Influence Of Christian Religious Studies Implementation On Students Character Formation In Public Senior Secondary Schools

The study explored how the schools’ commitment in the implementation of the senior secondary school CRS’ curriculum influences the character formation of public students in Owerri Municipal, Imo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a qualitative paradigm, specifically the collective case study design. Five research questions guided the study. They were: What are the key factors that influence the character formation of students? What are the contributions of CRS curriculum to the character formation of students? What are the roles of the instructional and administrative aspects of the school environment in the implementation of the CRS curriculum for the character formation of students? What are the challenges to commitment in the implementation of the CRS curriculum for the character formation of students? What are the possible solutions to commitment in the implementation of the CRS curriculum for the character formation of students? The study targeted students, principals, teachers, and parents. 

The target population was 9,748. The researcher employed maximum variation sampling technique in selecting the 3 schools for the study. Homogeneous and purposeful random sampling techniques were used to select 54 students. Automatic inclusion sampling technique was used to select 3 principals. Criterion sampling technique was used to select 3 CRS teachers, 3 teachers in charge of discipline, and 3 teachers in the guidance and counselling unit. Snowball sampling technique was used to select 2 parents. The number of participants for the study was 68. Interview guide, focus group discussion guide, observation guide, and document analysis guide were used for data collection. For data analysis, the researcher transcribed the interviews, coded the data, categorised the data, derived themes from the categories, interrelated themes from each group of participants, and interpreted the meaning of themes. Trustworthiness was established in the entire study; that is, from problem identification to the report writing. The findings of the study revealed that student-centred approaches in teaching and learning with emphasis on moral problem solving were far-fetched in the schools. The study therefore recommended that CRS teachers need to use discovery approaches, and use varied instructional resources in teaching. Furthermore, the teachers and students need to maintain a vibrant life of faith and integrity in order to enhance the character formation of the students.