Introduction
The introduction of Social studies into the Nigerian school system was based on certain philosophical considerations. One of them is to address social issues and man’s problem of life in their interrelatedness, as they appear in real life situations instead of addressing them in an uninterlated manner as those learnt through separate disciplines like geography, religion, sociology and anthropology. Social Studies, according to Ezegbe (1994), was therefore introduced as an integrated discipline to make education real to life.
Social studies was also introduced into the Nigerian school system to achieve one of the philosophies of Nigerian education as indicated in the National Policy on Education which is “the development of the individual into a sound and effective citizen†(1998:7). The realization of this objective through Social studies is possible since the subject is an integrated programme which are taught and learnt in Social studies looks at all aspects of the life of the child in the society. It is therefore, better equipped to properly socialize the child to become a sound and effective citizen.
It is further stated in the National Policy on Education (1998:8) that education is to achieve the inculcation of national consciousness and national unity; the inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and the Nigerian society. All these, according to Ezegbe (1994) involve the development of modern democratic values which are taught and learnt in social studies because of its broad based scope. The accomplishment of the purposes for which Social studies was introduced in schools would depend to a large extent, not only on the availability of the right caliber of professionally trained Social studies teaching personnel, but also of the material resources available in schools for its teaching. Of all the personnel involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of a curriculum, the teacher is the most important. Brown (1982) pointed out the vital role of the teacher in the curriculum process when he noted that:
the curriculum can be a great success or a dismal failure depending on teachers and the instructional materials at the disposal of the teacher are of vital importance. They are the keypersons who alone can make the curriculum design achieve whatever it was designed to achieve… (pg. 19).
No matter how strongly motivated a nation may be in desiring to provide education for its citizens irrespective of the financial resources and the good will, the effectiveness of the system ultimately depends on the quality of the teachers that operate it and availability of instructional materials and educational inputs that are of vital importance in the successful implementation of social studies curriculum. . It is the teacher who translates societal values and aspirations to practical lessons in the class. Several educators amongst who are Coombs (1970), Fafunwa (1974), Fayemi (1991) and Ukeje (1970) have written on the vital role of the teachers as implementers of the curriculum. According to them, whatever abilities are available, whatever content is presented for teaching, whichever kind of environment the school is situated and whatever kind of pupils are given to teach, the important and vital role of the teacher cannot be over-emphasized. Teachers represent a large proportion of the input of an educational system.
Instructional materials are also educational inputs and they are of vital importance in the successful implementation of any curriculum. Relevant and appropriate textbooks, visual and audio-visual materials like globes, charts, slides, maps, tapes etc are of paramount necessities in the teaching-learning process. Audio-visual materials supplement and consolidate what is read in textbooks and journals. This study was aimed at finding out if there are necessary human and material resources in the Nigerian secondary schools for the implementation of the new social studies curriculum at the senior secondary school level.
In conclusion, though, Social studies had been introduced into the educational scene in Nigeria since 1958, it went through various stages of development before it was officially entrenched in the educational curriculum of the nation at the primary, junior secondary, teachers colleges and tertiary levels of education. However, social studies was not included in the senior secondary school curriculum until 1998. The basic problem it has encountered is in the area of availability of instructional material for it teaching at the various levels of learning. More need to be done by policy executors in the educational sector in Nigeria. The inability of student to effectively comprehend the subject may be due to lack of adequate facilities, both instructional and personnel.
References
Borg, W. R. & Gall, M.D. (1979). Educational Research: An Introduction (3rd Ed.) New York: Longman.
Brown, N. (1982). Curriculum and Instructions. Lagos: Macmillan.
Coombs, P.H. (1970). The World Educational Crisis: A Systems Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press.
Adegbe, M. O. (1994). “Social Studies Curriculum and Instructions†in Amadi, H.C. and Joof, G.W. (1994) (eds). Social Studies in Schools: Teaching Methods, Techniques, Approaches and Perspectives. Onitsha. Outrite Publishers.
Federal Republic of Nigeria (1998). National Policy on Education, Lagos: Federal Ministry of Information.
Obagah, H. (1993). “The Senior Secondary School’s Social studies Syllabus. An Unfinished Businessâ€. Paper presented at the 2nd National Conference of Social Studies Association of Nigeria.
Ukeje, D. O. (19970). “Performance Oriented Teacher Educationâ€. Report of the 5th Annual Conference, Western Council of the Association for Teacher Education in Africa.
Trainers and leaders use instructional materials to help them convey the message they are trying to present to the audience. There are many different ways to use instructional media to reach your audience.
Araling Panlipunan is Social Studies. Some instructional materials that can be used are maps, globes, models, art materials to make projects, etc. In addition, learning activities can be classroom games like dividing the class into teams and asking teams a question in turns, with the winning teams getting an award. If a museum is close, a field trip would be fun and educational.
Mary C. Havelock has written: 'Case study of the Merrimack Education Center' -- subject(s): Case studies, Instructional materials centers, Merrimack Education Center
Sociolinguistic studies contribute to language teaching by helping educators understand how language is used in different social contexts and by different groups of speakers. This knowledge can inform the development of inclusive and culturally relevant language teaching materials and approaches. It also helps teachers better address language variation and diversity in the classroom.
They are studies of great importance and that are well-controlled.
You can get teaching jobs with a studies degree. You can get very good pay teaching in labs or on college campuses or even some high schools. Teaching is a great job.
IMPORTANCE OF STUDIES
Mark Fravel has written: 'A guide to teaching social studies' 'A guide for teaching social studies' -- subject(s): Handbooks, manuals, Social sciences, Study and teaching (Elementary)
Elizabeth Downs has written: 'The school library media specialist's policy & procedure writer' -- subject(s): Forms, Case studies, Library rules and regulations, Instructional materials centers, Administration, School libraries
Drosophilla, Neurospora and pea plant has been frequently used as materials for genetic studies.
James L. Barth has written: 'Great issues' -- subject(s): Research, Social sciences, Study and teaching 'Secondary social studies curriculum, activities, and materials' -- subject(s): Social sciences, Study and teaching (Secondary)
the importance of a feasibility study to an entreprenuer is profit oriented