Fostering National Unity and National Consciousness in Ghana through Social Studies Education

Abstract

Social Studies as a subject in Ghana has the potential to teach functional knowledge and desirable values to students for fostering national unity and consciousness. This study sought to examine the national unity and national consciousness content in junior and senior high school Social Studies curricula in Ghanaian schools, as well as students' perceptions of Social Studies' role in promoting national unity. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with content analysis. A sample of 208 Form Three Senior High School students from Ofori Panin Senior High School was selected through a convenience sampling technique. Findings showed that content promoting national unity and national consciousness as part of Social Studies education was moderately provided in the JHS and SHS syllabi. Students also held a favourable view of Social Studies education as an instrument for promoting national unity and consciousness. However, the teaching and learning of the subject is challenged by inadequate period allocation on the timetable for SHS, non-use of TLMs by teachers, and an overloaded syllabus.