Files
Download Full Text (459 KB)
Description
Abstract
This research will examine how social studies developed within the curricula within Ghana. I will report this in USA and juxtapose with Ghana and other post-colonial African countries. The study assesses the quantity of the content of history as it is merged with social studies curricula, its implications on students, economy, and educational sectors in Ghana. It is noted that majority of students at tertiary levels in Ghana would find it difficult to give detail information about Ghana’s history and Ghana’s historical place in the world when probed. Six post-colonial African countries’ social studies/history curricula are examined on the content and pedagogy employed in teaching, which is a reflection of that of Ghana, as only Nigeria from the six African countries, has re-introduced history as a core subject in the primary and secondary schools. Ghana’s curricula is contextualized with U.S curricula, as U.S has moved into closer cadence with the world in terms of balancing content instruction with the nurturing of historical thinking and historical consciousness. The foundations of social studies originated in Great Britain during the 1820s and quickly moved to United States. Social studies evolved during the era under examination to include history and the social sciences, and a more integrated, relevant approach to teaching those subjects. In post-colonial African countries, it was introduced by the British and subjects taught in schools reflected the taste of the colonial education officials, and school curricula were built around the existing colonial values.
Publication Date
Spring 2018
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords
curriculum-development, post-colonial African countries, historical thinking
Disciplines
Education | Educational Methods | International and Comparative Education
Recommended Citation
Dwomoh, Razak, "Social Studies/History Curricula in Ghana" (2018). 2018 Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity – Documents. 2.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_awards_2018_docs/2
