Abstract

This study focused on the problems of teaching social studies in secondary schools in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State. The objective of this study was to determine the problems of teaching social studies in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu, four research questions was formulated to guide the study. The population of the study was sampled and two hundred (200) respondents was selected in the secondary schools in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire, it was presented in tabular form. The findings revealed that there are inadequacy of qualified social studies teachers. The finding also was that assess to the problem caused by insuficient of teaching materials for effective teaching and learning of social studies, it constitute subject problems that determine if teachers educator are using technology to reform the educational system. Based on the findings, recommendation and suggestion for further study were made and conclusion was subsequently drawn on the research topic.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Social studies, is a programme of instruction or study which a society uses in still in the students or pupils the ideas, knowledge’s, skills attitudes and actions , it considers important concerning the relationship and thing we have with each other. This is a dynamic body of knowledge in a discipline which deals with the study of man and his interaction with his physical and social environment, it deals with how man influence and is influence by his physical, social, political, economic and psychological and cultural environments. The teaching of social studies in Nigeria secondary schools has a short but an important history in the school curriculum. Social studies is not only a study but also a way of life which integrated study of the social science and humanities to promote civic competence. There are field of scholarship that study society, is also a peer reviewed Journal that publishers articles of interest to educators at all levels. Through the proper development implementation and utilization of the knowledge that social studies could provide about society of the best of society, the right environment could be created for development of the right laws ethics and values for the society in a way for superior to what could be obtained was application of any knowledge attainable for any one its component subject parts.

According to Jiboku (1993) that social studies is that aspect of learning which deals with how to get along with one’s environment, physical as well as human and how to develop those skills knowledge, attitudes and values that characterized a responsive and responsible citizen in a free world and free society. Teaching of social studies is a new phenomenon in most of Nigerian secondary schools, it was formally called general knowledge up to 1976, this development created various problems for the teachers, the nature of the subject as a covering term, making its precise, definition, selection of appropriate objective, content and methodology. Social studies as a tool aims at helping young people to solve a lot of problem, if carefully planned and implemented, for example in united states and Canada, social studies has its primary objective that is the preparation of pupils for effective citizenship in a democratic society. The prospects of study social studies cannot be over emphasized based on the fact that is a single integrated subject, only recently the Nigerian institution of learning right from the secondary to the tertiary level and it is currently gaining a nation wide acceptance. The planning and organization rested mainly in the lands of experts and specialists within the social science discipline, drawn from the universities and who are largely out of touch and reach with the schools. As in the case of new subject, those who teach it are confused, many are on the problems bound to arise for instance, the problem of dealing with a new subject which is quite dierent but has emerged from other well established ones, the problem of lack of a clear out definition, the problem of lack of a definition majority of the present teachers who can teach the subject are unfamiliar with the result that they continue to teach the old concept and ideas under the new subject heading social studies. All

these and other constitute problems in teaching social studies. The finder or the researcher sincerely hopes that social studies pupils or student has build up for themselves their initiative, originalities and judgment to become intelligent and use social. Statement of the Problem Social studies education in secondary school has been facing many problems, despite the indispensable contribution of the discipline, it has been observed that this subject is confronted with a lot of problems in Awgu Local Government area. Since the main issue in Nigeria is how should we be united, many researcher had come up with the opinion the significance of social studies to Nigeria can be appreciated when we look back to the experience of the two and half years civil war taught all Nigerians the lesson of age long adage which says united we stand, divided we fall unity for strength learnt from the war, it has been translated into all aspect of our life political educational, physical and economical etc. Mostly due to insufficient qualified social studies teachers, lack the materials for teaching social studies subjects, the nature scope and lack of clear definition of the subject and lack of knowledge of the method of teaching the subject, in the present day Nigeria, a lot of problem had come in between social studies and social subjects, which are physics chemistry because of the importance of science and technology, it make some schools to pay less attention to social studies in the secondary and tertiary level of study, the problem of teaching social studies in secondary school in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu state would be carefully pay attention studies in this work.