Secondary School Teacher’s Perceptions of the Role of Social Studies in Fostering Citizenship Competencies

Abstract

This study investigated the perceptions of the role of Botswana's social studies teachers at secondary school level in fostering citizenship competencies and skills. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data comprising close and open-ended questions. The total population comprised forty-one respondents purposively sampled from nine junior and senior secondary schools in rural and urban locations. These included thirty four social studies teachers and seven head of departments. Data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that, contrary to expectations the Botswana's social studies curriculum does not promote the acquisition of citizenship skills. There is a disconnection between what social studies teachers think they do and what actually happens on the ground. In fact, the mere teaching of citizenship skills does not automatically translate into equipping learners with the relevant and appropriate competencies. Successful implementation of citizenship education requires political commitment and social studies teachers who are well trained and competent to handle educational reforms.

Investigating Student Teachers’ Conceptions of Social Studies through the Multi-dimensional Structure of the Epistemological Beliefs

“…Many of the participants in their study conceptualized social studies as a subject aiming to develop their history, geography, and citizenship related skills. Boikhutso, Dinama, and Kgotlaetsile (2013) examined how social studies teachers perceived the role of social studies curriculum in developing secondary school students' citizenship competences in Bostwana. The results indicated that the participants thought that the social studies curriculum did not play the foreseen role of developing students' citizenship competences.…”

Exploring the Global Emergence of Social Studies at Junior Secondary School: A Glance on Literature Review

“…The government of Botswana introduced Social Studies at both primary and junior secondary school curricular in 1982 (Boikhutso et al, 2013). The reason being that the people of Botswana had a general conviction that their education system was not relevant to the citizenry because it was colonially oriented (Boikhutso, 1993) in Boikhutso et al (2013).…”

“…The government of Botswana introduced Social Studies at both primary and junior secondary school curricular in 1982 (Boikhutso et al, 2013). The reason being that the people of Botswana had a general conviction that their education system was not relevant to the citizenry because it was colonially oriented (Boikhutso, 1993) in Boikhutso et al (2013). This meant that the education curriculum did not inculcate relevant competences which would develop the citizens in a holistic manner but make them more submissive to the commands and expectations of the white minority.…”

“…This meant that the education curriculum did not inculcate relevant competences which would develop the citizens in a holistic manner but make them more submissive to the commands and expectations of the white minority. It was against this backdrop that the government introduced Social Studies as a subject which would promote unity, self-reliance and values for the promotion of citizenship education (Boikhutso et al, 2013;Adeyemi, Boikhutso and Moffat, 2003). Therefore, in 1996, a three-year junior secondary school Social Studies syllabus was designed in order to develop skills, values and knowledge in learners to enable them become informed and empowered Batswana in the new millennium (Adeyemi and Asimeng-Boahene, 2001).…”

Untitled

“…Out of 43 objectives stated in the lesson plans, only 21 (48.8%) had proper integration while 22 (51.2%) did not have proper integration. In response to this shortcoming, Boikhutso et al (2013) give an important advice that successful implementation of moral education requires social studies teachers who are well trained and competent to contextualize moral value aspects in the teaching-learning transaction and in that way handle educational reforms. This suggests that teachers of social sciences need to be acquainted with specific approaches that will enable them to contextualize facts into practical application in learners' day-to-day life.…”