THE ROLE OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN FOSTERING CULTURAL AWARENESS AND TOLERANCE AMONG STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to ascertain the role of Social Studies Education in fostering cultural awareness and tolerance among students in University of Benin. Four (4) research questions were formulated to guide the study.

The study adopted a descriptive survey. The population of this study comprises of nine hundred and forty (940) full time undergraduates of the University of Benin, Benin City, Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology. A total number of 94 students made up the sample of the population of the study. The sample used was 10% of the entire population of this study. The research instrument for the study was a questionnaire titled: Role of Social Studies Education in fostering Cultural Awareness and Tolerance among students in the University of Benin, which was distributed to the respondents and collected immediately after completion from respondents. The simple percentage method was used in computing the responses of the questionnaire items. To account for the reliability of the study, the Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used which gave a value of 0.77.

At the end of the study, the findings showed that Social Studies plays an important role in fostering cultural awareness and tolerance among students. It broadens the worldview of students and creates a sense of belonging in them which makes them coexist peacefully. As part of the recommendations, it is suggested that the school authority should provide a conducive environment for the teaching of Social Studies Education.