SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF THE DECLINE OF MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUES: AN EVALUATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN PLATEAU STATE

Abstract

Moral and ethical values are essential pillars of societal stability and personal integrity, guiding behaviour and promoting peaceful coexistence. In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed a steady decline in these values, especially among primary school pupils, raising concerns about character formation and civic responsibility. This study therefore evaluated Social Studies teachers’ perceptions of the decline of moral and ethical values in primary education in Plateau State. A descriptive survey design was employed to capture teachers’ opinions across rural and urban schools. The population comprised Social Studies teachers in public primary schools, and a sample of 48 teachers was selected using a multi-stage sampling technique across six Local Government Areas. A structured Likert-scale questionnaire served as the main instrument for data collection, with validity established through expert review and a reliability coefficient of 0.82 obtained using Cronbach’s alpha. Data was analyzed using mean scores for research questions and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test and ANCOVA) to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Results showed a general agreement among teachers that moral and ethical standards are declining among pupils. The independent samples t-test indicated a significant difference between rural (M = 3.26, SD = 0.47) and urban (M = 2.95, SD = 0.50) teachers’ perceptions, t(46) = 2.61, p = 0.012, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Conversely, ANCOVA results revealed that gender had no significant effect, F(1,45) = 1.52, p = 0.223, but teaching experience significantly influenced teachers’ perceptions, F(1,45) = 4.86, p = 0.032. The study concluded that moral and ethical decline among primary school pupils in Plateau State is a growing concern shaped more by teacher’s experience and environment than by gender. It is recommended that moral and civic education with local content, value-based school activities, continuous teacher training, and the inclusion of ethical behaviour indicators in school inspections should be reintroduced. Strengthening school /community partnerships was also advised to sustain moral values both within and beyond the school environment.