Social Studies Teachers’ Self-efficacy and Attitudes Towards Senior Secondary School Civic Education Curriculum

Social Studies Teachers’ Self-efficacy and Attitudes Towards Senior Secondary School Civic Education Curriculum

ABSTRACT

Nigeria is currently facing a myriad of social problems of monumental proportions. Some of these social problems which appear to have emanated majorly from loss of civic values include cult activities, armed robbery, violence, examination misconduct, disobedience, and terrorist attacks, among others. The perceived neglect of civic training to the Nigerian youth over the years might have been the cause of these social ills. It, therefore, seems that civic education, which needs to be handled by teachers that have positive self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards it, is now the apparent antidote required to save Nigerian youth from the menace of these social problems. This study, therefore, investigated Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards civic education as correlates of effective teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

The descriptive survey research type, which is “ex-post-facto” in nature, was adopted for the study. A total number of 600 subjects, selected through stratified simple random sampling technique participated in the study. Eight research questions and hypotheses were formulated and tested at a .05 level of significance to guide the study. Three self-designed instruments namely the ‘’Social Studies Teachers’ Attitude Towards Civic Education Curriculum Scale’’, ‘’Social Studies Teachers’ Self-Efficacy of Civic Education Curriculum Scale’’, and the ‘’Civic Education Curriculum Scale’’ were used to collect relevant data. These were validated and with reliability Cronbach Alpha values of .85(SSTATCECS), .76(SSTSECECS), and .83 (CECS) respectively. Simple percentages, Multiple Regression Analysis, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, Independent t-test, and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for data analysis.

The finding shows that Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards civic education explained 20.3% of the total variance in the dependent variable (Adjusted R Square=.203). Also, the two variables Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy (β=.356; p<.05) and attitudes towards civic education (β=.149; p<.05) contributed differentially and significantly to the dependent variable. Furthermore, there is a moderate, positive, and significant relationship between Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy (r=.435; p<.05); attitudes to civic education (r=.337; p<.05), and the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria. Finding further reveals a significant difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum based on Social Studies teachers’ academic qualifications (F-value=7.963; p<.05), gender (t=6.479; df=598; p<.05); and category of school (t=-2.446; df=598; p<.05).

Conclusively, the two variables are quite relevant and important towards the determination of the effective teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State public and private senior secondary schools. It was, therefore, recommended among other things that Social Studies teachers should pay serious attention to the two selected factors since they both made significant contributions to the teaching of civic education curriculum. Also, there is the need for Social Studies teachers in Oyo State senior secondary schools to upgrade their academic qualifications through further education. Finally, Oyo State public senior secondary schools need to be properly funded, supervised, and staffed with professionally qualified Social Studies teachers to achieve the objectives of the civic education curriculum.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

In Nigeria and the world over, education is a means of achieving a nation’s objectives. Education may be viewed as the transmission of what is worthwhile from generation to generation. It is the various ways in which society creates and utilizes knowledge, including factual information and occupational skills as well as cultural norms and values, to its members. Education is also a life-long process, which transforms the life of an individual from that of a helpless and dependent creature to a self-reliant, rational, and skillful person who can contribute positively to the development of his society. It is the aggregate of all how human beings develop the necessary skills, attitudes, and socially acceptable values (Akinbote, 1988).

Globally, education is perceived as a life-transforming activity, which empowers its receivers to make concrete contributions to the development of a society. The transforming potential of education has informed the adoption of various policies by the government in its planning and delivery patterns. In most developing countries, basic education has been adopted to make sure that educational services are provided to as many that are willing and ready to consume it as possible. The reason is to make sure that skills and knowledge are provided for young people for their personal development and their societies. The paramount goal of government and non-government agencies in developing countries is nation-building and the nation cannot be built in the lives of her youths who are leaders of tomorrow lack those values and traits of good and effective citizenship. Therefore, to create a society where there is unity, tolerance, honesty, cooperation, respect for human dignity, and patriotism, there is the need to inculcate in the citizens those traits and values of effective citizenship.

