Social studies curriculum response to climate change: the views of social studies teachers in public senior high schools in the cape coast metropolis.

Abstract

In the 21st century, scientists and climatologists have raised a lot of concerns about the world’s climate. Climate change is one of the major challenges in recent times and adds considerable stress to societies and to the environment. The search for lasting solution(s) to this menace is (are) still on course. The use of education has been found to be instrumental in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. This study, therefore, sought to find out the extent to which the Social Studies curriculum which is one of the common core integrated subjects in Ghana has responded to climate change issues. The study was conducted in public Senior High Schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Central Region in Ghana. In all, 79 Social Studies teachers in the selected Senior High Schools were used for the study. The study is a descriptive survey and data were collected using questionnaire designed in Likert-type scale. Data collected were analysed and presented using frequency counts and percentage tables. It was evident from the study that the response of the Social Studies curriculum at the senior high school (SHS) level to climate change is not enough for students in the SHS to internalise the concepts, attitudes and skills that are expected to transform and shape the disposition of learners on climate change. It became evident that the curriculum may require a redesign to include more topics on climate change issues. It was thus, recommended that the rich knowledge of the teachers both in pedagogy and climate change should be tapped when redesigning the SHS Social Studies curriculum to respond to climate change in the country.