MODULE 2: What is the New Social Studies

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INTRODUCTION
As a discipline of study, Social Studies cannot be described as a hastily devised topic that
happened by chance. Rather, it is a legacy and a tradition that requires citizens in a democratic
society to function efficiently and effectively. You will have the opportunity to read about the
evolution of Social Studies from both a global and national perspective in this Unit. This will
entail a review of the discipline's historical development in various key countries, the
circumstances that led to such development, and the interactive effects of such developments on
the discipline's growth in other countries across continents.
Within the last century, social studies have developed in various parts of the world with a
relatively similar goal, but due to a series of events that have been unique to the various nations
sharing the interest. In many countries, social studies has become viewed as a tool for national
development. The United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Africa, particularly
Nigeria, are among the countries where Social Studies ideas have greatly developed and
blossomed in recent years.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of your interaction with this Unit, you should be able to:
1. explain how Social Studies came to be in the United States of America;
2. describe the origin of Social Studies in Britain;
3. explain how Social Studies came to be in Africa; and
4. elucidate how Social Studies came to be in Nigeria.

Lecture Notes and Lesson Content

The Evolution of Social Studies in the United States
The United States of America appeared to be the "mother" country of Social Studies, and it's no
surprise that Obebe (1990) noted that Social Studies first appeared as a curriculum in the United
States of America's (USA) educational system during the first two decades of the twentieth
century. Distinguished scholars such as John Dewey, George Counts, Edger Wesley, Harold
Rugg, and Earle Rugg served as midwives, despite the stormy and difficult birth. Thomas Jesse,
Chairman of the National Education Association Committee on Social Studies, released its final
report as part of a major review of the reorganization.
In response to the enormous number of human problems that existed at the time, social studies
thought began to develop in the United States of America in the early 1900s. Some of these
issues were primarily social and political in nature, but they arose solely as a result of the civil
wars that the United States had just emerged from. Some of these issues were viewed as cogs in
the wheel of all attempts to ensure the development of a pluralistic and modernized democratic
state. By 1921, a national organization called the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS)
had been formed, with membership open to anyone interested in social studies. This Council
has charged itself, as well as its members.
Since then, the NCSS has played an important role in the development and acceptance of Social
Studies around the world. Several position statements on the basic rationale for Social Studies
education and curriculum guidelines have been written by the organization. Various task forces
were formed as a result of NCSS's efforts to review the scope, content, and sequences of Social
Studies. This has had a significant impact on the evolution of Social Studies in American
schools. The "new Social Studies" emerged in the 1960s as a result of events in the world scene,
such as the Russian launch of Sputnik (1957) and the American internal social problems of the
1960s. During this time, curricula are being developed.
It is important to note, however, that there is no national Social Studies curriculum for all
schools in the United States of America. Every school district develops its own Social Studies
curriculum. Obebe (1990) observed that social studies in the American scene does not have a
static structure. It has evolved from citizenship education for national development to include
not only the local community, state, and nation, but also the global community in its vision and
meaning of citizenship. This is in recognition of the fact that all people live in a multi-boundary
world, not just a world of nation-states, but one with a wide range of global systems in which
they all participate.
It's worth noting that any society that wants to promote democratic discipline through Social
Studies education needs people who are willing and capable of effectively participating in the
solution of common problems. They must also be willing to make decisions that require
compromise among various points of view at times. This is critical for society's progress toward
desired outcomes. In the United States of America, this is the concept of Social Studies. While
other subjects do contribute to the development of desirable goals in young people, Social
Studies is seen as having the greater responsibility. This is due to the fact that Social Studies is
concerned with human behavior.

The Evolution of Social Studies Thoughts in the United Kingdom

There is very little evidence of Social Studies in Britain and other European countries prior to
the 1930s. Materials from Economics and Political Science, which were then taught as Civics,
were included in what could be considered Social Studies content at the time (Ogundare 2000).
This viewpoint is consistent with Lawton and Dufour (1914), as quoted by Obebe (1990), who
stated,
 “There is little evidence of the existence Social Studies in the
curriculum at the beginning of twentieth century, although history and geography
(which were fairly established in the elementary and grammar school by the1920s) would
sometimes include materials generally referred to as “civics”.
The selection was extremely limited, and much of the learning was done by rote.
However, in the history of the British educational system, Social Studies thought was known to
have had some setbacks. The Hadow Report, published in 1926, criticized the content of the
school curriculum. The general character of teaching, according to the report, should take into
account the pupils' natural and social environments. This implies a desire for a curriculum that
is socially relevant and capable of preparing young people to become adults in a modern
society. The report also found elements of indoctrination in what was taught in schools, such as
teaching children to "honour the queen," "run away from every police officer," and so on.