Changes are most often effected through the educational system of the nation involving various reform programs and curriculum development. It is a polyvalent agent for the transmission of appropriate values, norms, ideals, and skills to young ones. It entails training and acquisition of special skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values needed by an individual to be responsible, and which will enable him to contribute his quota to the growth of the society. Education is considered a potent instrument for change and development. Iyewarun (1989) asserted that education is an instrument by which young members are brought up and socialized to become useful and active members of society. Cookey (1970) perceived education as a means of inculcating the right type of value, self-reliance, responsibility moral uprightness, and civic dispositions for the betterment of the individual and the society.

Nigeria is facing many social problems of monumental proportions. Some of these problems include cult activities, armed robbery, violence, indiscipline, examination misconduct, disobedience, terrorist attack, and other unpatriotic practices. The socio-political and economic problems emanate majorly from the loss of civic values and unpatriotic tendencies demonstrated by some Nigerian citizens. This is the reason why training for effective citizenship should be one of the main goals of Nigerian education. Civic education is capable of inculcating in the learners those values, attitudes, and skills that will enable them to live patriotic and democratic lives and also contribute meaningfully to the progress of the nation.

The neglect of civic training for years at the primary school level hurts the attitudes of the youths. It is therefore not surprising today, to see some of the youths engaging in immoral, criminal, and anti-social behaviors. In the light of this, the re-introduction of civic education into the Nigerian schools, right from the foundation level will help to develop in the citizens, desirable social norms and national ethics since the primary schools level is the basic foundation for other stages of the educational system, thus, the pupils will grow up to become responsible adults. Falade (2008) had earlier remarked that the early years (primary and secondary school levels) are important for the development of civic values and traits.

Akindele (1994) argued that the cohesive, socialist type of democracy and self-reliance which the Nigerians want will not drop from the sky while they are sleeping. It will not be handed to them as a gift by anybody rather, Nigeria needs to celebrate a period of nationhood, a period of sustained democracy with democratic freedoms and practices effectively institutionalized. To achieve this, it is important not to ignore the role of education as a veritable tool in establishing democratic citizenship in the country. The struggle for political emancipation cannot be achieved through political parties. It can only come through the people’s political struggle and the right type of education. In effect, civic education values play prominent roles in producing a responsible citizen and in maintaining the country’s democracy, and ensuring its survival for future generations.

The concept of civic education has for long been taught in Social Studies in Nigerian schools. There is a broad consensus among Social Studies educators that the core mission of the Social Studies curriculum is education for democratic citizenship (Ajitoni, 2007). There is an appropriate place for civic education at all levels of learning. Falade (2009) has recognized that the secondary school years are an important time in the development of civic roles and responsibilities.

Civic education, whenever and however undertaken, prepares the people of a country, especially the young ones to carry out their roles as responsible citizens. Civic education is, therefore, political education or as Falade (2008) described it, ‘the cultivation of the virtues, knowledge, and skills necessary for political participation. The ideals and values which are rooted in civic education emerged about a century ago as a kind of panacea for solving problems confronting humankind (Banks, 2005). The belief in many quarters is that the adoption or adaptation of the ideals and values intrinsic in this kind of education could go a long way in ameliorating or solving the problems arising from human’s inhumanity to other humans (Kazi, 2004; Mezieobi, 1993).

It was perhaps, in the light of the foregoing that the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) in the National Policy on Education (NPE) (2004) stressed that the philosophy of education for the country should be geared towards equipping the learner to cultivate values of effective citizenship and civic responsibility. The policy asserts that the philosophy behind all forms of instructions in schools should be measured in terms of roles in producing citizens with skills, competencies, moral values, and reasoned judgments to effectively live, interact, interrelate and contribute positively to the economic, social, political and cultural development of the Nigerian society. This, in a way, is all about civic education.

The dire need for institutionalized civic education probably propelled the Federal Government of Nigeria to carve out another subject from Social Studies and name it ‘’Civic Education’’. Civic Education also becomes more important when it is remembered that during the 1990s, there was unprecedented global dissemination of information about the theory and practice of democracy and civic education for democracy (Banks, 2005). Educators throughout the world today are recognizing that civic education implies teaching and learning the principles and practice of democratic governance and citizenship. Thus, the interrelated components of civic education – civic knowledge, civic virtue, and civic skills are essential things to be acquired by individuals in a democracy. Kazi (2004) remarked that it is a commitment to such value-dimensions of civic education as cooperation, confidence, trustworthiness, integrity, consideration, hard work, interdependence, and loyalty that has contributed to the building and establishment of the great nations and democracies of the world.

