The Relative Effectiveness of the Reflective and the Lecture Approach Methods on the Achievement of High School Social Studies Students

The aim of this study was to find out whether the achievement of high school social studies students differs significantly according to whether they are taught by the reflective teaching method or the lecture approach method. A stratified random sample of 215 year three social studies students was randomly assigned to two groups: 107 students into the reflective approach group and 108 into the lecture approach group. An achievement test was used as the pre‐ and the post‐test. The means of the aggregate mean performance scores were compared by the use of Student's t‐test. There was no significant difference between the two groups on the pre‐test scores but there was a significant difference between the post‐test scores, in favour of the group taught by the reflective approach method.     

The Effects of a Social Studies Course on the Philosophic Orientations of History and Geography Graduate Students in Botswana

This investigation was concerned with the effects of a social studies course on the philosophic orientations of history and geography students undergoing a programme in Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at the University of Botswana. Forty‐eight of them were taught a social studies course to determine whether their social studies orientations would change at the end of the course with the use of the Barth/Shermis Social Studies Preference Scale. It was found that a large number of the students tended to tilt from the citizenship transmission orientation to the reflective inquiry orientation but with the majority of them in the social science orientation. It was concluded that an educational innovation is capable of bringing about a change in behaviour.     

An Investigation into the Status of the Teaching and Learning of the Concept of Democracy at the Junior Secondary School Level in Botswana

This paper identifies the aims and contents directly linked to the teaching and learning of the concept of democracy at the junior secondary school level in Botswana. It examines the perceived extent to which the objectives of teaching the concept of democracy has been achieved by 72 social studies teachers, in addition to finding out the perceived challenges they face and their suggested solutions while teaching topics related to democracy. It was found that the majority of the social studies teachers believe that the level of the achievement of the teaching of the aims is either average or above average. The problems of defining the concept of democracy and the handling of mixed ability students were identified as major challenges to the teaching of the concept of democracy in social studies. The study found a moderate but positive correlation between the self-assessment of 36 purposively selected subjects from the 72 social studies teachers and the observed attributes on some traits on democracy while teaching a topic on democracy. A correlated t -test further indicates a significant difference between the ratings of the teachers and those of the investigator. It was concluded that a gap exists between theory (what teachers perceive as practicing) and practice (what they actually do in the classrooms).     

AIDS and Related Issues: the views of junior secondary teachers in Botswana

Two hundred and four teachers responded to a questionnaire which sought information on their support, or not, for the teaching of AIDS‐related topics in schools, the isolation of AIDS‐infected students from schools, and their preference for three AIDS prevention messages as prepared by the Botswana Ministry of Health. Results indicated that the vast majority of the teachers favoured the teaching of AIDS‐related topics to students and the use of condoms while all of them frowned at the isolation of AIDS‐infected students from schools. It was concluded that the curriculum developers should help design a curriculum relevant to the teaching of AIDS and the need for parents and other members of society to ensure an epidemic‐free environment.     

Democracy and Social Studies Education at the Junior Secondary School Level in Botswana

This paper briefly examines the concept of democracy, its relationship to education and its African context. The meaning and value of democracy in African society is discussed and it is suggested that traditional political systems represented a particular kind of democracy. It then focuses on the extent to which the concept of democracy is covered in the junior secondary school social studies syllabus in Botswana. Finally the authors make some recommendations for curricular improvement in education for democracy at the junior secondary level in Botswana as part of the continuing attempt to produce the effective citizen for the new millennium.