




































American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences  

Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

ISSN 2643-0061   E-ISSN 2643-010X 

Published by American Center of Science and Education, USA 

 

18 

Social Studies Teachers’ Readiness to Teach the Security Education 

Theme in the Reviewed Edition of Nigeria’s Basic Education 

Curriculum 

 

 
Moshood Babatunde Lawal PhD 

Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Nigeria 

E-mail: teemlawal@gmail.com 

 

 

 

Abstract 

This study analysed Social Studies teachers’ readiness to teach Security Education. 720 practicing Social Studies 

teachers drawn from 72 Junior Secondary schools in the South Western Nigeria were administered with a structured 

questionnaire. The data collected were analysed using simple non-parametric statistics. Findings showed that the 

teachers have a significantly low knowledge and awareness of the components of the Theme-Security Education. 

However, the teachers’ readiness to acquire additional useful knowledge and skills required for handling Security 

Education alongside their area of specialisation (Social Studies) was found to be significantly high. The teachers 

perceived the inclusion of Security Education in the reviewed Curriculum as a development that will create a 

significantly higher workload for them. Nevertheless, their response showed a relatively high degree of negative 

disposition towards the handling of the newly introduced Security Education theme in National Values class Based 

on these findings necessary recommendations focusing on the need for training and organizing workshops for 

curriculum implementers were suggested.                      

 

Keywords: Social Studies, Security Education, Basic Education Curriculum, Civic Education, National Values, 

Practicing Teachers' Readiness, Nigeria. 

1. Background to the Study 

The Nigeria educational system has continued to witness conscious and concrete efforts aimed at improving the 

contents of what is delivered as curriculum at levels, right from the 1969 Curriculum Review Conference till a 

recent effort which has now reduced the number of subjects that can be offered at the Basic Education level. One of 

the major outcomes of this recent curriculum review is the introduction of Religion and National Values (RNV) that 

has reduced the hitherto standalone subjects like Social Studies, Civic Education to themes, with an addition of a 

new theme called Security Education.  

Even though this latest review has been shrouded in a lot of controversies, particularly on the feasibility of 

expecting only one teacher to handle three themes, there is still the need to raise a major implementation constrain. 

This is concerned with how prepared were the Social Studies teachers who are now charged with the handling of the 

theme- Security Education, alongside their Social Studies and Civic Education during their training. Coupled with 

this is the erroneous assumption by the curriculum designer/development agency that any teacher trained in Social 

Studies should be competent enough to teach the newly introduced theme-Security Education.  

 

2. Nigeria’s Basic Education Curriculum 

The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) as part of its statutory responsibilities 

restructured the then existing primary and junior  secondary school curricula into a 9-year Basic Education 

Curriculum (BEC) in line with the UBE. The BEC which became operational in 2008 beginning from year 1 of 

primary school and year 1 of junior secondary school was therefore developed to facilitate the implementation of the 

UBE. By this arrangement, the old primary and junior secondary school curricula were to be systematically phased 

out in two cycles; primary school in 2014 and junior secondary school in 2011. 

However, this reviewed curriculum was not allowed to complete its implementation cycle before another 

call for review was initiated, and the exercise culminated in a revised 9-year Basic Education Curriculum. The new 

one now comprises ten (10) subjects instead of the old one that had twenty (20) subjects that are being studied at the 



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Basic Education level.  According to NERDC (2012), this development allowed for  relevant subjects to be 

grouped, and Social Studies were grouped alongside Civic  Education, and a new one- Security Education, under 

a new name called “National Values”.  

The new curriculum arrangement came in place to address the issue of topic,  content and subject 

overload as well as repetitions within the subjects without any reduction in the depth, appropriateness, and 

interconnectedness of the curricula as part the Education Sector’s role in the facilitation of the realisation of the 

achievement of the core objectives of National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (NEEDS), 

Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It also came in response to the ever-

changing needs, challenges and aspirations of the Nigerian society. 

