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SELECTION
AND UTILIZATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Social
studies refers to the subject matter, possessing skills, attitudes and
activities that focus on society and on individuals as members of a social
group. National Teachers’ Institute (N.T.I,2000), opines that Social studies is
an area of school curriculum specifically designed for the study of man and how
he fits into the society by utilizing the necessary attitudes, values and
skills at his reach.
Awe in
Fadeiye (2005:06), is of the view that
…Social
studies is a discipline if properly programmed and effectively taught should
help to solve social problems that are facing developing countries like ours
(Nigeria) where the old norms are fast losing their grips and without any
effective substitute to replace them.
Bozimo and
Ikwumelu (2009), maintain that Social studies aims at helping people develop
the ability to make decisions so that they can resolve personal problems and
shape policy by participating in intelligent social action. They also state
that Social studies is concerned not only with knowledge but also with
attitudes, skills and values. Ikwumelu (2002) holds that it gives an
opportunity for important social and moral issues such as attitudes to the
destitute, poverty, racialism and different types of government, cruelty to
animals and children, brutality and injustice to be introduced into curriculum.
Jarolimek (1977:04), agreeing with the above view, states that Social studies
is a field
of study that teaches about people, how and where they live, how they form and
structure societies, how they govern themselves and provide for their material
and psychological needs; how and why they love and hate each other, how they
use and misuse the resources of the planet that is their home.
Social
studies does not focus on purely individual problems or problems that are
peculiar to a given individual, and it is not synonymous with indoctrination
nor with uncritical acceptance of beliefs (Bozimo and Ikwumelu, 2008). Kissock
(1981) thus holds that Social studies is a programme of study which a society
uses to instill in the students the knowledge, skills, attitudes and actions it
considers important concerning the relationship human beings have with each
other, the world and themselves.
In Social
studies therefore, man is viewed as being at the centre while his physical,
political, cultural, psychological and socio-economic environments encircle
him. This probably explains why Nigeria Education Research Council (NERC) in
Fadeiye (2005) opines that Social studies is the relationship between man, and
his physical and social environments as well as his relationship with science
and technology.
Social
studies can thus help the Nigerian citizens generally to develop the ability to
respect the worth and dignity of individuals, it will help in the inculcation
of national consciousness and national unity, instill in man a disposition for
acceptance of attitudinal change or rebranding in order to tame the tide of
corruption which has enveloped all sectors of life in Nigeria.
Agreeing
with the above assertion, Jarolimek (1977:3), maintains that Social studies is
expected to contribute immeasurably to the development of confidence, hope and
positive self image in our children in conflicting ideologies, values and
attitudes since it aims at:
helping
young people develop competence that enables them to deal with and to some
extent manage, the physical and social forces of the world in which they live.
It also provides young people with a feeling of hope in the future and
confidence in their ability to solve social problems.
To achieve
these objectives, Adeniji (2004), suggests that all the teachers of Social
studies in all affected levels of education need to be familiar with the
content and methods of teaching the subject in order to interpret the content of
Social studies correctly and encourage its learning. In addition, they need to
acquire skills on selection and utilization of Social studies methods.
Okoro
(2001:19), supporting this view, states that when Social studies instructional
methods are related to the content, learning will cease to be fragmentary and
memorization of unrelated facts and concepts will end. He maintains that the
ultimate result of relating Social studies instructional methods and content is
for a successful inculcation of such Social studies content as:
-
Independent thinking and the desire to think on more individual level.
- Group
cooperation or developing more favourable attitudes towards working more
effectively and efficiently with others.
- Social
responsibilities or respect for obligations to obey the rules of the home,
schools and community.
- Empathy or
developing the ability to relate and identify more closely with other peoples’
situations.
- Democratic
living or the growth of improved attitudes towards increasing respect for other
people’s rights.
Downey and
Kelly in Ikwumelu (2002:3), observe that “social awareness and social
understanding are still not being developed, students still consider either to
take for granted what their teachers offer or to reject it out of hand”,
probably as a result of lack of relevance between Social studies content and
its instructional methods. It is only when such relevance is achieved that
Social studies programme can help students think critically about their own
assumptions and about the world in which they live, so that they will no longer
be contented to accept their lot blindly but can learn ways of contributing
towards changes.
