Most Difficult Topic in Social Science Curriculum as Perceived by Elementary Level Student-Teachers

Abstract

The study was conducted to identify the most difficult topic in elementary teacher education first-year social science curriculum as perceived by the student-teachers by using survey research design. The study also investigated the underlying reasons responsible for the student-teachers' difficulties in learning different topics. 218 student-teachers were selected using convenience sampling technique from five District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET), in Tamil Nadu State (India) for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a checklist designed by the researchers to elicit information from the student-teachers. The data collected were analysed using frequencies and percentages. The results showed that the topic namely, 'Reading the Globe, Maps and Atlas' was perceived as the most difficult topic in social science curriculum. The results also showed that teaching the topic without using the maps, lack of previous knowledge about the maps, the existence of vague concepts, heavy content load, and lack of interest and motivation to learn map concepts were the main reasons responsible for the student-teachers' difficulties in learning the topic.