Obstacles faced by high school students taking social studies courses in Mafraq District, Jordan

Abstract EN

This study aimed at investigating obstacles faced by students taking social study courses in Jordanian high schools.

The study sample consisted of 373 students selected randomly from 11th and 12th grades at high schools in the Mafraq district, representing 20.6% of the student body.

The researcher developed a questionnaire consisting of 31 items distributed into 5 dimensions, which was proven valid and reliable.

Responses to the questionnaire were analyzed using means, standard deviation, variance and percentage.

The results of the study showed that about half of the sample stated that educational aids used were not suited to the curriculum content; just over half stated that "there was a problem with teacher qualification regarding lesson planning and time management".

The majority stated that "the dimension trips have little bearing on the curriculum and little benefit is gained from such trips;" another half stated that" there was a problem in lack of cohesion in the curriculum and most stated that teaching methods used do not include dialogue and discussion." The most important recommendations are that the Ministry of Education should further concentrate on the qualification of teachers with special regard to improving their skills in preparation and time management in the classroom, and also should be more seriously considering the issue of interconnectedness of topics when designing the educational civics material and social studies courses.