THE ROLE OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN INCULCATING CITIZENSHIP IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL (JSS)

1.1 Introduction

Social studies subject 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. Academic achievement is an important parameter in measuring success in students. Observations and reports have shown that success or high academic achievement has become a herculean task to accomplish by students. In the light of the foregoing, this study intend to look into class size being that the classroom is a major deciding factor as to how well or how poor students are prepared for examinations.

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, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

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. In recent times, a great deal of attention has been directed to issues that are seen to be of contemporary global importance. These issues include citizenship, population, environmental and gender issues; good governance; poverty alleviation, peace and conflict resolution. 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. In recent times, educators in Nigeria have been increasingly concerned about the need to improve on the academic achievement of students (Akubuiro, 2008).

Social studies have been one of the subjects that is able to accommodate these growing cotemporary trend. It is a subject that encourages critical thinking, creativity, resourcefulness, democratic classroom atmosphere, problems solving skill with emphasis on the affective dimensions of empathy, co-operation, ethical behaviour which are essential for creativity and the right to relate to global issues. Social studies are not to generate new theories but the utilization of the existing knowledge to solve the problems arising from man's interaction with his environment. That shows that social studies is the only problems-solving subject that could accommodate these issues (Ajiboye, 2003).

Learning social studies brings the teacher into contact with contents, goals, teaching methods, classroom environment and students. His disposition towards the above reveals a positive or negative attitude. Examining this concept further Smith, Saroson & Sarason (2002) identify three constituents of attitude: cognitive (beliefs), emotional (feeling) and behavioral (action). The cognitive component by itself is not an attitude. It transcends into feeling and then metamorphoses into action; the final stage is attitude formation.

In other words, action may be part of the attitude one has towards a thing person or phenomenon. In his studies, Sterm (2003) concludes that, “the basic assumption underlying all these is that teachers' attitudes are significant for students' learning”. Social Studies have been noted to be integrated both in content and methodology. The introduction of new approaches to learning the subject needed a change in the education of teachers. Literature review on the background of teachers teaching the new social studies at any school level shows that majority of them had their education with humanities or social science background. Social studies teachers seem to lack the consensus about the nature and importance of the subject.

Many of them appear to exhibit a negative understanding of the subject (Uyoata, 2002). However, despite the general misunderstanding, Uyoata observes that 65 percent of the primary school teachers in his study expressed a positive attitude to social studies. In the said study, most of the teachers preferred social studies as separate subject such as history, civics, moral instruction and geography. The teachers' positive attitude, therefore, might have been built on the preference for multidisciplinary approach, which has now been discarded for the integrated approach. Osho (2006) undertook a study where he observes, among others, that teachers with positive attitude (who were exposed to the problem-solving strategy) had higher gains from the post- treatment scores on their performance in social studies than their colleagues who used other methods.

Cruickshank, Jenkins & Metcalf (2003) write that effective teachers are generally positive minded individuals who believe in the success of their students as well as their own ability to help students to achieve. Borich (2000) contends that effective teachers are those who use “meaningful verbal praise to get and keep students actively participating in the learning process”.

In the Nigerian classroom situation, it is observed that many teachers' regards social studies as a low status subject that could be taught any-how (Okon 2007) hence making social studies hazy and distorted in image. Okon further contends that prospective social studies students tend to have doubt regarding the high status of the subject. Hobbs & Moroz (2001) found in their studies that students believed social studies was useful but did not believe that social studies would help them get a job. Among the social sciences, people seem to think of social studies, as low status subject (Hobbs & Moroz, 2001).

Nigeria is to be a society, strong, united and self-reliant. Education is the greatest force, according to Government, that can be used to realize these dreams of unity in Nigeria. To this end, Nigeria's philosophy of education hinges on the integration of the individual into a sound and effective citizen, the provision of equal educational opportunities for all citizens. For this philosophy to be in harmony with Nigeria's national objectives, it has to be geared toward self-realization, better human relations, effective citizenship, national consciousness, national unity, as well as cultural, economic, scientific and technological progress. The national educational aims and objectives to which the philosophy is linked are reflected as follows:

1. The inculcation of national consciousness and national unity;
2. The inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and the Nigerian society;
3. The training of the mind in understanding of the world around; and
4. The acquisition of appropriate skills, ability and competences, both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live in and contribute to the development of his society.

In order to achieve these aims and objectives, the government emphasized that a conscious effort, should be made to teach the tenets of good citizenship at all levels of education. To this end, therefore, in section 3(14c), the National Policy on Education emphasizes the importance of citizenship education as a basis for an individual's effective participation in and contribution to the life of the society. In section 4(18e) and 4(18f), the Policy stressed that education should raise a generation of people who can think for themselves, respect the views and feelings of others, respect the dignity of labour and appreciate those values specified under our broad national aims and live as good citizens, foster Nigerian unity with emphasis on the common ties that unite us in our diversity. Thus the teaching and learning of Social Studies is pivotal to an understanding of the need for a cultivation of effective human relations. This perspective is geared at producing effective citizens and of forging a cohesive society that will support the notion of nation-building through the teaching and learning of Social Studies programmes in our colleges and schools.

