Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice in the Nigerian Educational System: John Dewey’s Educational Idea as Paradigm

Abstract

This study used John Dewey’s educational idea to address the chasm between theory and practice in the Nigerian educational system. In this work, the authors argue that the countries’ educational system is skewed towards theoretical knowledge over and above practice. This is informed by the inability of education graduates to apply their knowledge to real-life issues in and outside schools. Irked by this anomaly, the study examined Dewey’s educational idea in order to ascertain the extent to which it can bridge the gap between theory and practice in the Nigerian educational system. The work adopted the descriptive research method. Findings from the study revealed among others that education, which according to Dewey should be child-centered, should be systematically provided in such a way that it constantly challenges the intellectual ability of the learner through experiments (practice) as this will help in creating a functional balance between theory and practice. Based on the outcome of the study, it was recommended among others that the Nigerian educational system should be geared more to learner-centeredness and the programme be provided in such a way that the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities of the learners would be constantly challenged through information search, individual and group projects, and experiments.