FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST STUDENTS COMMITMENT TO THE STUDY OF HISTORY

INTRODUCTION

History is an important school subject which conveys invaluable lessons from the past and whose worth transcends regional, national and cultural boundaries. However, effective teaching and learning history in Nigerian Universities has long been blighted by problems and challenges that have often gone unaddressed. This problems and issues have consequently militated against the commitment of undergraduate students studying history. This study drawing on a sample size of 160 undergraduate students in the department of educational foundations and department of history in the university of Benin, examined “factors militating against students commitment to the study of history in the university of Benin”. The purposive and stratified research design was used for the study and data was collected using the self -structured questionnaire. the results and data gotten were analysed using mean statistics. The study found out that factors such as societal perception, methods of teaching, lack of field trips,lack of instructional materials, and teaching aids, peer group influence are the major problems plaguing the study of history in the university. It was therefore recommended that the subject should be placed on the right pedestal by the appropriate quarters hence improving societal perception. There should be more awareness and enlightenment on the appropriateness and advantages of studying history, the ministry of education in alliance with the federal government should invest more in providing history rooms and teaching aids for the department. the lecturers should always be resourceful and versatile to the class and endeavor to use teaching methods that keep the students interest alive, amongst others.