# Introduction lassroom pedagogy is an alluring exercise especially for trained teachers. It is equally inundated with technicalities and procedures. It is only professional teachers who posses the skills and competencies, through training and re-training, to effect a positive change in behavior in those they teach. Obviously, professional teachers do not fall down from the blues like meteorites into the school system. They undergo vigorous and rigorous, prolonged or short term, theoretical and practical training, induction and internship to be sufficiently equipped with the wherewithal of what, how, whom and when to teach. Therefore, a well-bred teacher-intellectually, psychologically, professionally and procedurally catalyses learning and propels the educational system to enviable heights. On the other hand, untrained teachers (those bereft of appropriate teaching skills) merely gamble and ramble through the teaching-learning process each passing day at the peril of the learner and the entire educational system. They do not have the nitty gritty to course, contributes substantially to the falling standard of education. This is so because, teachers tend to replicate their kind. Good teachers produce good students and bad teachers, bad learners. Thus, teachers perform enormous functions in society. As catalysts of human resource development, teachers stand in between the lesson and the learner. According to Eddie (2001), what a teacher knows and what he does in the classroom setting can have far reaching consequences on both the learner and society. The Federal Ministry of Education (2004) equally admits that no nation can rise above the quality of its teachers. It follows logically that teacher preparation for optimum performance, enhanced professional growth and quality service delivery should be given utmost concern. Besides being enrolled in formal teacher training institutions, and exposed to courses like educational technology, psychology, philosophy, measurement and evaluation, principles and methods of teaching, one practical way of enhancing initial teacher preparation and resourcefulness is through microteaching. According to Esiobu and Maduekwe (2008), microteaching is a melting point of theoretical knowledge of teaching and its actual practice under a simulated classroom environment. Obi (1991), maintains that microteaching is a simplified training system designed to enable trainee-teachers to practice and acquire teaching skills under a supervisor, in a short lesson of five to ten minutes with a small group of few students, employing colleagues or videotapes for feedback, focusing attention on only one teaching skill at a time. Furthermore, Abifarin (2004) and Adewoyin (2007) describe microteaching aptly as a scaled down teaching technique in terms of class size, tasks, time and skills. It is simply teaching in miniature, with the sole aim of exposing these category of students to the actual art of teaching in the classroom setting. Microteaching is a critical component of teacher education as well as an empowerment technique which provides prospective teachers with opportunities to link theories of teaching with practice thereby stimulating acquisition of teaching skills and competencies (Abifarin, 2004). It thus represents a major paradigm shift from the traditional method of teacher trainee preparation to a more objective approach to training # Selection of a skill Planning Microteaching Evaluation The main essence of microteaching is to inculcate the values of reflective practice (Bento-Kuppa, 2001). And this enables trainees have an objective appraisal of themselves for the pupose of selfimprovement and sustained professional growth (Adewoyin, 2007). However, one thing that adds glamour to and makes the evaluation process more objective, highly reflective, realistic and more practical is the integration of video technology into microteaching. Heinich, Molenda, Russell and Smaldino (2002) describe video as any electronic media format that employs motion pictures to present a message. With the aid of a video machine, all the instructional activities/actions during the microteaching sessions are captured, highlighted and later displayed and replayed for observation, comments and criticisms by both the supervising teacher, the student and colleagues. It further aids the teachertrainee to sit back, watch and assess his strengths and weaknesses after teaching using reliable guidelines such as the Standford Teachers' Competence Appraisal Guide (STCAG). This guide shows, in a nutshell, what should be assessed during microteaching and how. In the final analysis the trainee notes his weaknesses, makes corrections in subsequent teaching sessions and these promote the acquisition of the requisite skills and competences for sustained professional enhancement. Video technology can be effectively integrated into microteaching first of all by replaying similar recorded videotaped demonstrations of others. This is to enable the trainee teachers take a cue and acquaint themselves with the video skill(s) to watch and take a cue from it before the actual commencement of his teaching. While teaching, every bit of action or inaction is captured for playback and evaluation. Together with their peers and instructors, the trainees critically evaluate their teaching session. This study, therefore, examines the potency of video recordings/ technology in the appraisal of teachertrainees microteaching encounter for self-improvement, gradual acquisition and perfection of requisite teaching skills before going on teaching practice and the actual practice. a) The problem Teacher preparation for proficiency is gradually but systematically achieved through series of curricula activities in the school setting. This calls for harmonization of courses in educational theory and practice. The first practical step is subjecting teachers in training into microteaching after which they go out on 8-10 weeks teaching practice. The application of video technology in microteaching sessions captures every bit of the teacher-trainees presentation as well as minimizes the usual student-student and student-teacher arguments over performance. And, the knowledge of immediate feedback provides opportunity for improvement. The issue then is to what extent would the use of video technology enhance the objective appraisal of b) Purpose of study The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of video-technology in the appraisal of the performance of teacher-trainees for enhanced professional growth and development. # c) Research questions The following research questions were generated to guide the study. 1. What is the relationship between the use of video technology and self-appraisal of teacher-trainees in microteaching? 2. Would the use of video technology have any significant difference between male and female teacher-trainees performance in microteaching? # d) Research hypotheses This study is based on the following hypotheses. 