English Language Teacher Education for Instructional Media Production: A Neglected Component of Edupreneurship

Abstract

Many scholars have observed that Teaching, though a noble profession, is one which most Nigerians would venture into only as a last resort. The general misconception that it lacks entrepreneurial values is largely responsible for this. Unfortunately, most pre-service and in-service teachers hold the misconception sacrosanct. This study is underpinned by the Opportunity-Based Entrepreneurship Theory and The Entrepreneurial Value Creation Theory. Through a synthesis of findings and submissions in extant literature including the National Universities Commissions’ Benchmarks, it probes the veracity of the claim that pre-service English Languages teachers are being prepared to be fit only for classroom activities. Among the findings is that the attention being given to entrepreneurial skills acquisition in the English Language teacher education programmes is grossly inadequate. It is imperative to deliberately empower the pre-service teachers to become producers of instructional media in both print and electronic formats. This is one sure way of keeping them relevant in these days of irrepressible advances in technology and its affordances of ample opportunities for language learning without physically present human teachers, a positive development that may soon render many teachers redundant. Practical steps to keep English Language teachers abreast with the changing landscape of their expected relevance to societal needs are then suggested.