Over the years, Nigeria has been bedeviled with social vices such as examination malpractices, sexual perversion, drug abuse, economic sabotage, corruption, robbery, kidnapping, HIV-AIDS, environment pollution, cultism, prostitution, indiscipline, violence, etc. It was to tackle these vices that successive governments in the country have initiated one program or the other to tackle such vices. Amongst such programs are the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), War Against Indiscipline and Corruption (WAIC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery (MAMSER), Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (Man-O-War). These various programs contain the elements of citizenship education. However, it seems that the people are not addressing the societal problems appropriately, because rather than improving, the society continues to deteriorate or be in decadence (Emilefo, 2001).

This leads to the urgent need to cultivate in the students, national values of honesty, obedience, handwork, tolerance, national consciousness, and unity, the spirit of patriotism, faith, and active participation in the democratic process and to ensure that learners are sound in morals and attitude. This informed the Federal government’s directive that schools should re-introduce the teaching of civic education (Jekayinfa, Mofoluwawo, &Oladiran, 2011). The necessity of re-introducing civic education at the foundation level of education in Nigeria arose due to the prevalence of indiscipline, dwindling national consciousness and patriotic zeal, lack of social harmony in different to duty, disrespect for the rule of law, civic strive, moral decadency. This manifestation of negative trends in the Nigerian society became evidence since 1980 when civic was removed from the school curriculum, the country was thus facing the threat of losing the much-cherished sense of nationhood, cultural identity, and hospitality spirit (Adeniran, 2009).

The foregoing is largely instrumental to the emergence and teaching of civic education in Nigerian schools in recent times. The main philosophy behind the teaching and learning of this curriculum area in schools, according to the National Orientation Agency (NOA) (2006), is the production of effective citizens and of forging a cohesive society that will support a notion of nation-building, national development, and sustainability by way of classroom mediation of curriculum programs in the subject area.

The directive to include civic education as a compulsory subject in senior secondary school was given at a time when the Federal Government was carrying out reforms in education. The National Council on Education (NCE) convened a meeting at Ibadan, in December 2005, where it directed the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) to review the existing curriculum for senior secondary school and re-aligned them to fit the reform being made in education. Between January 2007 and March 2008, NERDC convened a meeting of experts, and several workshops were organized to produce the senior secondary school curricula, which would ensure continuity and flow of themes, topics, and experiences from SSS1 to SSS3. It is from this exercise that the new curriculum came into existence in 2009 (NERDC 2009).

It is obvious that the development and progress of any nation depend largely on the values, attitudes, and skills possessed by the citizens, civic education is highly essential in the process of nation-building, in that it helps to bring back the traditional values and virtues such as honesty, obedience, cooperation, self-reliance integrity, discipline, courage and the like that have been eroded in our society. All forms of indiscipline and moral laxity can be corrected and drastically reduced to the barest minimum through the teaching of civic education, which goes a long way in promoting responsible citizenship. Civic education is the antidote required to save Nigeria from the menace of lack of integrity, the danger of insecurity, and all manner of indiscipline troubling the country.

Belief in one’s efficacy is a key personal resource to self-development and successful adaption to change. Self-efficacy operates through its impact on the domains of learning. Efficacy shows whether individuals think optimistically or pessimistically, in self-enhancing or self-debilitating ways. It affects people’s goals and aspirations, self-motivation, and perseverance. According to Bandura (2001), people ought to believe they can produce desired effects by their actions so that they can persevere in the face of difficulties. He further states that whatever other factors serve as guides and motivators to performance, they have rooted in the core belief that one can affect changes by one’s actions.

