Educational - Ozean Publications

European Journal of Educational Studies 2(2), 2010pride in their country and its core values and beliefs received the highest rating in both importance andimplementation. Clearly, teaching core values of Omani society has been considered a key vehicle foreffective citizenship. Among the core values included in social studies textbooks of some grade levels aretruth, honesty, justice, equity, tolerance, responsibility, cooperation, respect for family, respect for laws, andcommitment to the public good (Ministry of Education, 2005, 2007a, 2007b). Traditionally, the textbooks alsointegrate content areas and activities that promote Oman-Arab identity and develop recognition andunderstanding of various achievements of Oman at local, regional, and global levels.Across social studies goals suggested in this study, there is also strong support for helping students cope withissues of contemporary life. One reason explaining this finding can be attributed to the emphasis of thecurrent reform on helping students develop “life skills”, “ability to adapt to innovation”, and “ability to dealrationally with problems of the present era” (Ministry of Education, 2001, p. 9). This goal is best exemplifiedin social studies lessons dealing with family life education, consumer education, health education, and roadsafetyeducation (Ministry of Education, 2003, 2007a, 2007c).It is evident in this study that social studies in Omani schools lacked some essential characteristics of acomprehensive social studies program. For example, development of critical thinking received fourth inimportance and fifth in implementation, with a medium to large effect size (d = 0.70). Clearly, this findingconflicts with widespread support for critical thinking in social studies (Martorella, 2001; NCSS, 1994). Inaddition, participation in socio-political aspects of society was ranked sixth in importance and eighth inimplementation. This suggests that social studies teachers in Oman put little emphasis on helping studentsparticipate in socio-political aspects of Omani society. It is disheartening that social studies teachers in thecurrent reform place little emphasis on critical thinking and community participation.The most striking findings of this study were the statistically significant differences between the perceivedimportance and the perceived implementation on all social studies content areas. These findings can beattributed to the current design of social studies curricula of grades five to 10. The social studies curriculum ofeach grade level integrates interdisciplinary content areas. In general, one limitation of the integratedcurriculum is that it does not provide in-depth content knowledge from various social science disciplines.Major challenges facing social studies were centered on the lack of participation of local communities,teachers, and students in determining social studies goals and content areas. One reason explaining thesefindings lies in the centralized decision-making authority in Oman. Central committees in the Ministry ofEducation are responsible for designing and developing various aspects of social studies. As a result, teachersand students have fewer opportunities to participate in planning and developing social studies curricula. Whilethe Basic Education Reform emphasizes the implementation of constructivist teaching practices, it is crucialthat teachers and students must be given greater opportunities to participate in various aspects of curriculumplanning and development.Recommendations for PracticeIn this study, the author attempted to bring attention to some aspects of social studies in Oman. In essence, ifsocial studies is to help students participate effectively in Omani society, emphasis on a broad range of goalsthat focus on critical thinking, socio-political participation, and global interdependence is crucial to asuccessful social studies program in Omani schools. The traditional disciplines of geography and historyreceived the highest degree of implementation in social studies classrooms. It is important that studentsshould be acquainted with concepts and theories of a broad range of the social sciences, including politicalscience, anthropology, sociology, and psychology. To overcome some limitations of the current social studiescurricula of grades five to 10, a range of elective social sciences should be offered for students in the uppergrades of basic education. Some possible elective courses may include introduction to sociology, law andsociety, principles of economics, world cultures, participation in government, and introduction to psychology.Acknowledgment184