As a result, in the British educational system, this marked the beginning of a more dynamic and
affective thought, which Social Studies proponents later capitalized on.
The outbreak of World War II, which heralded some war problems that later had negative
consequences for British citizens, increased the chances of this dynamic thought. World War II
sparked a desire to build a better society as a result of the war's tragic events. More interest in
Social Studies was shown in order to solve the citizens' post-war adjustment problem.
As a result, British educators saw liberal education as a means of increasing human
understanding. The idea of including Social Studies in the school curriculum grew in popularity
as it was recognized as capable of assisting students and adults in becoming socially conscious
and responsible members of society. As a result, by 1944, the Social Studies curriculum had
emerged as a result of the establishment of secondary education for all, when the school leaving
age was raised from 14 to 15 years and teachers had to be re-trained, as Lawton and Dufour
1974 pointed out. There was a tremendous growth in the thought of Social Studies and British
Schema between 1945 and the early 1950s.
However, subject specialists such as historians and geographers, who saw nothing special in the
growing ideas of the subject, resented the Social Studies program that emerged during this time.
Because of the constant spread of the subject, they felt uneasy. This resentment hampered the
development of the subject's teaching, particularly between the late 1950s and 1960s. As a
result of the recommendations of the Crowther Report of 1959 and the Newton Report of 1963,
there was a revival of interest in Social Studies by the early 1960s. The two demanded that
school curricula be tailored to the needs of an increasingly industrialized and changing society.
As a result, there was a school of thought that Social Studies should focus on how to prepare
youth to become well-educated adults in an industrialized society. Since then, the British school
curriculum has given more emphasis to social studies. Key books and curriculum projects on
the subject appeared in 1968, a pivotal year for Social Studies. The dynamic growth of British
society, combined with technological advancements, has improved the thinking of Social
Studies in Britain to the point where the discipline's focus has shifted and the subject is now
referred to as Modern Studies, with topics such as living in the community, living with others,
urban life, and learning.
The general objectives of a British Social Studies course could be seen as developing in
children a more critical and balanced social awareness, based on the foregoing. In the United
Kingdom, the new Social Studies curriculum emphasizes insights, concepts, and generalizations
derived in part from social science.
The Evolution of Social Studies Thoughts in Africa
Without Africa as a continent, a discussion on Social Studies thought in the United States of
America and the United Kingdom may be seen as incomplete, because Social Studies growth
and development has been a universal phenomenal. (Oyeleye & Lawal, 2003). A close
examination of the evolution of historical social studies thought in the United States and the
United Kingdom reveals that it has had a significant impact on social studies thought in Africa
(Lawal 2003).
In Africa, social studies is a relatively new curriculum innovation that emerged after
independence in 1960. Most African countries were European colonies during this time. They
faced the challenge of instilling European values in their citizens, which had already been
incorporated into African school curricula. The colonial government's educational policies were
created to meet the needs of the colonial masters. Teaching was geared toward developing
Africans who could serve the colonial government's interests. Indigenous African values,
attitudes, and skills were overlooked.
However colonial education had some aspects of Social Studies. These were in form of general
knowledge, religion, and moral instruction. These were taught as Civics and Government.
History, Geography and Government were considered paramount teaching school subjects
during the colonial period to achieve the goals and objectives. Good children upbringing was
emphasized by colonial masters as a tool making them submissive to colonial rule.
When some African countries gained independence in 1960, colonial education was severely
criticized by the same colonially educated Africans. The British educational system was
described as aimed at separating the Nigerian child from his or her cultural values rather than
instilling positive values in him or her. The educational systems and curriculum development
were the most important areas that both the leaders and the general population of Africans were
concerned about.
By 1967, there was a greater level of international interest in the development of Social Studies
ideas in Africa, particularly as a matter of continental concern. The introduction of Social
Studies as a formal school subject was proposed at an international conference held at Queen's
College, Oxford, United Kingdom, and this conference led to the important and historic 1968
Mombassa Conference held in Kenya.
The Mombassa Conference, sponsored by the Educational Development Center (EDC) in
Newton, Massachusetts, and the Centre of Curriculum Renewal in Educational Development
Overseas (CREDO) in London, laid the groundwork for a better understanding of the meaning
of Social Studies and its application in Africa. The conference discussed the issues surrounding
the creation of a new Social Studies curriculum for various African countries. The philosophy
of Social Studies, the problem of teacher training, the development and acquisition of resource
materials, and evaluation techniques were among the topics discussed at the conference.
Nigeria, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda,
and Zambia were among the eleven African countries represented. The major decision reached
was that new Social Studies curricula for African schools, beginning with primary schools,
must be developed. Each country representative was to form a Social Studies committee with
the permission of her government to consider developing content and materials for Social
Studies in her country.
