THE IMPACT OF CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES ON THE MORALS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This research discusses the impact of Christian religious studies on the morals of secondary school students in selected secondary schools in Jos, plateau State. It discussed the societal value that Nigeria is a country that is plagued with misplaced value. Questionnaire was employed in the collection of data from selected secondary schools and the response was impressive. Correlation coefficient was employed in testing the hypothesis to know the degree of the relationship between Christian religious studies and moral values in secondary school in plateau. The findings revealed that there is moral decadence in the society, religion plays a prominent role in the society, religious education brings about moral development; and that religious education is being handled with levity. The study recommended among others that, for religious education to bring about the desired moral development the curriculum had to be restructured to contain the necessary ingredients and the teacher should also exemplify the moral standards he teaches.

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Christian religious is widely regarded as one of the most important subject in Nigeria today; it is evident that the study of Christian religious studies plays a significant role in the morals development of students in most of the Nigeria societies. The subject gains its root into Nigeria education system through the European Missionaries who introduced the subject as a means of converting Nigerians into white man religion (Christianity). The introduction of Christian religion knowledge (CRS) as one of the subjects in arts came into being with the introduction of other categories like science and technological subjects when the federal government of Nigeria takeover most of the schools in Nigeria. It is believed that the introduction of CRS will help in the moral teaching and development of students in Nigeria especially the youths. Morals define the pattern of behaviour that the society wants from the people. Certain behaviours are considered to be undesirable. For most societies, however, morals are not written in stone, or proclaimed by God above, but instead reflect local sensibilities. Different societies have different ideas about what is acceptable and not acceptable. according to (Dombeck and Wells-moran, 2008) stated that there are only a relative few behaviors (usually including murder, and various forms of abuse, including incest and adult-child sexual contact of any sort) that are university despised by stable societies. However People are not born understanding their society’s morals. Instead, these understandings develop and mature over time. According to (Kohlberg, 2009) stated that infants have little or no moral sense, because they are not born with an understanding of the nature of human relationships. As children reach elementary school age, they enter into the first major stage of moral understanding, known as the preconventional stage. Pre-conventional children are essentially selfish in orientation. They do not think about what behaviours will serve the greater good, but rather think in terms of what will most benefit them. They respond primarily and think of morality as a matter of following rules so as to avoid punishment. As children grow into adulthood, they typically enter into the stage of conventional moral understanding. Some children will be developmentally delayed in this regard and becomes adults who have the moral understanding of children; we call them sociopaths, narcissists, and anti-social personalities. The majority of people that do make it to the conventional moral understanding start thinking in terms of duty; a duty to promote the greater good. The study in this regard wishes to examine the impact of Christian religious studies on the morals of secondary schools in Nigeria

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

What really instigated the study was due the high level of immorality in most of the Nigeria societies. Most of the students that were opportune to have knowledge on the impact of CRS on the morals development of students tend to forget the moral teachings of CRS as a result of family background and belief. To reduce the non-adherence to morality in the society to manageable level, a vital constituent of an effective moral learning experience need to be developed for schools and homes (Ajere, 2006). It is also believed that the government has a role to play in the effective teaching of CRS in schools, families and other social gatherings. According to scholars like Njoku (2012) attributed the breakdown in moral behaviour of the students to teachers’ attitude and government lack of commitment to the teaching of CRS as some that are committed do not handle the subject well, which has made it almost impossible for learners to attain the set goals

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to examine the impact of Christian religious studies (CRS) on the morals secondary school students. Other specific objectives of study include:

1. To examine the relationship between Christian religious studies (CRS) and the level of morality among students
2. To determine the effect of Christian religious studies on the behavioural pattern of students.
3. To investigate on factors affecting the effective implementation and teaching of CRS in most schools in most of the Nigerian societies
4. To determine the roles of the federal government in the teaching of CRS
5. To investigate on the effect of belief on the acceptance of Christian religious studies in most of families in Nigeria
6. To proffer solution to the above stated problems

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher;

H₀: there is no relationship between Christian religious studies (CRS) and the level of morality among students.

H₁: there is relationship between Christian religious studies (CRS) and the level of morality among students

H₀²: there are no factors affecting the effective implementation and teaching of CRS in most schools in most of the Nigerian societies.

H₂: there are factors affecting the effective implementation and teaching of CRS in most schools in most of the Nigerian societies

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study on the impact of Christian religious studies (CRS) on the morals of secondary school students in Nigeria will be of immense benefit to the entire nation as it will discuss the roles the importance of CRS on the morals development of students. The study will also address the method that offers maximum advantage in attaining the learning outcomes as stated in the objectives of the subject. Since the affective and the cognitive aspects of the lessons are equally important, there is need to select appropriate methods that shall nurture the learner’s sense of wellbeing so that the desired habits, attitudes and skills will manifest in their ethical behaviour

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study is on the impact of Christian religious studies on the morals of secondary school students in Nigeria. The researcher encounters some constrain which limited the scope of the study;

1. a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study
2. b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
3. c) Organizational privacy: Limited Access to the selected auditing firm makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information concerning the activities.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS): Alternately known as the study of religion, is the multi-disciplinary academic field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions

MORALS: A lesson that can be derived from a story or experience.

MORALITY: Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study