The Social Studies teacher is expected to teach three themes (Social Studies, Civic Education and Security 

Education) in his or her class, but the question is how the training institution has and the corresponding teacher 

education curriculum prepared him or her for this new role? This is the major focus of this paper. It is therefore 

pertinent at this juncture to raise a major statement of problem which is how competent are the practising Social 

Studies teachers in the handling of the Security Education theme while teaching the subject National Values?  

 

3. Research Questions  
The following research questions were therefore addressed in the study:  

 Do practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers have a significantly high knowledge and awareness 

of the demands of Security Education as a theme in National Values?  

 Has the preparation of practising Social Studies teachers significantly prepared them for effective handling 

of the content areas of the Security Education theme in National Values? 

 Are practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers significantly competent to teach the topics 

suggested under the theme- Security Education in a National Values class? 

 Do the practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers perceive the inclusion of Security Education 

theme in the new Basic Education Curriculum as an intervention demanding more workload from them? 

 Do practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers possess a significantly high positive attitude 

towards the inclusion of Security Education theme in the new Basic Education Curriculum? 

 

4. Hypotheses  

Ho1:  Practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers do not have a significantly high knowledge and 

awareness of the demands of Security Education as a  theme in National Values. 

Ho2: The Practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers have not been significantly prepared for 

effective handling of the content areas of the Security Education theme in National Values. 

Ho3:   Practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers are not significantly competent to teach each of 

the topics suggested under the theme - Security Education in a National Values class. 

Ho4:  The Practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers do not perceive the inclusion of Security 

Education theme in the new Basic Education Curriculum as an intervention significantly demanding more 

workload from them. 

Ho5: The Practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers do not have a significantly high positive 

attitude towards the inclusion of Security Education theme in the new Basic Education Curriculum. 

  

5. Concept of Security Education 
Security Education in a democracy is education aimed at building resilience. It is the ability of children, 

communities and systems to anticipate, prevent, withstand, adapt to and recover from stresses and shocks advancing 

the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged. It is an education about what it takes to be in the state of 

being or feeling secure; freedom from fear, anxiety, danger, doubt, and state or sense of safety or certainty 

The concept is known to have been interchangeably used with “security awareness” and “security 

consciousness”. In a simple form, Fabinu, Ogunleye & Salau (2016) described Security Education as that type of 

education designed to promote the level of security consciousness among the citizenry of a particular country for 

them to be able to protect their immediate environment, nation and the world at large. Furthermore, they see it as 

one education that helps to enrich people’s knowledge against any form of threatening actions to lives and 

properties, be it at home, in school, in place of work, or in the country. 

Trends institution.org (2018) while quoting Buzan (1991) remarks that security is taken to be about the 

pursuit of freedom from threat and the ability of states and societies to maintain their independent identity, and their 

functional integrity against forces of change, which they see as hostile. The bottom line of security is survival, but it 

also reasonably includes a substantial range of concerns about the conditions of existence.” 



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An effective Security Education therefore brings communities together, gives children and communities aspirations 

for a better life creating communities that are more resilient for overcoming conflict.  

 

6. Security Education and Teachers Receptivity to Curriculum Change 

 In an attempt to introduce any curriculum change the implementation are known to be wary of the demands of such 

change. Hence, they tend to exhibit some signs of receptivity. The case of the Security Education theme in the new 

National Values Curriculum is not likely to be an exemption.  

  Although extant literature on Security Education is relatively sparse, there are cases in other subjects that 

can be cited to confirm this teacher receptivity to curriculum change. For instance, Lee (2010), while examining 

teacher receptivity to curriculum change in implementation guidelines for Environmental Education in Hong Kong, 

reported that variables such as perceived non-monetary cost-benefit of the implementation guidelines, perceived 

practicality, perceived school and other support and other. Issues of concern were predictors for teacher behavioural 

intentions towards active involvement and promotion of the curriculum ‘change. 

 

7. Rationale for the Introduction of Security Education in the New Basic Education Curriculum 

There is an undeniable increasing prevalence of emergency situations in the Nigerian  schools in particular and 

the larger society in general. Typical recent example is the kidnapping of over hundred (100) secondary school 

students from Dapchi; a community in Yobe State, North Eastern Nigeria. The increasing severity of this pathetic 

security situation makes the introduction of Security Education in the curriculum very germane. 