Wheeler in
Fadeiye (2005:06) equally maintains that “whether a subject is effective or not
depends on the nature and quality of the learning experiences that are
associated with it”. This implies that it is not only the content that
determines effectiveness but also the quality of learning experiences which in
some cases are dependent upon proper selection and appropriate utilization of
instructional methods by the teachers. Mkpa in Mkpa (2005:10), thus suggests
that “content must be related to selected instructional methods for effective
and quality learning experiences to be achieved”. He maintains that in reality
content and process are so interrelated that an outright distinction may not be
desirable except for analytical purpose; content and process should therefore
be seen as an integral part of each other and so should both be accorded
sufficient emphasis as one cannot exist in isolation of the other.
Mbakwem
(2005) is also of the view that proper selection and appropriate utilization of
instructional methods could encourage skills acquisition and development of
values. From the foregoing, it appears that the ability of Social studies to
realize the lofty goals expected of it rests on the instructional methods
selected and used by the teachers. With regard to the selection and use of
instructional methods in teaching of Social studies, Bozimo and Ikwumelu
(2009:138), opine that there is wide spectrum of instructional methods
available for use in Social studies education. While some of the methods can
only be used to achieve some specified objectives, others can achieve multiple
objectives simultaneously.
Fadeiye
(2005) asserts also that methods of teaching Social studies are many and that some
are more effective than the others; to him Social studies teachers need to
examine all the methods critically and experiment with them with a view to
selecting most appropriate methods for classroom interaction. This thus leads
to such questions as:
- What are
the instructional methods available for use in teaching Social studies?
- Is there
any difference between rural and urban Social studies teachers in the use of
instructional methods?
- Do Social
studies teachers utilize these methods properly?
- What are
the possible factors affecting selection and utilization of these methods?
Different
methods can be used in teaching a unit of work so that students will have the
opportunity of using all their senses with a view to making learning permanent.
Some of these instructional methods used in teaching Social studies are:
lecture method, panel method, debate method, dramatization method, inquiring
method, concept mapping, discussion, field trip method, creative activity,
games and simulation methods.
Fadeiye
(2005) opines that Social studies teacher needs to familiarize himself with
several methods of teaching Social studies so as to make classroom more
interesting and participatory. He also suggests the use of integrated methods
in the teaching since Social studies is an inter-disciplinary subject.
Unfortunately, some Social studies teachers fall back to a particular method as
the only method of passing information to the students, and this does no good
to the teaching and learning of Social studies, furthermore selection and
utilization of inappropriate methods by Social studies teachers may impede the
learning of Social studies (Bozimo and Ikwumelu, 2009).
Novak and
Musonda (1991) maintain that gender bias from the society has permeated the
school environment, curriculum, pedagogy, instructional materials, among others
to influence the attitudes of the teachers in favour of the boys. Again, though
boys and girls have similar abilities and capabilities, learn in the same
school, taught by the same teacher using the same syllabus, girls in the end
still perform very poorly in Social studies classroom (Novak & Musonda,
1991). Hornby (2000) defines selection as the process of choosing something
carefully from a large group of things that may either by identical or having a
common future. Utilization according to him is defined as the process of using
something, especially for a particular purpose. Consequently, there is a need
for a study on the selection and utilization of Social studies instructional
methods by secondary school teachers especially in Ebonyi State.
Statement of
the Problem
Social
studies is often seen as all comers’ course and a dumping ground for those
denied admission in other disciplines by the school management (Igba, 2005).
According to Igba (2005), school management and ministry of education often
appoint teachers that read courses like Geography, Economics, History,
Government, English language and even Fine Arts to teach the subject in
secondary schools in Ebonyi State. This does not enhance the teaching and
learning of Social studies. This is why most Social studies students fail
Social studies in external examination. Lamenting on the poor performance, the
chief examiner’s report on the performance of students in Social studies
examination in the July 2009 says “the performance is generally poor. It was
disheartening to see the degree of ignorance among candidates of Social studies
in their home country”, (Ebonyi State Secondary Education Board, 2009:12).