The conference also paved the way for the establishment of the African Social Studies
Programme (ASSP), which was later renamed the African Social and Environmental Studies
Programme, a permanent African international Secretariat based in Nairobi, Kenya, a year later
(ASESP). The organization was tasked with coordinating the continued development of Social
Studies on the African continent. As a result, it promotes an integrated approach to teaching
Social Studies, which has had a significant impact on future ideas about the subject. The
cultivation of national aspirations, love of one's country, and responsible citizenship are
examples of such ideas.
African countries that have embraced these ideas have developed other ideas in the discipline,
depending on the nature of their domestic issues. For example, with the end of Nigeria's civil
war and the resulting problems, Social Studies has been viewed as uniquely capable of
providing a firm foundation in national consciousness and integration to the new generation of
Nigerians.
To top it off, new trends in the development of African Social Studies include the provision of
opportunities for looking into the future while taking into account global issues involving
international relations between nations. For example, African Social Studies has recognized the
importance of paying close attention to the promotion of democratic and technological values in
order to keep up with changes in many countries' political, economic, and technological
systems.
The Evolution of Social Studies Thoughts in Nigeria
Without mentioning Nigeria, the country with the most populous black race on the African
continent and the entire world, any discussion of global developments will be meaningless.
During the colonial period in Nigeria, there was no such thing as social studies as an integrated
discipline (1840-1960). The teaching of a kind of curriculum called "General Knowledge" was
discovered in the country's primary and secondary schools (Udoh, 1989). Of course, this meant
that the Nigerian child was being educated outside of his or her own environment, society, and
culture. At the time, it was more appropriate to understand and explain concepts from European
examples.
Nigeria, on the other hand, was one of the first African countries to develop social studies. This
was due to the fact that the Ohio State University in the United States of America had
sponsored some Nigerians for Social Studies training programs as early as 1958. The arrival of
recipients of such training programs had a significant impact on their attitudes toward Social
Studies. They saw the social ills that accompanied Nigeria's transition from colonial rule to
independence, for example.
They discovered Nigerians' high rate of acculturation and the rate at which the country's
cultural traditions were crumbling. As a result, they believed that the only way to save the
country was to educate the youth in a way that would enable them to cope with the new
problem of change (Lawal, 2003).
An earlier attempt to introduce the subject as a formal school subject on an experimental basis
in Northern Nigeria teacher training institutions bolstered this line of reasoning. The Northern
Education Project and the Ayetoro Comprehensive High School Project in Western Nigeria,
however, introduced Social Studies to Nigeria between 1964 and 1965. During this time, the
then-Western Nigeria Ministry of Education convened a conference and agreed on an outline of
the Social Studies syllabus for secondary school classes I and II. With the help of the Ford
Foundation and the Comparative Education Study and Adaptation Centre, this was later
assigned to the Department of Social Studies at Ayetoro Comprehensive High School
(CESAC).
Due to the civil war in Eastern Nigeria, the experimental teaching of Social Studies did not
have a complete success. The Interim Common Services Agency's Northern states education
committee, however, decided that Social Studies should be taught in schools and colleges in the
Northern states (after the creation of six new states from the existing Northern States). By 1969,
the Institute of Education at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria had established a Social Studies
department. In that same year, a national curriculum conference was held in Lagos, which
improved the subject's national recognition as a means of achieving national educational goals.
The materials produced for primary and teacher's colleges in the Northern states were out in
1970, and the CESAC's book was modified and refined. In 1971, more states, including Lagos,
Kwara, and Kaduna, began to introduce the subject. In 1971, representatives from the East
Central State Ministry of Education attended the Social Studies Association of Nigeria
(SOSAN) Conference, pledging their full support for the subject's teaching and learning.
The first ever National Social Studies Syllabus for primary schools was produced at the first
National Curriculum Workshop held in Ibadan under the sponsorship of the Nigeria Education
Research Council (NERC). The conference covered concepts, nature, objectives, teaching
strategies, teaching aids, and evaluation techniques.
The Nigeria Education Research Council (NERC) developed a syllabus for teachers colleges in
1972, based on the need for pre-service Social Studies teachers in primary schools, and the
Institute of Education, ABU Zaria, included the subject in its Post Graduate Diploma in
Education (PGDE) program. In the same year, a degree course in Social Studies was established
at ABU, Zaria, and a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) program was established at
Advanced Teacher's College Sokoto.
Another development occurred in 1974 and 1975 at the University of Lagos' Institute of
Education, where the subject was introduced at the Associateship and NCE levels. In 1976,
Universal Free Primary Education was implemented across the country, and the teaching of
Social Studies in primary schools took the place of separate social science subjects. In teacher's
colleges, it became a requirement. ABU, Zaria, began offering two-year Bachelor of Education
(B.Ed) degree programs in Social Studies in 1978.