Ormord (2006) referred to self-efficacy as the belief that one is capable of performing tasks in certain ways to certain goals. Furthermore, Bandura (2001) affirmed that self-efficacy is one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations. Self-efficacy is a construct that deals with one’s perception that one is capable of doing what is necessary to reach set goals in terms of knowing what to do and being emotionally capable of doing it (Pajares&Schunk, 2001). Self-efficacy shapes people’s expectations, whether or not they expect their efforts to produce favorable outcomes or adverse ones. It also determines how environmental opportunities and impediments are viewed.

People with low self-efficacy are easily convinced of the futility of their effort in the face of difficulties and quickly give up trying while those with high self-efficacy view impediments as surmountable by self-development and perseverance, and they stay on course in the face of difficulties and remain resilient to adversity. Self-efficacy affects the quality of emotional life and the level of vulnerability to stress and depression. Lastly, it determines the choices people make at important decisional points (Pajares, 2002). Jink, Lorsbach, and Morey (2000) believe that self-efficacy will be enhanced if learning experiences ascend in difficulty and sequence. They further state that if students collaborate and are given opportunities to participate in small group activities, it will also boost their self-efficacy. James, Sottile, Carter, and Murphy (2002) opined that if teachers are provided with professional development, the self-efficacy increases.

Attitude is a psychological concept that means what an individual thinks and feels about something. Allport (1999) defined attitude as the most indispensable concept in social psychology, the study of them has remained central. According to him an “attitude as a mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a directive and dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all object and situations with which it is related.” Lovell (1994) said “attitude is a super inclination towards certain types of object, institution or idea” Krech and Crutchfield (2000) defined attitude as an enduring organization of motivation, emotional, perceptual and cognitive process concerning some aspect of the individual’s world. Also, Mukhejee (2002) defined attitude as one’s feelings, thoughts, and predisposition to behave in some particular manner towards some aspects of one’s environment”. Attitudes are best expressed when individuals make statements about their feelings or opinions about a certain object, issue, or thing. Furthermore, Thomas and Znanreki (1991) saw attitude as an individual mental process that determines the actual and potential response of each person in the social world, while Schuman (1995) defined attitude as a single evaluation of an object “Objects” includes people, things, events, and issue.

When an individual has an interest or positive feelings towards any object, he/she behaves favorably towards the object. One of the factors that probably could influence the acceptance of a new program is attitude. For a chance to be accepted without much resistance, the recipient’s attitude of the need to change should be positive. Teachers are seen as the most important agent of change within the classroom arena or to any government policy. Social studies teachers’ attitudes are important factors and should be positive in the successful implementation of the new civic education in Nigeria.

Teachers’ characteristics are major determinants of students’ achievement (Okonkwo, 2000). Darling (2000) observed that variables indicative of teachers’ competence are believed to have links to students’ achievement include qualification, self-efficacy beliefs, and years of teaching experience. The review of Darling (2000) indicated that teachers improve year after year through in-service training thereby improving knowledge, skills, and techniques of teaching. Based on this background, this present study investigated social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy, attitudes towards civic education, and the effective teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

Statement of the Problem

In recent times, the waves of social ills and unpatriotic activities such as bribery, corruption, kidnapping, assassination, indiscipline, violence, cultism, thuggery, neglect of civic duties and obligations, and unpleasant bomb blast on the increase in Nigeria. Nduka (2004) observed that Nigerians exhibit deplorable ethical attitudes in virtually every aspect of life such that students are no longer acquiring the requisite knowledge and skills which they need to become good and effective citizens. It appears such values and virtues as honesty, obedience, respect, loyalty, justice, fair play, and humility to mention a few have been lost. The perceived neglect of civic training to the Nigerian youth over the years might have been the cause of these social ills. It, therefore, seems that Civic education, which needs to be handled by teachers that have positive self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards it, is now the apparent antidote required to save Nigerian youth from the menace of these social problems. Could it also be that the teachers handling civic education in our secondary schools do not possess positive self-efficacy beliefs and attitudinal dispositions to the effective teaching of the subject? This study, therefore, investigated Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards civic education as correlates of effective teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to investigate Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy, attitudes towards civic education, and the effective teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study is specifically designed:

1. To investigate the composite effects of Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes to civic education when taken jointly, on the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

2. To find out the relative effects of Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes to civic education when taken individually, on the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

3. To examine the relationship between Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

4. To determine the relationship between Social Studies teachers’ attitudes to civic education and the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

5. To examine the difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum based on Social Studies teachers’ academic qualifications.