The necessity of introducing Security Education in the Nigerian primary and  secondary schools has 

therefore become very germane because of the rapid increase in crime rate and security breaches, and continued 

increase in security threats as reflected in the increasing incidences of insecurity across the different geo-political 

zones of Nigeria. This is in terms of militia insurgency resulting in uncontrolled loss of lives,  high rate of 

kidnapping, armed robbery, incessant cult clashes and killings etc. 

Children and youth need security and safety tips. They need someone to turn to, someone who has the 

experience and training to handle a potentially dangerous situation and who can properly guide them towards living 

a safer and more secured life as they operate within and outside the school. With the right combination of 

determination, strength, training, and a desire to do what’s right, it is possible for such individuals to promote better 

school safety and security in the community. The challenge however, is the capability of a trained Social Studies 

teacher to muster enough knowledge and skill to achieve this. 

 

8. Essential Components of Security Education in the Revised Basic Education Curriculum 

This curriculum is organized using the thematic approach around which the topics and contents are built. It is also 

spiral in nature with each learning experience at one level built upon at another, with increasing levels of difficulty 

and depth. The sub-themes and corresponding topics for Primary 1-6 are:  

 

Level Sub-theme Corresponding Topics Units 

Primary 1 Elements of Security  

    

Concept of Security - Meaning of security of life and 

property. 

- Some sources of danger and insecurity  

Primary 2 Sources of Danger and 

Insecurity 

-  Sources of Insecurity 

 in our community 

- How to keep away from dangers 

 

-  

 

Identification of Security 

Agencies and their 

Primary Duties 

- Examples of security agencies in 

Nigeria 

-   Duties of some security       agencies 

in our Community 

 

Primary 3 Identification of Security 

Agencies and their 

Primary Duties 

 

- Security agencies and duties. 

- Identification of which security 

agency to report to when in danger 

 

Elements of Criminal - Some examples of criminal 



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Behaviour behaviours 

- Ways to avoid criminal behaviours 

 

Primary 4  

Personal/Neigbourhood 

Security: Duties and 

Responsibilities 

 

Introduction to 

Neigbourhood Security 

 

- Meaning of Neigbourhood Watch 

- Ways of Reporting Movements that 

we don’t trust 

- Dangers of Not Reporting Suspicious 

Movement and people in our 

Community 

Important Phone 

Numbers in our 

Community and their 

uses 

 

- Different Emergency Phone Numbers 

and their Uses. 

-  Some Emergency Situations that may 

Need Emergency Phone Calls 

 

Primary 5 Personal/Neigbourhood 

Security: Duties and 

Responsibilities 

Introduction to Personal 

Security 

- Meaning of Personal Security 

- Actions and Behaviours that can make 

us to be personally secured 

 

Duties and 

Responsibilities for 

Personal Security 

- Duties and responsibilities of a child 

for personal security 

 

Primary 6 Personal/Neigbourhood 

Security: Duties and 

Responsibilities 

Personal Security 

Management 

- Meaning of Personal Security 

Management 

- Punishment for various crimes 

- How to act appropriately when in 

danger 

 

 

The sub-themes and corresponding topics  for Junior Secondary 1 -3 are contained in Table 2. 

 

JS 1Theme- Common Crimes and 

Security Management I,  
JS 2 Theme- Common Crimes 

and Security Management II 

JS 3 Theme- Common Crimes and 

Security Management III 

Topics Topic Topics 

Common crimes, causes and effects Emergency management Common crimes and associated 

punishments 

Cooperation with security agents, 

school and neighbourhood authorities 

in crime prevention 

Observing and reporting common 

crimes 

Crimes and National security 

 

This curriculum stresses learner-centered approaches. The learner-centered approach involves the 

consideration of the learners’ conditions, including how to develop in them the interest to pursue Security Education 

as contained in our curriculum. It treats the learners  as people who have the capacity to think and behave rightly 

through a learning process in which they active players.  

