Social Studies Curriculum Implementation and Peace Building among Students in Colleges of Education in North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the influence of Social Studies curriculum implementation on peace building among students in Colleges of Education in North-Central Nigeria. The study was motivated by persistent security challenges, communal conflicts, and declining social cohesion within the region, which underscores the need for teacher education programmes capable of preparing future educators as agents of peace and responsible citizenship. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study population comprised 17,913 Social Studies students in twelve public Colleges of Education in North-Central Nigeria, from which a sample of 385 respondents was selected using multistage sampling procedures. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire titled Social Studies Curriculum Implementation and Peace Building Questionnaire (SSCIPBQ), which yielded a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.80. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) were used to answer the research question, while an independent samples t-test tested the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students perceived Social Studies curriculum implementation as having a positive influence on peace building (Grand Mean = 3.48, SD = 0.59). Respondents agreed that effective curriculum implementation promotes democratic values, cultural understanding, conflict-resolution skills, responsible citizenship, and national integration. Furthermore, no statistically significant difference was found in students’ perceptions based on age (t – 383 – = –0.371, p =.711). The study concludes that effective implementation of the Social Studies curriculum represents an important educational strategy for strengthening peace building among pre-service teachers. It recommends continuous professional development for lecturers, adequate instructional resources, learner-centred pedagogies, and strengthened institutional support to maximise the peace-building potential of Social Studies Education.