AN APPRAISAL OF STUDENTS OPINION ON THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL STUDIES ON CULTURAL PRESERVATION IN KOGI STATE NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1.        Background to the Study

The concept of culture in Social Studies context is used in various ways with different meaning”. These usages are either colloquial or scientific. In colloquial terms, the cultured person is taught to be one who is well educated well mannered and reserved in his behavior” (Livingstone, 2007). In scientific usage, culture is often defined in blanket term as the total way of life of the people (Oyeronke, 2006). More especially, Otite & Ogionwo (1979) viewed that culture is the complex of man‟s acquisition of knowledge, morals, belief, art, custom, technology, etc. which are shared and transmitted from generation to generation”. Brown (1963) had earlier defined culture as” the sum total and the organization or arrangement of all the group ways of thinking, feelings and acting. According to her, it includes the physical manifestations of the group as exhibited in the object they make i.e. clothing, shelter, tools, weapons, implements, utensils, etc.” For Kata, (1975), culture means, “the totality of knowledge and behavior, ideas and objects that constitute the common heritage of a society.

Livingstone (2000) proffered that a people are known by their culture. For instance, you will recognize an Igbo woman at a glance because of her peculiar culture. In Nigeria, some Social Studies textbooks claim that, many ethnic groups in Nigeria are yet to be identified. One can easily distinguish each of the different ethnic origins by their own appearances as an aspect of culture. People‟s culture is dedicated by what people do in response to what is happening around such a people. For instance, some culture use Rat as delicacy while others see this same rats as poison for human consumption. In the same way, our physical environment decides whether we should move about in boat, donkey, or horses. Those who live in the riverside areas move about

in boat while those live in semi-desert regions ride horses, camels, donkeys and the likes. By this application therefore, boat has become part of the culture in the riverside part of Nigeria. While horses, donkeys, camel has become part of the culture of the far northern part of the nation.

As Yunisa (2000) Posited that, traditional African society had it form of indigenous Education and Curriculum before the advent of the first Missionaries in 1942.There was something to be taught and learnt, in spite of the fact that, most were not in written form or formal. Its objectives were to transmit cultural heritage there by equipping the child with the ability to survive in the society. This according to Yunisa was aspect of cultural indigenous education, which is relevant to Social Studies education in nature because it studied man‟s cultural environment which man was in turn affected.

AN APPRAISAL OF STUDENTS OPINION ON THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL STUDIES ON CULTURAL PRESERVATION IN KOGI STATE NIGERIA