1. There is no significant relationship between the use of video technology and pre-service teachers' selfappraisal. 2. There is no significant difference of the effect of use of video technology in microteaching for selfappraisal between male and female teacher trainees. # e) Methodology # Research design The study is a quasi-experimental research using 100 students. # f) Population The population of the study consisted of the 2007/2008 third year education students of Cross River University of Technology numbering 216. Who were engaged in teaching practice as a semester course requirement. # g) Sample/sampling technique The researchers randomly selected 100 students, 50 each from the Departments of Primary Education (20 males and 30 females) and Educational Administration (27 males and 23 females). A toss of the Manchester United keyholder was used as the sampling technique in assigning the primary education students into the experimental class while those of Educational Administration as the control group. # i) Validation of instrument In order to ensure the face and content validity of the research instrument it was vetted by four experts (three in measurement and evaluation and one in curriculum and teaching) all of the University of Calabar. # j) Reliability of instrument The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used in calculating the reliability index of the ten teacher-trainee affective response questionnaire and a reliability index of 0.80 was obtained. # k) Administration of instrument The Teacher-Trainee Affective Response Questionnaire (TTARQ) was administered on the 100 teacher-trainees in both the experimental and control classes and analyzed using Pearson product moment correlational statistics and independent t-test respectively for ho 1 and ho 2 . # l) Results and discussion The results of the study are presented hypothesis by hypothesis as follows: Hypothesis one This hypothesis states that there is no significant relationship between the use of video technology and pre-service teachers' self-appraisal. To test this hypothesis, data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation and the result as presented in the table below. From the result presented in Table 1 above, the data collected for hypothesis one were summed up under (X) and (Y) respectively. The calculated r-value of 0.99 compared to the critical r of .195 shows a teacher self -Use of video significant high relationship between the use of video technology and self-appraisal for professional growth of teacher trainees. Hence the null hypothesis was rejected in favour of the alternate. # Hypothesis two This hypothesis states that there is no significant difference of the effect of use of video technology in microteaching for self-appraisal between male and female teacher trainees. The result is presented below in Table 2 below. From the analysis in the table above, the calculated t-value of 1 is lower than the critical t-value of 2.0, meaning that there is no significant difference between the effect of use of video technology on selfappraisal of male and female teacher trainees. Hence the null hypothesis is accepted. As earlier noted, when video technology is integrated into microteaching sessions it will captivate the interest of teacher trainees. Besides, the use of this technology captures wholesale every action during microteaching for replay to enable the micro-teacher appraise and evaluate his/her performance. This agrees with the view of Eddie (2001), that videotape recordings of microteaching sessions is a necessary requirement for the stimulation of self-reflection for the studentteacher during microteaching. Esiobu and Maduekwe (2008) assertion further corroborates the findings of the study that the use of multi-media in the recording of microteaching performance is one of the most effective strategies that enhances the benefits of interaction and reflection, and provides student teachers and instructors the opportunity to review lessons taught, make observations as well as provide feedback and constructive criticisms. The result of the second hypothesis also shows that there is no differential effect of the use of video technology during microteaching between male and female teacher trainees. This finding contradicts Abonyi and Eze (2007) who maintain that some instructional resources have been found to be gender sensitive. The use of this device to capture the activities of microteaching has a salutary effect in terms of promoting users' interest as well as enhancing their selfappraisal/evaluation, gender not withstanding. This means that both male and female teacher trainees benefit maximally from the use of video technology especially in assessing their performances for enhanced professional growth development. # II. Conclusion and Recommendations Teacher grooming for his professional calling demands quality preparation. Teachers must be exposed to the nitty-gritty of their career by undergoing series of training and induction of which microteaching happens to be the first practical step towards teacher preparation. Incorporating video technology in microteaching session would heighten participants' interest and afford them ample opportunity to assess their performance exactly as it is without a modicum of doubt. Therefore, institutions statutorily committed to the training of teachers should ensure that attentioncompelling instruction devices like video machines, closed circuit television etc are procured and effectively utilized during micro-teaching to capture the actions and inactions of those involved and thus minimize, to the barest degree, unnecessary arguments among instructors, teacher trainees and peers. ![Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology Volume XIII Issue IV Version I teachers' exposure and professional competence. It was first developed in 1963 by Doright Allen, Frederick McDonald and Associates at Standford University, USA with the aim of improving the quality of teacher training and service delivery (Abifarin, 2004; Adewoyin, 2009 and Federal Ministry of Education, 2007). Microteaching is an invaluable clinical teaching experience that exposes teachers to the complexities of teaching by providing safe, interactive and fun environment they need to observe, interact, criticize and acquire skills of teaching (Al Methan, 2003; Karthagen, Loughrane and Rusell, 2006). The steps involved in microteaching include: selecting specific learning tasks, planning, teaching and evaluation as represented in the diagram below: Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology Volume XIII Issue IV Version I Integrating video Technology in Micro-Teaching Sessions for Teacher-Trainees' Self-Appraisal and Professional Growth Microteaching cycle/process (Source: Adewoyin, 2007:148)](image-2.png "CG") 2video technology on male and female teacher-trainees'self-appraisalGenderN?? ?SDt-calr-critMale502.40.512.0Female502.390.5*Significant at .05 level; df=98; critical r=.195 G © 2013 Global Journals Inc. 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