Importance of Out- of- Door Activities: The Perspectives of Social Studies Teachers in Selected Senior High Schools in Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

The study investigated Social Studies teachers’ use of out of door activities in Social Studies subject two selected senior high schools in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region of Ghana.  Qualitative case study research design was used for the study.  The population for the study comprised of all Social Studies teachers in the northern region of Ghana. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select six trained graduate social studies teachers out of the eight sampled teachers for one-on-one interview. The findings from this study revealed that most social studies teachers consider out-of-door activities as important in their teaching because of its educational value, despite the challenges they encountered. It was also revealed that social studies teachers perceived out-of-door activities to be difficult to organize which affect their use of the technique in teaching. This study recommended that in order to promote the use of out-of-door activities in the teaching and learning of social studies, the government through the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service (G.E.S) and Curriculum Research and Development Division (CRDD) should make funds available for senior high schools to organize out-of-door activities, specifically, in the teaching and learning of social studies to enhance students’ understanding of the subject. Again, the government through the Ministry of Education and G.E.S, should advise heads of institutions to support and encourage teachers, especially, social studies teachers to embark on out-of-door activities within and outside their school community to boost students’ understanding of the concept that is mostly abstract in nature.

Keywords: social studies, societal problems, out-of-door activity, positive attitudes, values, skills

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-2-06

Publication date: January 31^st 2023