  The teaching methodology of the Security Education theme in the curriculum is dynamic and promotes 

interaction. Hence, the teaching –learning experiences do not support forcing some values on the learners. Rather it 

encourages a kind of teaching that touches on the learners’ daily life. The methodology therefore involves active 

learning/participative strategies, experiential learning, partnerships in learning with  learners’ participation, 

dialogue, self-expression, storytelling and response to stories, project work focused on identifying questions and 

researching answers. It also encourages exchange with children from other cultures using their own medium, 

creative teaching and learning. 

Another special feature of the Security Education curriculum is in the values and attitudes which need to be 

addressed through the curriculum and the whole school. Through effective teaching of the theme, learners are 



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expected to become more alert, patriotic, sensitive to strange objects and people and be more security conscious in 

and around their environment.  

  

9. Methods 

The study employed quantitative approach in obtaining data required. This was done  through the use of a five –

part questionnaire.   

A total of seven hundred and twenty (720) Practicing Social Studies teachers drawn from seventy two  (72) 

Junior Secondary schools in the South Western Nigeria were used as sample for this study using the cluster and 

stratified random sampling techniques. One hundred and twenty (120) Social Studies teachers were  randomly 

selected from ten schools in each of the six (6) South West States (Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti State). 

A five-part questionnaire was designed with a five - point Likert scale of Strongly Disagreed, Disagreed, 

Not Sure, Strongly Agreed and Agreed for collecting data for the study.  Section A of the questionnaire demanded 

demographic information about the respondents. Section B dealt with  teachers’ level of awareness and knowledge 

of the demands of Security Education as a theme in National Values; Part C focused on the relationship between the 

level of preparation of practising Social Studies teachers during training and effective handling of the content areas 

of the Security Education theme; Part D dealt with teachers’ level of competency to teach the topics suggested under 

the theme- Security Education in a National Values class and Part E dealt with level of teachers’ perception of the 

inclusion of Security Education theme in the new Basic Education Curriculum as an intervention demanding more 

workload from them. 

The questionnaire was given to experts in instrument design to examine its face and content validity. In the 

process, some items were modified, some removed, while few others were added. To determine the reliability of the 

questionnaire it was administered on sixty (60) Social Studies teachers’ from 20 schools used for the pilot study. A 

split half method was used. Thereafter, Cronbach’s Alpha was conducted and the coefficient was found to be 0.76.   

Research Assistants were deployed to the sampled schools in each of the six States used for this study in 

the South Western Nigeria. They explained the content of the questionnaire and necessary clarifications were also 

made to the respondents. The questionnaires were physically administered and collected by the research assistants 

on the spot to enable them  have high rate of return and reduce the incidence of loss or damage of the instrument as 

they had earlier been informed of the intended visits.  

 

10. Results 

Data collected were collated and subjected to analysis in order to determine the mean scores obtainable for each of 

the tested hypotheses. The mean response was used to analyze data collected in order to determine the degree of 

agreement and disagreement with each of the scaling statements in the questionnaire. Nominal values were assigned 

to the items as follows:  from 5 through 4, 3, 2 and 1 for “Strongly Agree” (SA), “Agree” (A), “Undecided” (UD), 

“Disagree” (D) and “Strongly Disagree” (SD), to determine the partitioning value of items, the maximum of each of 

the nominal values was divided by N. For purposes of data interpretation, mean values of  3.00 and above were 

considered for agreement; mean values below 3.00 were taken to mean disagreement with respect to items on the 

attitudes and practices of the respondents. A standard deviation greater than 1.00 was taken to indicate high 

variability among respondents. 

 

H01: Practicing junior secondary Social Studies teachers do not have a significantly high knowledge and 

awareness of the demands of Security  Education 

Analysis of the data for  Hypothesis One is presented in Table 1. The mean score ranged from 2.59 to 3.37. The 

overall mean score is 3.25 with SD 1.17 which is slightly above the middle limit of 3.00. Based on the mean scores, 

it can be inferred that Practicing junior secondary Social Studies teachers do not have a significantly high knowledge 

and awareness of the demands of Security Education. 