In addition,
Onasanya (2008:) opines that Social studies education in Nigeria for long had
been criticized for not quite preparing students for effective living in the
society as result of inappropriate utilization of instructional methods in
Social studies classroom. In support of the above, Okpalama (2008: 65)
maintains that the “inability of Social studies education to actualize its
expected goals of preparing students for worthy living is proved beyond
reasonable doubt by the low level of achievement of Social studies students in
external examination”. To Okpalama, the low level of achievement had been
attributed to a number of factors by Social studies educators. For instance Mkpa
(2001) attributed it to improper selection and poor uses of Social studies
instructional methods, others pointed accusing finger to poor teaching methods
involving selection and application of orthodox or traditional methods in
Social studies classroom (Mezieobi, 1991). This probably results in poor
performances in junior secondary schools Social studies examinations in the
study area.
Since Social
studies records poor results in the area of study, there is the need to revisit
the teaching and learning of the discipline, including the methods applied by
the teachers in classroom interaction. While considering the methods in use in
Social studies teaching, the factors influencing the selection of such methods
have to be in focus. Research has shown that successful teaching and learning
are dependent upon the selection and use of appropriate teaching method(s) for
classroom use, (Mbakwem, 2005). This study therefore investigated on the
method(s) to be selected and used by secondary school teachers for Social studies
education in Ebonyi State?
Purpose of
the Study
The research
focuses on the study of selection and utilization of Social studies
instructional methods by Social studies teachers in Secondary schools in Ebonyi
State. Specifically, it aims at;
-
Identifying the available instructional methods for teaching Social studies in
Secondary schools.
-
Ascertaining the most widely selected Social studies instructional methods by
male and female secondary school teacher in Ebonyi State.
- Finding
out the most widely utilized Social studies instructional methods by male and
female teachers in secondary schools teachers in Ebonyi State.
- Examining
the possible factors that adversely affect selection of Social studies
instructional methods by Secondary school teachers in Ebonyi State.
-
Determining the factors that affect utilization of Social studies instructional
methods by secondary school teachers in Ebonyi State.
Significance
of the Study
The study is
significant because it would help in the understanding of the pedagogical
problems of Social studies and the best methods of teaching the subject in
secondary schools in Ebonyi State. The findings of this study will guide Social
studies teachers to appreciate the importance of instructional methods in the
teaching of Social studies in our schools.
Social
studies textbook authors will benefit from the findings of this study by
updating their knowledge on the selection and use of Social studies
instructional methods. School administrators and supervisors will no doubt fall
back on the findings of this study as a guide to supervising Social studies
teachers for effective performance. The study is relevant because data
collected will provide the interested scholars with information on the
selection and utilization of Social studies instructional methods in teaching
the subject in secondary schools in Ebonyi State. The society at large will
benefit from the findings of the study as the problems related to Social
studies instructional methods are critically examined.
Scope of the
Study
The study
focuses on selection and utilization of Social studies instructional methods by
secondary school teachers in Ebonyi State. The main area of the study is Ebonyi
State which has three Education Zones, namely Abakaliki, Onueke and Afikpo
Education Zones.
Research Questions
Five
research questions were formulated to guide the study. They are: - What are the
instructional methods available for use in teaching of Social studies in
Secondary Schools?
- What are
the most widely selected instructional methods by male and female teachers in
Secondary Schools in Ebonyi State?
- What are
the most widely utilized Social studies instructional methods by male and
female teachers in secondary schools in Ebonyi State?
- What are
the possible factors that affect adversely the selection of Social studies
instructional methods by secondary School teachers in Ebonyi State?
- What are
the factors that affect utilization of Social studies instructional methods by
secondary school teachers in Ebonyi State?
Hypotheses
The following
null hypotheses were formulated for the study to be tested at 0.05 level of
significance.
Ho1: There
is no significant difference between the responses of male and female Social
studies teachers on methods available for use in teaching Social studies in
secondary schools in Ebonyi state.
Ho2: There
is no significant deference between the responses of male and female teachers
in secondary schools on selection of Social studies instructional methods.
Ho3: There
is no significant difference between the responses of male and female Social
studies teachers on most widely utilized instructional methods by Social
studies teachers in Secondary Schools in Ebonyi State.
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