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RESOURCES FOR TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

Instructional materials are the wide variety of equipment and materials used for teaching and learning. Some are real objects, others are pictures, charts, television, radio, filmstrips, and slide projectors which bring about effectiveness and efficiency in teaching learning process and thereby enhance the achievement of instructional objectives (Okwor and Ike (1995). The major objectives of social studies education include the inculcation of the desired knowledge, attitudes, interests, values, behaviour pattern, thinking processes and some basic skills such as reading, language study and participation. As a problem solving discipline, social studies is designed to assist man proffer solutions to his problems whether, cultural, geographical, sociological, historical, political and psychological, Igbo and Nweke (2004). Other important skills are map reading, and interpretation. It was pointed out that the teaching of social studies requires the use of various materials and activities that represent the various facts of human behaviour, activities and relationship with others (Famwang, 1998). This is necessary so as to reflect the inter disciplinary nature of social studies. Instructional resources play important roles in teaching Social Studies.

The National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) in U.S.A. stated that social studies education needs not only teachers, textbooks, and blackboards but also requires the use of maps, reference books, periodicals, audio and visual materials, field trips and great lectures (NCSS 1979). The council pointed out that a variety of media should be available for learning through seeing, touching and acting. The social studies classroom should be a learning laboratory. Clark (1973) and Ogunsanya (1984) listed tools and materials of instruction in social studies. These are film slides, pictures, resource people, diagrams, sketches, cartoons, stamps, mass media, newspapers, television and radio, maps, globes, and textbooks. In most secondary schools in Nigeria most of the instructional materials required for teaching social studies are scarce. Even where they are available, they are under utilized. Famwang (1989) gave a report of a study conducted by Adewoye (1987) about the status of instructional aids for teaching social studies in Nigeria. The study revealed that teaching materials are grossly lacking in Nigerian schools. It was reported that 89 percent of the respondents claimed that they had no improvise, while 57 percent indicated that they had no access to resource materials at all. Ismaila (1989) reported that out of 144 subjects involved in a study, 124 (86.1%) indicated that their schools were in short supply of teaching materials. In another related study by Pwajok reported by Famwang (1989), it was found that a large percentage of students (61.3%) and (77.5%) of the teachers believe that lack of suitable and relevant textbooks made students develop a nonchalant attitude to social studies.

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