UGONOH SAMUEL INOBEMEH

This study examined the factors associated with mass failure in History among secondary school students in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. The persistent poor performance of students in History has raised concerns among educators, parents, and policymakers, necessitating an investigation into the underlying causes. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised all secondary school students offering History in selected schools within the study area, from which a representative sample was drawn using simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire designed to elicit responses on possible factors influencing students’ academic performance. Findings from the study revealed that several factors contribute significantly to mass failure in History. These include inadequate teaching methods, lack of qualified History teachers, poor student attitude towards the subject, insufficient instructional materials, and ineffective study habits. Additionally, environmental factors such as overcrowded classrooms and limited access to library resources were identified as contributing factors. The study concluded that mass failure in History is a multifaceted problem that requires urgent attention from all stakeholders in the education sector. It was recommended that government and school authorities should employ qualified teachers, provide adequate instructional materials, and improve teaching methodologies to make History more engaging. Furthermore, students should be encouraged to develop positive attitudes towards the subject through guidance and counseling.

here are different subjects taught at secondary school level in
Nigeria that are deemed essential in contributing to personal, societal and national development, international cooperation, integration and academic achievement. These subjects’ ranges from pre-vocational, sciences, technical, humanities and art subjects which are recognized as genuine fields of academic scholarship. History as a subject fall within the general art and has for a long time enjoyed a place in Nigeria’s school curriculum especially in senior secondary level It can be likened to a nation living without memories or brain hence the need for teaching and learning of History to be taken seriously as it has the capacity to destroy the country’s younger generation and future workforce (Animba, 2021). The study of history is very important to any society. It helps a people to know more about itself by promoting the people’s understanding of their past, in terms of both internal and external relationship. Commenting on the importance of history, Omolewa (2015) 4 asserts that “history is a vast umbrella subject. It encompasses all disciplines, not just political and cultural history. It therefore includes literature, religion, the social and natural sciences, the arts, technology, and mathematics. To be ignorant of the political and cultural history of a people is also to be ignorant of the contributions of that people to all areas of intellectual activity”. The goal of History teaching in schools is to help young people develop an integrated spiritual world, via assimilation of the ethno-cultural, national and universal values that have been developed in the course of historical development, and by giving them experience in defining themselves in relation to these values