Effectiveness of Social Studies Curriculum Instruction on Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour of Junior Secondary Students in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State

Objectives: The increasing number of children between the ages of 11-14 becoming mothers is expanding the rate of out of school going- children in Nigeria. This phenomenon was hitherto synonymous with the northern part of the country but today, is gradually submerging the serenity of Cross River State education system. However, Social Studies was introduced into the Nigerian school system as a corrective subject to address some of the social vices in the society. Hence, the need to assess its effectiveness in relation to some common social vices among in-school adolescent. The study evaluates the effectiveness of Social Studies curriculum instruction on adolescent risky sexual behaviour of junior secondary two students in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State. Method: The researchers adopted the correlational survey research design. The population consists of 21 public junior secondary schools with 15,739 students and 48 Social Studies teachers in Calabar Municipal. 243 students and 17 teachers Social Studies responded to Social Studies Curriculum Instruction and Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire (SSCIARSBQ) and Social Studies Curriculum Instruction Evaluation for Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire (SSCIEARSBQ)†. In the data analysis, mean and standard deviation was employed to answer all the research questions while the hypothesis formulated was tested using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) statistic. Results: The research finding revealed that both students and teachers are of the opinion that drug abuse, poor societal values, multi-sex partners, poor parental upbringing and peer influence are causes of adolescents’ indulgement in risky sexual behaviours. Conclusion: Social Studies curriculum at the junior secondary two level effectively address the issues of risky sexual behaviour and that there is a significant relationship between JSS II Social Studies curriculum effectiveness and students’ knowledge of risky sexual behaviour in Calabar Municipality.