1.1 Introduction
Social studies literacy is integral to the process of enabling students to develop an understanding of who they are, what they want to become and the society in which they want to live. Social studies develops the key values and attitudes, knowledge and understanding, and skills and processes necessary for students to become active and responsible citizens, engaged in the democratic process and aware of their capacity to effect change in their communities, society and world. Social studies is the study of people in relation to each other and to their world. It is an issues-focused and inquiry-based interdisciplinary subject that draws upon history, geography, ecology, economics, law, philosophy, political science and other social science disciplines. Social studies foster students’ understanding of and involvement in practical and ethical issues that face their communities and humankind.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Over the years, the failure rate of students according to the National Examination Bodies (WAEC, NECO, NATEB, and JAMB) has led to numerous types of research that looked at the teachers’ method of teaching, teachers’ characteristics, teachers' attitudes, and students’ attitudes towards education and its attendant effects on the academic performance of students as a result of the failure rate, the teaching process seems to move from teacher-centered to student-centered method of teaching, yet the story almost remains the same many studies have revealed that students have a poor attitude towards education and as a result of that academic performance is affected negatively. Thus, a lot of people have been in doubt about the quality of products of her education from primary, post-primary, and tertiary institutions. Education discourse on poor academic performance seems to be the issue of the day.
According to David (2018), Social studies is the integrated study of multiple fields of social science and the humanities, including history, geography, and political science. The term was first coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as a catch-all for these subjects, as well as others which did not fit into the traditional models of lower education in the United States, such as philosophy and psychology (David, 2018).
The social studies aim to train students for informed, responsible participation in a diverse democratic society. The content of social studies provides the necessary background knowledge in order to develop values and reasoned opinions, and the objective of the field is civic competence (Larson, 2017).
Perhaps Social studies literacy may improve the knowledge and ability of students for higher academic performance. Social studies literacy is the knowledge and ability to use Social studies and technology efficiently. Social studies literacy can also be referred to as the comfort level someone has by using Social studies programs and other applications that are related to Social studies.
The above processing Social studies model or diagram indicates that Social studies literacy is the bedrock of sound academic performance. The diagram also indicates that when one is Social studies literate. ICT skill is developed and when the skill is developed, the use of internet facilities becomes very easy due to constant practice. Consequently, one gets efficient and has access to information, which is later processed and when this processed information is relevant and usable; there may be an improved academic performance of students.
Therefore, in Enugu State where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Effect of Social Studies Literacy Possessed by Secondary School Students on their Academic Achievement.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
Investigation revealed that there seem to be no research studies on the joint contributions of Social studies literacy socio-demographic, hours spent online / offline and prior Social studies skills variables to their academic performance. It has been observed that little research has been devoted to exploring factors that predict the academic performance of Social studies literacy (Cookson, 1989) while those that even exist concentrated largely on demographic correlates as a component in their studies (Kumar, 2001).
Owolabi et al., (1991) also indicated that a serious disconnection exists between Social Studies training in secondary schools and the needs of the labour market, as students that do not proceed to higher education have been found to be incompetent in the field of work. Where students consistently perform poorly, the implication is that adequate teaching and learning has not taken place in schools.
Several studies have been carried out on academic performance, especially on conventional students, but not much on Social studies literacy students within the Nigerian educational system. The need to sever this ground to extend the frontier of knowledge to help improve the unimpressive Social studies literacy academic performance necessitates and serves as the motivating factor for undertaking the present piece of research to fill the existing important research gap.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to investigate the Effect of Social Studies Literacy Possessed by Secondary School Students on their Academic Achievement using SS III Students in Enugu East L.G.A. of Enugu State as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were set out as follows:
- To determine the uniqueness in the academic performance of students who are Social studies literate and non who are social studies literate;
- To find out the uniqueness in the academic performance between students who are addicted and non-addicted to internet facilities;
- To ascertain the distinct values in the academic result of male and female students who are Social studies literate; and
- To assess the difference in the academic outcome of students who are Social studies literate in co-educational and single-sex secondary schools.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Is there any uniqueness in the academic performance of students who are Social studies literate and non who are social studies literate?
- Is there any distinct value in the academic result of male and female students who are Social studies literate?
- Is there any difference in academic performance between students who are addicted and non-addicted to internet facilities?
- Is there any difference in the academic outcome of students who are Social studies literate in co-educational and single-sex secondary schools?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant difference in academic performance between students who are addicted and non-addicted to internet facilities
- H1: There is significant difference in academic performance between students who are addicted and non-addicted to internet facilities
1.7 Significance of Study
The findings of this social studies literacy initiative have been put in place to assist in the development training and use of electronic resources in several academic institutions. These initiatives notwithstanding, some inadequacies in the development provision and utilization of electronic resources have been identified in several academic institutions.
The study will help add information on the role of Social studies literacy on academic performance. It gives various insights into the challenges of teaching social studies in Secondary Schools in Nigeria. These highlighted challenges will enable stakeholders in the education sector to take adequate measures in tackling these challenges, and make learning of social studies a lot easier for both teachers and students in Secondary School levels.
1.8 Scope of the Study
The scope of this research is focused on the Effect of Social Studies Literacy Possessed by Secondary School Students on their Academic Achievement using SS III Students in Enugu East L.G.A. of Enugu State as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Social Studies: is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Social studies is most commonly recognized as the name of a course or set of courses taught in primary and secondary schools or elementary, middle, and secondary schools, but may also refer to the study of aspects of human society at certain post-secondary and tertiary schools around the globe.
Challenge: Challenge is a general term referring to things that are imbued with a sense of difficulty and victory.
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