L. O. Aimiyekagbon

This study was to access the effectiveness of Social Studies education in ameliorating social vices amongst undergraduates in Faculty of Education, University of Benin. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. The population for the study consists of students from the eight Department in Faculty of Education, University of Benin, Benin City. A sample size of 240 students were randomly selected for the study. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire, which was developed by the researcher, validated by the project supervisor before it was administered by the researcher. The data collected were tabulated according to the researcher questions and analyzed with the use of simple percentage. The results revealed that curriculum content of Social Studies has helped to ameliorate social vices among undergraduate students such as cultism, stealing, drug abuse, exam malpractice and thuggery, It was also revealed that the challenges encountered by undergraduate students in keeping up with social norms and values are peer pressure, family background, unhealthy use of social media, difficulty in getting a good role model and poverty. It was therefore recommended that efforts should be made for teacher training, seminars, forums, and workshops to familiarize teachers with the curriculum and to improve teacher competence and provide them with relevant materials, teachers and lecturers should be empowered and exposed to a variety of ways of improving their own knowledge and skills, finally, the government needs to compensate teachers by paying good salaries and allowances to facilitate teaching and learning and inculcate good morals in students, as is being done in other sectors of the economy

This study was carried out to examine the influence of peer pressure on the social behavior of adolescents in senior secondary schools. The study investigated the extent to which peer-related factors such as conformity, susceptibility, social expectations, family involvement, school environment, and cultural norms influence adolescent behavior during the secondary school stage. The research also examined how positive and negative forms of peer pressure shape students’ academic participation, social conduct, and decision-making patterns. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of senior secondary school students across selected schools, with a sample size of 450 adolescents drawn through stratified random sampling. The research instrument used was a structured questionnaire titled: Influence of Peer Pressure on Adolescent Social Behavior. The questionnaire was validated by experts in educational psychology and measurement evaluation.The major findings of the study revealed that peer pressure significantly influences adolescents’ behavior in school, with many students modifying their conduct to gain acceptance or avoid rejection. The findings further indicated that low self-esteem, lack of parental guidance, social media exposure, and unstable family structures increase adolescents’ susceptibility to negative peer influence. The results also showed that while negative peer pressure encourages risky and deviant behaviors, positive peer pressure promotes discipline, academic effort, and goal-setting. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made: parents should strengthen communication and emotional support; schools should adopt peer education and mentorship programmes; guidance counselors should intensify counseling services; and government should integrate life-skills training into school curricula to help students resist negative peer influences and embrace positive ones.

The study focuses on the impact of laboratory facilities for effective teaching of biology in senior secondary schools in Edo state. To make this possible four purpose of study was raised to examine the impacts of the utilization of biology laboratory facilities
in senior secondary school students, wheather laboratory facilities are available for teaching, the impact of laboratory on student practical skills in biology among secondary school students and if biology student performs better in biology with laboratories facility in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State. Descriptive survey research design was adopted to accomplish the objectives of the study. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. The population of the study consists of 212 teachers from 29 public secondary schools in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State and 12 accessible respondents were selected as sample for the study using simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire developed by the researcher and was validated by the researcher’s supervisor and two other experts from the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology. The reliability coefficient was 0.72 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha
correlation coefficient method. The study revealed that the impacts of biology laboratory facilities on senior secondary school students in Ovia North East Local Government Area is high and that Biology laboratory facilities available in secondary schools in Ovia north East is Low and that the impact of laboratory on student practical skills in biology among secondary school students is high. The study recommends among others that Principals should work hand in hand with parents, sponsors and other stakeholders in education to prioritize the provision of adequate laboratory facilities to ease the problems of inadequacy of
laboratories in public secondary schools and Biology teachers should be encouraged and motivated to use laboratories equipment’s more frequently