 

Table 1. Junior Secondary Social studies teachers awareness and Knowledge of the demands of Security Education 

 

S/N Items/Statements SD D Not Sure SA A Mean SD 

1 Security Education theme is 

now included in the revised 

Basic Education Curriculum 

250 

(38.9) 

130 

(18.0) 

32 

(4.4) 

199 

(27.6) 

79 

(11.0) 

3.37 1.49 

2 Effective handling of the theme 

on Security Education demands 

an additional knowledge 

172 

(23.9) 

31 

(4.3) 

16 

(2.2) 

379 

(52.7) 

122 

(16.9) 

2.72 1.75 



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acquisition in that area of study 

3 High degree of the knowledge 

of the subject matter of Security 

Education by Social Studies 

teachers in schools is presently 

lacking. 

149 

(20.7) 

51 

(7.1) 

17 

(2.4) 

360 

(50.0) 

143 

(19.9) 

2.60 1.42 

4 Sub-themes like elements of 

security, person/neighbourhood 

security, common crimes and 

security management are part 

of the content to be taught bt 

the Social Studies teacher 

handling Security Education in 

his/her class. 

252 

(35.0) 

157 

(21.8) 

41 

(5.7) 

205 

(28.6) 

64 

(8.9) 

2.59 1.422 

5 The demands of the 

methodology recommended for 

teaching the topics listed under 

the Security Education theme at 

the Basic Education level are 

quite similar to those of Social 

Studies. 

162 

(22.5) 

123 

(17.1) 

28 

(3.9) 

307 

(42.7) 

100 

(13.8) 

2.92 1.43 

  985 492 1171 1450 508 3.24 1.172 

 

Of the five items used to measure the knowledge and awareness, only the statement that says ‘Security 

Education theme is now included in the revised Basic Education Religion and National Values Curriculum” was 

given the highest rating with a mean of 3.37. All the other four items have mean scores below 3.00. The deduction 

from these responses is that practicing Social Studies teachers do not possess high knowledge and awareness of the 

demands of Security Education  

The result also revealed that 69.6% of the practicing Social Studies teachers agreed with the statement that 

“Effective handling of the theme on Security Education demands an additional knowledge acquisition in that area of 

study”. Almost 70% of the teachers agreed with the statement that “High degree of the knowledge of the subject 

matter of Security Education by Social Studies teachers on schools is presently lacking”.  This could be attributed to 

the training packages in terms of curricula and curricular materials which were used for preparing these teachers 

while in  the College of Education or the Faculty of Education as pre-service teachers. 

 

H02: The practicing Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers have not been significantly prepared for 

effective handling of the content areas of the Security Education theme in religion and national value. 

 

The respondents were asked to rate statements relating to the effective handling of the content areas of the 

Security Education theme in National Values. The results are as presented in Table 2.  

Seven items were used in measuring the effective handling of the content areas of the Security Education 

theme in National Values. The mean scores of the statements ranged from 1.91 to 3.93. Three of the items had mean 

scores above 3.00 while four items with mean scores below 3.00. The deduction from these responses and the 

overall mean score is that practicing Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers have not been significantly prepared 

for effective handling of the content areas of the Security Education theme in National Values 

 

Table: 2. Junior Secondary Social Studies Teachers Level of Preparation for effective Handling of the Content Areas 

of Security Education theme 

 

S/N Items/Statements SD D Not 

Sure 

SA A Mean  

1 The content of the teacher 

education curriculum at 

both the Nigeria 

Certificate in Education 

287 

(39.9) 

264 

(36.6) 

18 

(2.5) 

96 

(13.3) 

55 

(7.6) 

3.87 1.276 



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(NCE) and Undergraduate 

levels does not have any 

sub-theme or topics 

relevant to the Security 

Education theme of the 

revised Basic Education 

Curriculum. 

2. Pre-service Social Studies 

teachers are already 

familiar with most of the 

suggested Security 

Education themes and 

topics while in training 

either at NCE or 

undergraduate level. 

