THE BARRIERS TO THE EFFECTIVE TEACHING OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN SOME SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOL

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

            Education is a process of acquiring desirable changes in ones behaviour or character. The school is a formal institution set up primarily to inculcate the desirable character in children and improve their knowledge in order to be useful to themselves and the society at large.

            Social studies is one of the subject in the curriculum that help in achieving the aims and goals of education. The comparative educational study and adaptation centres (CESAC) 1968, defined social studies as “the study of man and his society with his interplay between him, his environment and effect of science and technology. He went on to state that the usefulness of social studies is enhanced when it is seen as a way of looking at the society in order to understand social problems and thereby help to seek solution to them.  

            Aderalegbe (1975) also described social studies as “a study of how man influence and has in turn influenced by his environment, in terms of physical, social, political religious, economic, psychological, cultural, scientific and technological environment. He went on to refer to social studies as a way of life”. Social studies is relatively a new subject through out the world. The idea of social studies first sprang up ion the United State of America and later in Europe. By the early 1960 the teaching of social studies has spread to all parts of the United State of America and Europe and later the subject started having impact in developing countries. 

            Social studies offer us important opportunities to know what is happen in, where, when and how, making our understanding positive value, social studies help in promoting, travelling experience and clearly show the inter-relationship and interdependence between man and places above all, it is clearly shown the world is dynamic rather than a static, social studies as a subject seek to solve the problems of the society and give clear insight into the problems of man and his environment. Social studies was introduced to Nigeria schools in 1963 in view of satisfying the urge of children who are always curious and want to know where, when of various events takes place in their environment, since the introduction of the social studies into Nigeria education system several questions has been raised about the teaching and learning of social studies. They ask such questions as what a learner who is exposed to social studies sought to find out.

            This project sought to find out the problems associated with the teaching of social studies in secondary schools using Iguobazuwa Grammar School , Udo Mixed School, Siluko Grammar School, Gbelebu Secondary School, and also Ofienamas School all in Ovia South West Local Government Area.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

            The teaching of social studies in selected secondary schools in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State is associated with some of the following problems:

1.     Lack of instructional materials affects the teaching of social studies

2.     Lack of conducive environment affect the teaching of social studies.

3.     Lack of appropriate method of teaching affect the teaching of social studies

4.     Lack of incentive/regular payment of salary to teachers affects the teaching of social studies.

5.     Lack of sufficient lesson periods allotted social studies affect the teaching of social studies.

PURPOSE OF STUDY   

            The purpose of this study is to investigate the problems facing the teaching of social studies in selected secondary schools in Benin City. Teachers, parents and community and how well social studies programme could be designed to meet the expectation of these bodies. It is also hoped that the study will reduce the negative attitude of each of the above mentioned problems.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

            This study will enlighten parents and the general public, and also help the government to recognize the problems affecting the effective teaching of social studies in Junior Secondary Schools. It will also help in the identification of those problems, and in no small measure help both the teacher and education planners to rejuvenate the present standard of schools in these areas.

            This will also guide policy makers on how to tackle problems facing the teaching of social studies in Junior Secondary Schools. And it will help enhance students understanding of social studies and thereby improve their performances in social studies examinations.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.     Does the shortage of manpower (social studies teachers) in Ovia South West Local Government Area adversely affect student’s performance?

2.     Does the shortage of teaching resources and other equipment affect the performance of students?

3.     Is the wide scope of social studies responsible for students lack of interest in the subject?

SCOPE OF THE STUDY  

            The study is limited to five secondary schools namely:

Iguobazuwa Grammar School, Udo Mixed School, Siluko Grammar School, Gbelebu Secondary School, and also Uhaza Secondary  School all in Ovia South West Local Government Area.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Problems – Something difficult to deal with or understand. Some thing to be solves or dealt with.

Effective – Achieving the intended result

Teaching – Giving instruction by a teacher to a lecturer.

Curriculum – This is the sum total of what the learner learn at school and what the teacher do to make the learners learn from their first day in school to when they graduate.

Society – An ordered community, a particular system of ordering the community.

Influence – Exercise power over something, people have effect upon person or something.

Interdependence – To depend on each other.