Pedagogical Practices and Systemic Barriers: An Evaluation of Teaching Skills and Support Structures in Colleges of Education, Northwest Nigeria

<p dir="ltr">The effectiveness of teacher preparation depends critically on the pedagogical competence of teacher educators. This study evaluates classroom practices and institutional support structures in seven Colleges of Education (CoEs) in Northwest Nigeria. A cross-sectional mixed-methods survey of 700 lecturers was conducted. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, effect sizes, and Pearson correlations. All analyses were performed in R. Adoption of student-centered teaching methods was moderate (composite M = 3.42, SD = 0.87). Specific techniques showed variability: small group discussions (M = 4.12) and open-ended questioning (M = 4.03) were commonly used, whereas reflective journals (M = 2.78) were uncommon. Formal methodology training produced a large positive effect on adoption (t(698) = 8.94, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.87), while years of teaching experience had only a weak correlation with adoption (r = .32, p < .001). Technology integration was low (composite M = 2.94, SD = 1.31), with videos/simulations (M = 2.67) and asynchronous engagement (M = 2.73) particularly scarce. Infrastructure differences were marked: lecturers reporting ‘Excellent’ technology access averaged M = 4.23 (SD = 0.94) versus M = 1.67 (SD = 1.28) for those with ‘Poor’ access, F (3,595) = 127.34, p < .001, η² = 0.42. Professional development (PD) was insufficient (M = 2.89, SD = 1.49); technology training participation was the lowest PD item (M = 2.41), and 67.8% of lecturers (n ≈ 475) reported a complete absence of follow-up mentoring (M = 1.98). Institutional support measures, leadership support (M = 2.44), technical support (M = 2.51), and funding access (M = 2.21), were consistently inadequate. The results reveal a pronounced policy–practice gap: lecturers show willingness and partial adoption of student-centered pedagogies, but systemic failures in infrastructure, PD design, and funding, and ongoing mentoring severely constrain sustained, high-quality implementation. The study recommends targeted investment in teaching and learning resource centres and redesigning PD around sustained, practice-oriented models with institutional accountability.</p>