By 1980, Social Studies was a core subject in primary and junior secondary schools, and the
National Policy on Education made it a core subject at all levels of our educational system. The
National Educational Research and Development Council (NERC), now known as the Nigerian
Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), decided to review the National
Primary Social Studies Curriculum Guide, which was published in 1971, in 1981. The Federal
Ministry of Education published a revised guide in 1983." In 1981 and 1984, there was yet
another surge in the number of universities offering post-graduate degree programs in Social
Studies. Ife, Ibadan, Ilorin, Lagos, Nsukka, and Jos are some examples of such institutions. The
Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) also approved the Junior Secondary School Social Studies
Syllabus. (Udoh, 1989).
The National Teacher's Institute not only produced the Grade II Social Studies Syllabus and
Texts, but it also went on to write Social Studies course books for the NCE for Distance
Learning System, which began distribution in January 1990. Almost all colleges of education
now include Social Studies as part of their curricula. In Nigeria, more than ten universities now
offer degree and post-graduate programs in social studies. To some extent, the skepticism about
the nature, scope, and philosophy of Social Studies has faded. The new 9-year Basic Education
Curriculum launched in 2007 has made it a compulsory subject in the first nine years of a
Nigerian child's education.
Activity Page
1. Give the name of the “mother country” of Social Studies.
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2. Highlight the role of NCSS in development and growth of Social Studies in the United
Stated of America.
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 3. Describe the relationship between the impact of World War II on Britain and the growth
of Social Studies in the country.
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4. List some of the advantages of the Mombassa Conference for the advancement of
African social studies.
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CONCLUSION
A variety of reasons and factors have influenced the growth of Social Studies in different parts
of the world. For example, in many countries around the world, it has been used as a partial
solution to social problems. It began in Germany following World War II as a means of
establishing a new political order. Social Studies was used in the United Kingdom to legitimize
the teaching of social sciences, particularly sociology, while also preparing students for their
role in society. By the Butler Act of 1944, Britain eventually looked up to the integrated Social
Studies programme as an avenue for promoting in her youths the socio-cultural values which
Britain tradition has held in esteem for a longtime.
Social Studies in the United States of America (USA) has maintained its primary function of
preparing students for effective citizenship in a democratic society and instilling patriotic ideals
in the young (Kissock, 1981).
Social Studies has been used in African countries to help people improve their self-image after
colonial rule and heritage. It was used in Sierra Leone to learn how to improve the economy. Its
goal in Ghana was to change the society, particularly the political culture. It became necessary
in Ethiopia to instill the concepts of nationalism, unity, and interdependence among the citizens
of a new country with a diverse population. Its goal in Nigeria is to assist in the establishment
of a democratic society.
Despite numerous conferences, seminars, and workshops on Social Studies, the subject did not
gain widespread acceptance in Nigerian schools right away. Because of its newness or a lack of
understanding of its nature, scope, and dynamism, some people were afraid. Others saw the
development as a serious threat to their profession and campaigned against it. As a result, the
Social Studies Association of Nigeria was formed (SOSAN). Since then, a number of other
organizations have emerged to promote effective teaching of the subject in Nigerian schools.
These organizations include National Association of Social Studies Educationists (NASSE) and
Social Studies Teachers’ Association of Nigeria (SOSTAN).

SUMMARY
You have interacted with various ideas that influenced the development and growth of Social
Studies as a discipline of study in schools around the world, with a focus on the United States
of America, the United Kingdom, Africa, and Nigeria in particular. The various factors that
influenced such development and growth have been discussed. The impact of wars on
educational systems, the need to use curriculum content to emphasize and promote national and
cultural values, and the need to build a strong foundation in citizens on issues of national
consciousness and integration were among the most important of these factors.
The impact of the development of Social Studies in Africa on the growth of the subject in
Nigeria has also been discussed, with the caveat that development in Nigeria occurred earlier
than in other countries. The earliest recipients of Social Studies were primarily Americans, and
the development of the subject in the United States of America (USA) has aided the
development of the subject in other parts of the world.
REFERENCES/SUGGESTED READINGS
Frost, J. L. & Rowland, G. T. (1969). Curricula for the Seventies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company
NCSS (1992). Testing and Evaluation of Social Studies Students Social Education55 (5)
Lawal, M. B. & Oyeleye, A. S. (2003). Foundations and Principles of Social Studies
Education. Lagos: A Triads Associate
Quartey, S. M. (1984). A Method Book for Social Studies Teachers. Lagos: Orit Egwa Ltd