281 

(39.0) 

290 

(40.3) 

27 

(3.7) 

64 

(8.9) 

58 

(8.1) 

3.93 1.23 

3. The recommended 

foundation and content 

courses used in preparing 

Social Studies during 

training are not capable of 

grooming them effectively 

for teaching Security 

Education theme and 

topics in the National 

Values Classroom 

73 

(10.1) 

60 

(8.3) 

30 

(4.2) 

280 

(38.9) 

277 

(38.5) 

3.82 1.36 

4 The Social Studies teacher 

preparation programme at 

both the NCE and 

undergraduate levels is not 

full enough to empower 

the trainees for the 

realisation of the ideals of 

Security Education as 

demanded in the National 

Values (NV) curriculum.  

70 

(11.9) 

64 

(10.3) 

26 

(3.6) 

291 

(40.4) 

269 

(37.4 

2.131 1.273 

5 The structures and 

recommended 

activities/methodologies 

that are embedded in the 

training materials of Social 

Studies teachers are either 

inadequate for or lacking 

effective skills and 

background knowledge 

required for handling 

Security Education in NV 

Curriculum. 

76 

(10.6) 

82 

(11.4) 

33 

(4.6) 

417 

(58.0) 

112 

(15.6) 

2.434 1.190 

6 The handling of Security 

Education topics by a 

Social Studies teacher 

requires background 

training in the field, which 

they presently lack. 

60 

(8.3) 

42 

(5.8) 

21 

(2.9) 

499 

(69.3) 

98 

(13.6) 

2.26 1.04 

7 Effective teaching of 

Security Education by 

Social Studies teacher who 

46 

(6.4) 

17 

(2.4) 

16 387 

(53.8) 

254 

(35.3) 

1.908 1.02 



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has not been properly 

groomed in that sensitive 

area of study is a difficult 

goal to attain. 

  893 817 171 2034 1123 3.15 1.272 

 

H03: Practicing Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers are not significantly competent to teach each of the 

topics suggested under the theme- Security Education in Religion and National values. 

 

In Table 3, the mean ranged from a mean score of 2.13 (SD=1.35) to 2.99 (SD=.85). All ten items had 

mean scores lower than 3.00, indicating that teachers have low competence to teach the suggested topics.  Only 

9.5% of the practicing teachers expressed a position that they effectively teach the listed ten topics drawn from the 

Security Education theme contained in National Values. 

A percentage that is as high as 52.4% said they cannot teach the topics, although about 35.8% of them still 

reported that they can manage to teach the same set of topics. The low depth of content enrichment concerning the 

new focus, which is Security Education, at the Basic Education might have been responsible for this pattern of 

results. 

 

Table 3. Percentages, Means and Standard Deviations for Junior Secondary Social Studies Teachers’  Competence 

to Teach Selected Security Education Topics 

 

S/N Items/Statements Teach 

well 

Manage 

to 

Cannot Not 

sure 

Mean SD 

1 Emergency management 50 

(6.9) 

256 

(35.6) 

403 

(56.0) 

11 

(1.5) 

2.479 0.647 

2 Strategies for observing 

and reporting common 

crime 

45 

(6.3) 

261 

(36.3) 

379 

(52.6) 

35 

(4.9) 

2.438 0.684 

3 Common crimes and 

associated punishment 

15 

(2.1) 

300 

(41.6) 

395 

(54.8) 

10 

(1.4) 

2.446 0.565 

4 Crimes and national 

security 

12 

(1.7) 

282 

(39.2) 

410 

(56.9) 

16 

(2.2) 

2.424 0.565 

5 Our roles in promoting 

safety in our community 

14 

(1.9) 

255 

(35.4) 

412 

(57.2) 

14 

(1.9) 

2.387 0.563 

6 Personal security 

management 

24 

(3.3) 

292 

(40.5) 

392 

(54.4) 

12 

(1.7) 

2.445 0.598 

7 Introduction to personal 

security 

21 

(2.9) 

289 

(40.1) 

394 

(54.7) 

16 

(2.2) 

2.436 0.590 

8 Introduction to 

neighbourhood security 

61 

(8.5) 

272 

(37.7) 

366 

(50.8) 

