ABSTRACT
This study was aimed at assessing University of Benin education students' perception of Social Studies as an academic discipline. To achieve the purpose of the study , four research questions were raised and examined. Data was collected from one hundred (100) randomly selected from 169 Social Studies education undergraduate students. The questionnaire was the instrument for data collection .
The analysis of data was done using frequency count and simple percentage. The population of the study comprised of 169 Social Studies undergraduate students of education faculty in University of Benin. The sample size was 100 students randomly selected from the entire population of 169 social studies undergraduate students. To ensure the content and face validity of the Instrument, the draft copy of the questionnaire was given to the project supervisor and two other experts in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology (CIT) for proper modification. Based on the supervisor corrections, the final draft was prepared and used for data collection. To ascertain the reliability of the Instrument; the researcher conducted a pilot study using 18 students who were not part of the sampled population, the Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the international consistency and a coefficient of 0.827 was obtained.
Thus, based on the findings of the study; that the University of Benin Social Studies education students see Social Studies as an essential academic discipline for understanding social dynamics, that students perceive positive impact of Social Studies education to their future career goals as the course equip students with skills such as life and career skills, learning and innovation skills to embrace the challenges of the evolutionary environment, that there are several challenges faced by Social Studies as an academic discipline which includes recognition and treatment within the academic community, and that Social Studies lacks practical application in University of Benin Social Studies curriculum which is an essential part of the course and that peers or siblings can positively or negatively spark curiosity or influence the view of Social Studies, the following conclusions were drawn that; University of Benin Social Studies education students sees Social Studies as an essential academic discipline for understanding societal dynamics. However, the study review that Social Studies as an academic discipline faces several challenges which includes recognition, treatment within the academic community and lack of practical application in University of Benin education curriculum. Some of the recommendations include that Social Studies educators should not only apply a theoretical process for teaching Social Studies but also their should be a practical applicability of the academic discipline. Education policymakers and curriculum planners should ensure regular revisions to the Social Studies Curriculum to make it more engaging, relevant, and reflective of students' interests and societal needs due to societal dynamism.
