the current literature. The study employs a national multi-stage stratified sampling design, engaging 720 College of Education graduates teaching in primary and secondary schools across 12 states and 6 colleges, their school supervisors, and NCCE quality assurance officers. Data sources include the Institutional Programme Quality Assessment Instrument, the Supervisor-Rated Graduate Teacher Effectiveness Scale, and graduate self-assessments. Three-level hierarchical linear modelling accounts for nesting of graduates within colleges and schools within states. The study draws on Darling-Hammond's Teacher Preparation Quality Framework, the NCCE Minimum Standards Document analysis, and Human Capital Theory. Findings are expected to reveal significant between-college variation in graduate teaching effectiveness, with programme quality dimensions including teaching practice supervision depth, pedagogical content training, and assessment competencies emerging as significant predictors. Recommendations are directed at the NCCE, Federal Ministry of Education, and college management boards on establishing quality differentiation standards, improving accreditation instruments, and linking college quality ratings to graduate employment outcomes. Keywords: pre-service teacher education, teaching effectiveness, Colleges of Education, national study, Nigeria