21 

(2.9) 

2.518 0.691 

9 Concept of security 254 

(35.3) 

211 

(29.3) 

250 

(34.7) 

5 

(0.7) 

2.99 0.852 

10 Sources of danger and 

insecurity 

186 

(25.8) 

147 

(20.4) 

361 

(50.1) 

26 

(3.6) 

2.133 1.347 

 Total 682 

(9.5) 

2565 

(35.8) 

3762 

(52.4) 

166 

(2.3) 

2.56 0.664 

 

HO4 :The practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers do not perceive the inclusion of Security 

Education theme in the new Basic Education Curriculum as an intervention significantly demanding more 

workload from them. 

 

In Table 4, the mean ranged from 2.37 to 3.69. The overall mean is 3.41 indicating that practising Junior 

Secondary Social Studies teachers do perceive the inclusion of Security Education theme in the new Basic 

Education Curriculum as an intervention significantly demanding more workload from them. An item-by item 



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analysis further showed that 60.7% of the teachers disagreed with the statement that “I don't think I need any library 

search to effectively handle Security Education theme and topics in  National Values (NV) as a Social Studies 

teacher,” while 66.6% of them disagreed with the statement that “The inclusion of the Security Education theme in 

the Basic Education NV Curriculum does not demand any extra effort from me in the NV classroom.”  

Also, 65.9% of the teachers disagreed with the statement- “The fact that National Values has subsumed the 

previously autonomous subjects like Social Studies and Civic Education, does not make the teaching of Security 

Education an extra workload for me.”  Over seventy percent (about 72.2%) of the respondents agreed that asking a 

Social Studies teacher to teach Security Education in the Basic Education NV class is a potential stressor as he/she 

lacks the required foundation training in Security Education. 

 

Table 4. Junior Secondary Social Studies Teachers’ Perception on the Inclusion of Security Education theme in the 

new Basic Education Curriculum as an Intervention Demanding More Workload 

 

S/N Items/Statements SD D Not 

Sure 

SA A Mean SD 

1. I don't think I need any library 

search to effectively handle 

Security Education theme and 

topics in NV as a Social Studies 

teacher. 

286 

(39.7) 

151 

(21) 

27 

(3.8) 

 

144 

(20) 

112 

(15.5) 

3.49 1.541 

2. The inclusion of the Security 

Education theme in the Basic 

Education NV Curriculum does not 

demand any extra effort from me in 

the RNV classroom.  

289 

 

(40.1) 

162 

 

(22.5) 

12 

 

(1.7) 

136 

 

(18.9) 

123 

 

(17.1) 

3.45 1.565 

3. The fact that Religion and National 

Values has subsumed the 

previously autonomous subjects 

like Social Studies and Civic 

Education does not make the 

teaching of Security Education an 

extra workload for me.  

300 

 

(41.7) 

174 

 

(24.2) 

15 

 

(2.1) 

189 

 

(26.3) 

42 

 

(5.7) 

3.69 1.385 

4. To teach Security Education in NV 

Classroom, I need extra hours 

assigned on the school time table 

109 

 

(15.1) 

99 

 

(13.7) 

09 

 

(1.7) 

371 

 

(51.3) 

132 

 

(18.2) 

2.55 1.340 

5. Asking a Social Studies teacher to 

teach Security Education in the 

Basic Education NV class is a 

potential stressor as he/she lacks 

the required foundation training in 

Security Education. 

92 

 

(12.8) 

102 

 

(14.2) 

06 

 

(0.8) 

377 

 

(52.4) 

143 

 

(19.8) 

2.47 1.302 

6. Getting the Social Studies teacher 

to teach all the themes in NV 

except Islamic Studies and 

Christian Religious Studies will 

require developing new assessment 

procedures and it is an additional 

responsibility for collating and 

processing of assessment data. 

97 

 

(13.5) 

58 

 

(8.1) 

13 

 

(1.8) 

401 

 

(55.7) 

151 

 

(20.9) 

2.37 1.273 

  1173 746 82 1618 703 3.41 1.33 

 

HO5:The Practising Junior Secondary Social Studies teachers do not have a significantly high positive 

attitude towards the inclusion of Security Education theme in the new Basic Education Curriculum. 

