PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

1.1 Introduction

Social studies is the study of people in relation to each other and to their world. It is an issues-focused and inquiry-based interdisciplinary subject that draws upon history, geography, ecology, economics, law, philosophy, political science and other social science disciplines. Social studies foster students’ understanding of and involvement in practical and ethical issues that face their communities and humankind. Social studies is integral to the process of enabling students to develop an understanding of who they are, what they want to become and the society in which they want to live. Social studies develops the key values and attitudes, knowledge and understanding, and skills and processes necessary for students to become active and responsible citizens, engaged in the democratic process and aware of their capacity to effect change in their communities, society and world.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

The original onset of the social studies field emerged in the 19th century and later grew in the 20th century. Those foundations and building blocks were put into place in the 1820s in the country of Great Britain before being integrated into the United States. The purpose of the subject itself was to promote social welfare and its development in countries like the United States and others (Socialstudies, 2021).

According to David (2018), Social studies is the integrated study of multiple fields of social science and the humanities, including history, geography, and political science. The term was first coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as a catch-all for these subjects, as well as others which did not fit into the traditional models of lower education in the United States, such as philosophy and psychology (David, 2018).

One of the purposes of social studies, particularly at the level of higher education, is to integrate several disciplines, with their unique methodologies and special focuses of concentration, into a coherent field of subject areas that communicate with each other by sharing different academic "tools" and perspectives for deeper analysis of social problems and issues (Wikipedia, 2021).

The social studies aim to train students for informed, responsible participation in a diverse democratic society. The content of social studies provides the necessary background knowledge in order to develop values and reasoned opinions, and the objective of the field is civic competence (Larson, 2017).

To teach social studies in the United States, one must obtain a valid teaching certification to teach in that given state and a valid subject specific certification in social studies. The social studies certification process focuses on the core areas: history, geography, economics, civics, and political science. Each state has specific requirements for the certification process and the teacher must follow the specific guidelines of the state they wish to teach (Teaching-certification, 2021).

Social studies is not a subject, instead functioning as a field of study that incorporates many different subjects. It primarily includes the subjects of history, geography, economics, civics, and sociology. Through all of that, the elements of ethics, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, art, and literature are incorporated into the subject field itself. The field of study itself focuses on human beings and their respective relationships. With that, many of these subjects include some form of social utility that is beneficial to the subject field itself (Historians, 2021).

Social Studies Curriculum as a policy document and academic programme was introduced to educational system in Nigeria with the aim of inculcating positive values and building of better Nigeria. This could be possible only when there is effective implementation of social studies curriculum at all levels of education. Curriculum goals or purposes are indispensable elements in instructions as far as effective implementation of an already developed curriculum is concerned.

The correct conception, investment of efforts and ultimate realization of the purposes of the curriculum will facilitate the realization of the overall aims of the Nigerian educational enterprise. Therefore, in Anambra State where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Problems and Prospects of Teaching Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Nigeria.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Investigation revealed that Junior Secondary School students' interest and academic achievement in social studies is declining. Lemchi (2001) noted that some students are losing interest in the subject. Attitudes associated with Social Studies appear to affect students' performance in the subject. Also, many Social Studies teachers teach Social Studies without instructional materials and facilities (Mberengwa 2004). The quality of teachers and class room facilities are grossly inadequate and obsolete.

Owolabi et al., (1991) also indicated that a serious disconnection exists between Social Studies training in secondary schools and the needs of the labour market, as students that do not proceed to higher education have been found to be incompetent in the field of work. Where students consistently perform poorly, the implication is that adequate teaching and learning has not taken place in schools.

Therefore, the target of this study is to examine the problems of teaching and learning of Social Studies in secondary schools in Anambra State.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to examine the Problems and Prospects of Teaching Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Nigeria using Anambra State as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were set out as follows:

1. To find out the extent to which students' attitudes constitute problems to the teaching and learning of Social Studies.
2. To assess the extent to which teacher quality and quantity constitute problems to the teaching and learning of Social Studies.
3. To find out the extent to which instructional materials constitute problems to the teaching and learning of Social Studies.
4. To determine the extent to which curriculum issues pose problems to the teaching/learning of Social Studies.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• To what extent do attitudes of Anambra State Junior Secondary Schools Students constitute problems to the teaching of Social Studies?
• To what extent to teacher quality and quantity cause problems to the teaching of Social Studies?
• To what extent do instructional materials pose problems to the teaching and learning of Social Studies?
• To what extent do curriculum issues pose problems to the teaching and learning of Social Studies?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There are no significant factors affecting Social Studies teaching and learning in Junior Secondary Schools
• H1: There are significant factors affecting Social Studies teaching and learning in Junior Secondary Schools

1.7 Significance of Study

The study gives various insights into the challenges of teaching social studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Nigeria. These highlighted challenges will enable stakeholders in the education sector to take adequate measures in tackling these challenges, and make learning of social studies a lot easier for both teachers and students in Junior Secondary School levels.

1.8 Scope of the Study

This study covers the challenges and prospects of teaching social studies at junior secondary schools in Nigeria using Anambra state as a case study. Findings and recommendations for the study may not reflect the true view of the challenges of teaching social studies in Nigeria, as the researcher could not cover a wider area in Nigeria due to time and financial constraints.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

1.10 Definition of Terms

Social Studies:

It is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Social studies is most commonly recognized as the name of a course or set of courses taught in primary and secondary schools or elementary, middle, and secondary schools, but may also refer to the study of aspects of human society at certain post-secondary and tertiary schools around the globe.

Challenge:

Challenge is a general term referring to things that are imbued with a sense of difficulty and victory.