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Social Science Defined and Described
• Social science is widely understood as any course or specialization of
science that deals with various aspects of human behavior
• Science Daily defines social science as “an academic discipline
concerned with society and the relationships among individuals
within a society, which often rely primarily on empirical approaches”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/social-science.htm.
• Furthermore, it is an organized and systematic investigation of the
society and of how and why such members of the society behave as
individuals or as a group within the society. It makes use of scientific
and systematic method of acquiring verifiable knowledge.
• Social science covers a wide area of disciplines such as history,
psychology, sociology, geography, archaeology, anthropology,
economics and political science.
Social Science as a Science
• Social Science is a science in the sense that social scientist iterate
between testing and developing theories about the society.
• Likewise, this is practically done via observation and experimentation
on social processes and phenomena in specific context
• Nonetheless, due to the intricacy and unpredictability of men such
scientific processes makes it difficult to arrive at rules or
generalizations that could apply in all contexts
Benefits of Social Sciences
Awareness of the World and Environment
• It empowers the learners to comprehend how the world and
different societies have evolved, the valuable events that have
transpired in the past, enduring ideas and key personalities that have
created an impact and affected the lives of people both locally and
globally
• It also helps students to discern how different societies and their
respective environment are structured, and run
• All of which ultimately makes students understand their place and
purpose in the world.
It helps enhance the social understanding of students
• Endowed with the necessary thinking skills brought about by Social
Science, students further develop a wider perspective of society.
Social Science helps develop critical thinking abilities
Social science promotes higher level thinking abilities and skills like,
understanding, analyzing, applying, evaluating and creating.
It helps students become better citizens
• Learning Social Studies makes students cognizant of their roles,
duties and responsibilities particularly in relation to civic affairs.
• Social Science prepares students to grow up as contributing,
responsible, and reflective members of society
It teaches them to address societal concerns from community up to
global level using societal resources and processes.
The Importance of Social Studies in Schools
Cultural Understanding
Culture is an indispensable aspect of the society in fact it is commonly described as
“a way of living”
With such idea alone, one can surmise that understanding culture has a priceless
value in life.
Social studies education makes students get to learn about the vast array of people
or human race and their respective customs, traditions, norms, language and even
laws that make up the whole of culture and in turn make up the global society.
Further, with such better understanding of culture, students turn better persons
and are deemed equipped with the necessary background to go on and cope up
with the adversities of life in the future.
Realization of Citizen Responsibilities
• Social studies help students understand how an individual interacts
with others, environment, groups and institutions like the
government
• The subject area helps students learn how valuable such interaction
and relationship among such players in the society is.
• Then he realizes his vital part to do as a member of the society and
eventually realize his civic responsibility.
Teaching Social Science in school definitely entails benefits to the
individual, his environment and the society. The ultimate reason why
there is a need to teach this subject area in school is the realization of
its goal to produce better students and citizens who are well-rounded
and able to adapt to the changing world.
The Nature of Social studies
• The term Social Studies is regarded as society-related study, an
independent but at the same time unified subject, a one-of-a-kind
concept of many branches which stands through time.
• It is also noted as a real time course of study which forms the core
curriculum hence, it requires due attention and unwavering call to
look into such course.
Scope of Social Studies
Social Studies cover a very vast and wide area of concern. It is in fact as
extensive as the dawn of civilization up to the age of artificial
intelligence. The breadth of social studies program should provide for a
myriad of learning experiences so that the child’s learning will be well
rounded and well balanced”.
The main points that make up Social Studies
are as follows:
a. People and Time
b. People and the Earth
c. People and resources at hand
d. People and the different institutions they live and work with
e. People of one’s own nationality and people all over the world
The Social Studies objectives are to:
1. To know duties of man towards human society
2. To develop human and social qualities in students
3. To provide the awareness of natural and social environment
4. To know how man can fulfill his needs
5. To develop reflective and critical thinking and reasoning power in
students
6. To develop among students desirable attitudes and good behavior
7. To develop social and moral values appropriate for the development
of the society
Distinction between Social Studies and Social Science
Distinction between Social Studies and Social Science delves into the
similarities as well as variations between the two concepts.
Determining such differences and similarities will definitely provide the
valuable inputs which would to identifying which is which and so to
avoid confusion
Similarities between Social Science and Social
Studies
• Social Science is a general area that studies the society and the
relationships among individuals within a society.
• It is a scientific study field since it employs systematic observation and
experimentation to gather empirical data in order to arrive at a
verifiable conclusion or generalized idea.
• Social Studies is a relatively new concept that was widely used in the
20th Century.
• It was presented as the study of both social sciences as well as
humanities.
• According to the National Council for the Social Studies, “Social
studies, is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities
to promote civic competence.”
• Nevertheless, “social studies” is commonly used as term of the course
or discipline taught in schools.
Other areas of Comparison
• Furthermore, the two broad areas can be compared or contrasted in
terms of their goals, methodologies, approaches, processes, history,
areas or discipline covered and the tools used.
Difference between Social Science and Social
Studies
• The difference between social studies and social science is that Social
science is divided into varied areas while “social studies” is composed of
two main categories such as the humanities and social sciences
• Another difference between the two exist in their purpose; in social
science, the main focus is the society and social life of human groups
while in social studies, the concentration is on both social science and
humanities in order to promote effective citizenry
• Despite considered a subject that is learned from primary school up to
the tertiary level, social science is open as a degree level field. “Social
Studies” is a relatively new term while social science started way back to
the 18th
century.
• Social science and Social studies are two concepts that indicate two
different subjects. The latter is a combined study of social sciences
and humanities. The objective of the study of social studies is to
promote a sound citizenry. Social science however is an area of a
discipline that deals with the study of social life of people or groups of
individuals.
• Social Science is merely a science that deals with human behaviour
and the society. It covers many disciplines which include History,
Psychology and others. It is a science by way of experimentation and
observation in order to gather empirical data. Social Studies on the
other hand is a broader area because it encompasses Social Science
and humanities. Study or investigation however is limited to the
school setting.