 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijhass         American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences          Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

 

27 

An attempt to examine some of the patterns of responses in Table 4 revealed that a large percentage of the 

respondents do not have a significantly high positive attitude that can confirm their readiness to teach Security 

Education theme in the new Basic Education National Values Curriculum.  A percentage as high as 60.7% felt they 

do not need any extra library search to effectively handle Security Education topics in NV class. Likewise, 62.8% of 

them  felt that the inclusion of Security Education theme in the NV Curriculum does not demand any extra effort 

from them in their classrooms. This is probably the reason for a low percentage of 28.8% response to the item that 

tried to elicit from the respondents whether they would need  extra hours assigned on the school time table to 

effectively ensure the integration of Security Education theme. 

 

11. Conclusion and Recommendations 

Majority of the respondents expressed the feelings that Social Studies teachers are not prepared enough to teach 

Security Education in schools. Hence, they were of the opinion that for Social Studies teachers to effectively teach 

Security Education, they will require special training in order to be efficient in teaching the subject. This is a 

reflection of the fact that majority of the respondents felt that as Social Studies teacher they cannot teach Security 

Education content effectively. Furthermore, the inclusion of Security Education in the new Curriculum has posed a 

serious challenge to practising Social Studies teachers. Again, majority of the practising Social Studies teachers 

believe that it will be difficult for them to embrace the inclusion of Security education in the curriculum because the 

workload and the expectation is high and demanding.  

According to Azebanwan (2010), and Islam and Salma (2016) since there is no graduate in Security 

education course yet, the available personnel, that is, Social Studies teachers can not but be seen as belonging to the 

group that can best fit into the shoe.  This however has serious implication for teaching their own subject alongside 

Security Education, as it will be cumbersome and can pose a serious challenge to practicing Social Studies teachers. 

The fact that the Social Studies programme and standards are not congruent with the content of Security Education 

theme makes it quite challenging, particularly when we consider the need for a deliberate teacher re-orientation 

policy and programme which was never part of the initial implementation plan of the agency charged with 

curriculum review in Nigeria.  

Furthermore, the study revealed that majority of the respondents did not demonstrate a significantly high 

positive attitude towards the teaching of Security Education theme in their NV Class, and this could have a serious 

implication for the effective handling of the theme during implementation. This is evident in the demonstration of 

signs of non-commitment to go extra miles in promoting effective teaching of the theme. 

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are suggested as part of the measures 

that can help promote effective implementation of the revised Basic Education Curriculum and meaningful coverage 

of all the themes, and Security Education in particular: 

 Immediate incorporation of the components of Security Education in the Nigeria Certificate in Education 

(NCE) Minimum Academic Standards for teacher preparation, so that the pre-service teachers can become 

better equipped for effective delivery of the theme while teaching National Values at the Basic Education 

level on graduation. 

 Social Studies in-service teachers handling Security Education alongside other themes in RNV should be 

motivated via promotion and other incentives in order to achieve maximum results during implementation. 

 Programmes aimed at integrating Security experts into the teaching of Security Education as resource 

persons at the Basic Education level would need to be explored by the managers of the Education Sector at 

this level. Such programme should deliberately promote the production of relevant textbooks and 

instructional materials on the content areas of Security Education theme as prescribed in the NV 

Curriculum. 

 Re-training of practicing Social Studies teachers on the skills for better content acquisition and pedagogy of 

handling Security Education theme in their respective classrooms, so that they become better equipped to 

deliver. 

 Quality Assurance Officers at the different levels of education management in the country would need to 

do more in promoting shared vision and ownership of the Security Education theme among Social Studies 

teachers; and providing them with empirical and inspirational examples that will enhance their 

understanding and teaching of the theme. 

 

Declaration of conflicting interests 

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication 

of this article. 

 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijhass         American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences          Vol. 2, No. 1; 2020 

 

28 

Funding 

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. 

 

 

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Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an 

open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license 

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 

 

 


