Curriculum Change and Its Impact on the Teaching and Learning Process of History on Secondary School Students

Book excerpt: Bachelor Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject African Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 4.00, University of Jos, language: English, abstract: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the curriculum changes in teaching and learning history in secondary schools within Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. Specifically the purpose of the study are: 1. To determine if curriculum change in history require changes in teaching methods? 2. To examine the effects of curriculum change on history teachers’ mastery of subject matter. 3. To assess the effect of curriculum change on the availability of teaching and learning materials. The teaching of history as a discipline has a long tradition in the world and it is instrument par excellence for national development according to National Policy on Education and forging international cooperation and integration. History as a subject falls within the General Arts, and has for a long time, enjoyed a place in many African school curriculum especially Nigeria. The teaching of history in Nigeria could be traced informally to the pre-colonial days when parents and elderly persons recounted the past of their communities to the younger generation through folktales, music, and other art forms. These were chief means of conveying invaluable lessons and values that were highly cherished in traditional societies. The teaching of history took a formal turn in the colonial period when it was taught in the schools established by the missionaries and those established by the British colonial officials.