CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) as known at secondary school level is a subject that has always played an important role in human history. It is one of those subjects that provide opportunities for the full development of the child’s cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. It is a process by which children understand the religious traditions of life and thought. It also helps one to be sensitive to the ultimate question posed by life and to the dimensions of mysteries and wonders that underline human experiences. Christian religious knowledge serves as a foundation of moral and spiritual guidance for the pupils/students. It gives a sense of direction and ability to differentiate between what is right and wrong (NERDC, 2007).

Religion and moral education have been widely accepted as determinants of national development in modern society, hence, the inclusion of the subject in the school curriculum. Also, Christian religious knowledge has its foundation in the National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004). It is advocated in some sections of the policy for all levels of learning. The policy emphasized that religious instruction and moral education shall be taught and learnt in schools. The national curriculum for religious education evolved over time as a reflection of the needs, perceptions and historical development for the societies concerned. The methods of teaching Christian religious knowledge in the junior secondary school comes under focus when its effect on the moral and spiritual dimensions.

1.2Statement of Problem

Religion generally, plays an important function in the lives of people in the society, especially in the lives of pupils/students at the lower-post-primary institutions in Nigeria, and Lagos State in particular. However, the problems inherent in the wrong application of teaching methods, improper exploration of subject-content, and unclear delineation of the objectives, non-application of correct teaching materials, teachers’ poor attitudes, teachers’ poor quality in terms of lack of qualification which leads to non-mastery of content and non-mastery of methodology, poor personality and so on, in teaching and learning of the subject, have been of immense concern to the stake-holders in the subject. No wonder, the Christian religious knowledge, education and instruction, have failed to play the major role of serving as fountain of moral and spiritual guidance for the pupils/students in the primary and the lower post-primary schools in Lagos State Education District IV in particular and Nigeria in general.

This can be seen in the general decadence of our youths, and even the adult members of the society who are in one religion or the other but have failed to be good role models to the youths, despite religion being taught and studied both in the school and outside of it. The above identified problems, gave rise to the evaluation of the implementation CRK curriculum content, objectives, methods of teaching, teachers’ qualification, teaching materials applied in presentation of the subject in the classroom and so on.

1.3Purpose of the Study

This study mainly examines the evaluation of curriculum implementation techniques in the area of content, objectives, teaching methods, teaching materials and teachers’ qualification in Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) at the Junior Secondary Schools in District IV of Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The specific objectives of the study included to:

(1)         Examine the implementation of the content of CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State District IV.

(2)         Evaluate the implementation of the objectives of CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State District IV.

(3)         Investigate the implementation of the methods of teaching CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State Education District IV.

(4)         Evaluate the implementation of the materials applied in the teaching of CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State Education District IV.

(5)         Find out the qualification of teachers in CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Mainland Education District IV, Lagos State.

1.4Research Questions

These research questions were raised for the conduct of this study thus:

(1)         To what extent can the implementation of the content of CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State be examined?

(2)         How can the implementation of the objectives of CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State be investigated?

(3)         To what extent can the implementation of the methods of teaching CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State be evaluated?

(4)         Can the teaching materials applied in teaching CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State be assessed?

(5)          Are the CRK teachers at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State Education District IV qualified to teach the subject?

1.5Research Hypotheses

In this study, the following null hypotheses were tested to give it an empirical status:

1.            There will be no significant effect of the implementation of content on academic performance of students in CRK at Junior Secondary Schools level in Lagos State.

2.            The implementation of the objectives of CRK will not significantly affect the moral values of students at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos Education District IV.

3.            There will be no significant relationship between the implementation of the methods of teaching and students’ academic achievement in CRK at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State.

4.            There will be no significant relationship between application of teaching materials and students’ learning outcomes in CRK at Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State.

5.            The qualifications of teachers will not significantly affect students’ moral orientation at the Junior Secondary Schools in Lagos State.

1.6Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study covered the public Junior Secondary Schools located in Education District IV of Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State. Also, timeframe, finance, respondents’ inhibitions and other logistics posed considerable constraints in the study

1.7Significance of the Study

The findings and recommendations of this evaluative study, will be beneficial to the followings:

Teachers: Will benefit from this study, because, its findings/recommendations would go a long way in giving them crucial insights to the importance of implementation of the content, objectives, teaching materials, teaching methods, teachers’ possession of good personality, teachers’ possession of good attitudes and possession of requisite qualification(s) for teaching CRK at the secondary school level.

Students: Students would no doubt, be able to benefit from the study, because, it will help them to be in-the-know, concerning the importance implementation of good content, clarity in objectives, effective application of correct teaching methods and teaching materials in teaching CRK. Not only that, students in Junior Secondary Schools would appreciate the benefits of teachers good personality, high qualities, positive attitudes etc in the teaching/learning of CRK as a school subject.

School Authority/Ministry of Education/NERDC: The above agencies/educational bodies, would gain much beneficial insights from the findings/recommendations adduced in this study. For instance, the above mentioned education/research bodies would gather veritable information regarding the variables that are crucial to designing a holistic and all-encompassing CRK curriculum for Junior Secondary Schools, knowing its importance in the life of the Nigerian child and the society.

Society/Researchers/Scholars: This study will be of immense benefit to the above mentioned individuals in the academia and the society. While members of the society would appreciate the importance of good and effective implementation of curriculum in CRK, scholars and researchers in the subject would make objective reference to this study in their future studies.