Published Article

ABSTRACT

The study investigated cultural understanding and peace coexistence as correlates of Social Studies Education among secondary school students in Abia State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design. The study population consisted of 6,180 junior secondary school students in Abia State who were enrolled in social studies classes, while the sample comprised 300 students selected using a multi-staged sampling method. Data for the study were collected using two researcher-developed instruments on a four-point Likert scale titled “Cultural Understanding and Peaceful Coexistence Questionnaire (CUPCQ)” and “Social Studies Education Questionnaire (SSEQ)”. The response options were structured as: Very High Extent (VHE), High Extent (HE), Low Extent (LE), and Very Low Extent (VLE). The instruments were subjected to face and content validity by three experts, two in Social Studies Education and one in Measurement and Evaluation from the Faculty of Education, Abia State University, Uturu; and subjected to reliability using 30 JSS II students from two public secondary schools outside the sampled schools, and returned reliability coefficients of 0.82 for the SSEQ and 0.85 for the CUPCQ. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to answer the research questions, while the t-test statistic associated with regression was employed to test the null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance for acceptance or rejection. The study's findings revealed that cultural understanding has a positive relationship with Social Studies education to a high extent, while and peaceful coexistence has a positive relationship with students’ Social Studies education to a low extent. The study concluded that Social Studies education plays a significant role in promoting cultural understanding and peaceful coexistence among secondary school students in Abia State, peaceful coexistence has a positive but weak relationship with Social Studies education. The study recommended among others that teachers should adopt interactive and culturally responsive teaching strategies, such as role-plays, group discussions, and cultural simulations, to actively engage students in exploring and appreciating cultural diversity.