6. To examine the gender difference of Social Studies teachers in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum.

7. To find out the difference between experienced and less experienced Social Studies teachers in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum.

8. To explore the difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in public and private schools.

Research Questions

The following research questions were raised and answered in this study in line with the specific purposes of the study.

1. What is the composite effect of Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes to civic education, when taken jointly, on the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria?

2. What are the relative effects of Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes to civic education when taken individually, on the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria?

3. What is the relationship between Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria?

4. Is there any relationship between Social Studies teachers’ attitudes to civic education and the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria?

5. Does the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum differ based on Social Studies teachers’ academic qualifications in Oyo State, Nigeria?

6. Is there any difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum between male and female Social Studies teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria?

7. Do experience and less experienced Social Studies teachers significantly differ in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria?

8. Is there any difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum by Social Studies teachers in public and private schools in Oyo State, Nigeria?

Research Hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated based on the raised research questions. They were tested at a .05 level of significance.

HO1: There is no significant composite effect of Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes to civic education, when taken jointly, on the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

HO2: There are no significant relative effects of Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes to civic education when taken individually, on the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

HO3: There is no significant relationship between Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

HO4: Social Studies teachers’ attitudes to civic education and the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria are not significantly related.

HO5: Social Studies teachers’ academic qualifications make no significant difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

HO6: The teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum by male and female Social Studies teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria is not significantly different.

HO7: There is no significant difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria between experienced and less experienced Social Studies teachers.

HO8: There is no significant difference in the teaching of senior secondary school civic education curriculum by Social Studies teachers in public and private schools in Oyo State, Nigeria.

Scope of the Study

This study focuses on Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards senior secondary school civic education curriculum in Oyo state, Nigeria. Participants in this study were all Social Studies teachers in both public and private at the Senior Secondary School level in Oyo State. The study made use of Social Studies teachers in the three Senatorial Districts of Oyo State.

The study covers Social Studies teachers’ self-efficacy, their attitude, disposition to the content, methods, instructional materials, and evaluation strategies of civic education curriculum in senior secondary in Oyo State, Nigeria. Moreover, the variable in the study includes teachers’ gender, qualification, experience, and school type. Three instruments were designed for the study namely the ‘’Social Studies Teachers’ Attitude toward Civic Education Curriculum Scale (SSTATCECS)’’, ‘’Social Studies Teachers’ Self-Efficacy of Civic Education Curriculum Scale (SSTSECECS)’’ and civic Education Curriculum Scale (CECS)’’.

Definitions of Terms

For the study, the following terms are explained as they are used in the study.

Civic Education: In this study, Civic Education means an educational program that provides the citizenry with knowledge, skills, and values necessary for the development of society. Civic education is concerned with helping students acquire knowledge, attitude, values, and basic skills that will help them become responsible and disciplined members of their societies.

Self-efficacy: In this study, self-efficacy is defined as an individual’s perception of his or her capabilities for organizing and successfully executing the courses of action required to attain designated types of performance.

Personal teacher efficacy: This is an individual teacher’s expectancy in his/her capacity to organize and execute the behavior needed to complete his/her teaching successfully.

Attitude: This is the personal view or opinion someone has about something. It is someone’s view whether negative or positive of a particular object, idea, or act. This study refers to the teachers’ disposition (positive or negative) to the teaching of the new civic education curriculum in Oyo State, Nigeria.

Areas of Specialization: The disciplines in which, teachers got their certificates, that is, Social Studies, History, Geography, Government, Political Science, Economics, etc.

Gender: This refers to being a male or female social studies teacher teaching civic education in senior secondary school.

Qualified Teachers: In this study, are teachers with the requisite-prescribed minimum general and professional qualifications/training in education e.g. B.A. Ed., M.Ed.

Unqualified Teachers: These are teachers without the requisite-prescribed minimum general and professional qualifications/training in education and social studies.

Experienced Teachers: These refer to teachers that have been teaching social studies for more than 5 years in secondary schools.