Similarly, Okam (2002) also stressed that an acquisition of the tenets of citizenship socialization by learners or students in our various school setting should not be a chance affair. He emphasized that it has to be learnt and cultivated by way of the relevant educational processes associated with classroom instructions in Social Studies. Onifade (2002) stressed that the Social Sciences are seen as the basic foundations of Social Studies Education not only because the Social Sciences represent the primary source of data but they also form the foundation of curriculum planning in Social Studies.

Therefore, in Gwagwalada Area Council Abuja where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Role of Social Studies in Inculcating Citizenship in JSS.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that Nigeria being a developing country is facing numerous problems, ranging from political, social and economic. Nigeria as a nation is passing through the stage of political stress and economics recession, the side effect of which can be in the prevalent bribery and corruption, dishonesty, unemployment, robbery, drug abuse and lack of patriotism among citizen. There is no doubt, therefore that the series of educational laws and ordinances that were enacted during the colonial period and soon after that period were not very effective in terms of solving Nigeria's problems.

Citizenship education is one of the courses offered to students in social studies department at all levels of education. The implication of this is that the topic is taught at the primary, Junior Secondary and Tertiary level of our Educational Institutions. Students are taught their fundamental rights as citizens of the nation, and also their obligations and responsibilities towards the development of the nation. The level of development of any nation depends to a large extent on her citizens, hence Nigeria needs citizens who will performs its obligations unsolicited (Ossai, 2004). To achieve and retain good and strong effective citizens in Nigeria, social studies being a problems– solving or issue based discipline serve as a tool. This is because it is an avenue for providing young people with a feeling of hope in the future and confidence in their ability to solve social and environmental problems.

One of the major failures of the Nigerian state according to Alao (2012) is its inability to rise initial imitations and challenges foisted upon it by British Colonialism to create supra institutions that are capable of deemphasizing sub national proclivities. In its fifty years of independent nationhood, Nigeria has not been able to appropriate its defining moments and translate them into instances of nation building for political stability and economic development.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to investigate the role of Social Studies in Inculcating Citizenship in JSS in Gwagwalada Area Council Abuja. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were set out as follows:

1. To establish the average performance of students from junior secondary schools in gwagwalada area council abuja on social studies achievement test for effective citizenship development.
2. To compare the average performance of male and female students with regard to Social Studies Achievement Test for effective citizenship development, cognitive aspect of social and Citizenship values for effective citizenship development, Affective aspect of social and Citizenship values for effective citizenship development, and Psychomotor aspect of Citizenship values for effective citizenship development.

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:

• What is the average performance of students from junior secondarys schools in gwagwalada area council abuja on social studies achievement test for effective citizenship development?
• Is there any significant difference in the average performance of male and female students?
• Does Social Studies achievement test increases effective citizenship development?
• Does Cognitive aspect of social and Citizenship values for effective citizenship development?
• Does affective aspect of social and Citizenship values influences effective citizenship development?
• Does psychomotor aspect of Citizenship values impact effective citizenship development?

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 is no significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in Social Studies achievement test for effective citizenship development
• H1: There is significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in Social Studies achievement test for effective citizenship development

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There is no significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in Cognitive aspect of Citizenship values for effective citizenship development
• H1: There is significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in Cognitive aspect of Citizenship values for effective citizenship development

Hypothesis Three

• H0: There is no significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in Affective aspect of Citizenship values for effective citizenship development
• H1: There is significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in Affective aspect of Citizenship values for effective citizenship development

Hypothesis Four

• H0: There is no significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in psychomotor aspect of Citizenship values for effective citizenship development
• H1: There is significant difference between the average performance of male and female students in psychomotor aspect of Citizenship values for effective citizenship development

1.7 Significance of Study

This study would be of particular importance to educators because it investigates the impact and contribution of Social Studies education on the citizenship values of Junior Secondary School students for the citizenship development. In particular the study investigated the impact of Social Studies curriculum programmes amongst these students in respect of their cognitive, affective and psychomotor orientations regarding an acquisition of citizenship development. This is because we need effective citizenship if Nigeria is to mature into nationhood for the purpose of positive and meaningful national development. As prospective and future leaders of Nigeria, it is worth while exposing students to features, issues and problems which have a bearing on the development of Citizenship values in order to prepare their minds for the significant role they could play, particularly in the political arena with regard to Nigeria's national development. Thus investigations (such as this one) which bear on the determination of students' orientations in respect of the values, attitudes, skills and the knowledge they hold on the sphere of Citizenship values (as a result of exposure to Social Studies education) are very vital in Nigeria's present quest for meaningful and sustainable democracy. Thus, this study derives the basis of its strength from its concern for a determination of the extent to which JSS students' exposure to Social Studies programmes in their various school settings have enabled them acquire the necessary citizenship values needed for their maturation into effective citizens that would contribute to nation-building and national development.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.8 Scope of the Study

The study focuses on the Role of Social Studies in Inculcating Citizenship in JSS in Gwagwalada Area Council Abuja. The target population of this study is J.S.S. III students in the country. An important aspect of the scope of this study involved subjecting the sampled population to JSS students in gwagwalada area council in Abuja a number of citizenship value tests in Social Studies education.

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. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. 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).

1.10 Definition of Terms

Social Studies: It subject 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.