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The origin of social studies assumes a duality among scholars who bare their mind
on the development of the subject. While scholars such as Ezegbe (1987) and
Udoh (1989) are of the school of thought that ascribe the origin of social studies to
the United States of America (Mazieobi & Domike n.d). Another school of thought
headed by Saxe, an astute American professor of social studies noted that the
foundation of social studies education had its beginning in Great Britain after
1820s and quickly spread to the United States (Ibid). Osakwe and Itedjere (1993)
gave credence to the former school of thought when they categorically stated that
the concept of social studies was first developed in the United States of America
and later, the subject find its way into Europe, with particular reference to Britain.
The wind of controversy over the origin of social studies in U.S.A and Britain did
not end abruptly as it also finds its way into Nigeria during the importation of the
subject. Iyamu and Onyesom (n.d) are of the view that there would seem to be no
agreement among social studies scholars on the origin of the subject in Nigeria.
Whiles so many scholars are of the view that the subject founds its way into the
African continent and Nigeria via America and Britain, Mazieobi (1992) argued
that it is axiomatic only to the extent that the concept social studies was borrowed
and that the content of social studies in Nigeria is Nigerian and has been an integral
part of the Nigerian indigenous curriculum right from the earliest times except for
prescriptions.
There is also a school of thought that believes that the establishment of schools by
the Christian Missions in Nigeria beginning from 1859 and the accompanying
government and religion marked the formal introduction of social studies into
the view that the formal introduction of social studies in Nigerian classrooms dated
back to the pre-independence days of colonial rule. Obebe (1987) reinforced the
view that social studies made its first appearance in the Nigerian school curriculum
civic education. Before 1960 a similar subject to social studies under a different
title has been taught in the schools, the title then varied from region to region such
Adewuya (2010) is of the view that the term social studies as a school subject in
Nigeria was first used in 1958 by educators of the Ohio University Project which
sought to introduce its teaching into teachers’ college in the former western region
of Nigeria. He added that the project of pre-independence introduction of social
the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID) and Ford Foundation
the then western region of Nigeria as “ the second coming of social studies.”
However, from the discrepancies in the account of the origin of social studies
USAID and the Ford Foundation, marked the early beginning of a truly indigenous
The development of social studies was born out of the need to construct a better
and ideal society to compensate for the great suffering and the destruction
experienced during the two world wars. Akubue (2008) opined that after the
Second World War in 1945 there was the need for a more relevant liberal
education that would provide greater understanding of mandkind and enable the
was aimed at divorcing the pursuit of the colonial educational policies which was
alien to the cultures and ways of life of the people. Some scholars have argued that
Thus at the verge of independence around 1960 Africans including Nigerians rose
up and instituted committees to look into the various school curricula to find ways
of indigenizing them (Ezeudu 1996). This led to the initial meeting of African
Educational Development Centre, U.S.A and the Centre for Curriculum Renewal
needs and priorities in African curriculum were discussed and participants resolved
to prioritize the development of social studies (Iyamu n.d. p.26). The Oxford
conference paved the way for the Mobassa (Kenya) conference of 1968 in which
the introduction of social studies to all schools in the continent was seriously
considered. The conference also focused attention on the need to design the
studies and urged African educators to evolve a realistic social studies programme
that would meet the needs of the continent. The 1963 Aiyetoro comprehensive high
school experiment was the first attempt to develop social studies in Nigeria. The
1965 conference of principals in the then western region helped to popularize the
message of the Aiyetoro experiment which was highly fruitful (Ezeudu 1996:4).
UNILAG was also instrumental in the development of social studies through the
Teachers College social studies programme in 1972. Ezeudu (1996) states that
worthy of note is the Institute of Education of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
that propagated the social studies programme in the Northern states right from
inception.
It is also worthy to note that UNICEF also played a leading role in the revision of
the 1973 social studies curriculum guide (Iyamu n.d). The Social Studies
Secondary School (JSS) levels. Today social studies is taught at most colleges of
armed with the key to unlock and a tool to understand the world phenomena.
CONCLUSION
The origin and historical development of social studies in the world and Nigeria
has witnessed a lot of discrepancies among scholars. While some scholars are of
the view that the subject originated from U.S.A and spread to Europe others have
argued in the reverse flow. Also within the Nigerian context while a school of
thought is of the view that subject social studies was imported into Nigeria from
America and Britain others have argued that the statement is only correct to the
extent of concept otherwise the content of social studies as been an integral part of
the Nigerian curriculum right from earliest times. On the development of the
subject in Nigeria, scholars agreed that it was borne out of the need to Nigerianize
the Nigerian in the overall development of the Nigerian society. The roles of
REFERENCES
Osakwe, E.O & Itedjere, P.O (1993) Social Studies for Tertiary Students in
Iyamu ,E.O & Onyesom, L.O (n.d) Readings in Social Studies (vol. 1)