Incorporation of community resources in teaching social studies in junior high schools: A case in the adentan district of the greater accra region of Ghana

Abstract Social studies education constitutes a diverse aspect of the human ecosystem that needs external resources to enable effective tuition and learning in the classroom. Using external resources has been a significant challenge for Ghana’s junior high school teachers. Given this, the study explored the integration of community resources in teaching social studies in a selected junior high school in the Adentan District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It investigated the factors that militate against using community resources and assessed how these problems could be resolved. The study made use of the random sampling technique, with a sample size of forty (n = 40) students, a teacher (n = 1) and a principal (n = 1). The researchers employed questionnaires and interviews as instruments for gathering data. The expressive survey research design was used as the methodology for the reading. It was revealed that community resources were not efficiently utilised to teach social studies, although the respondents reported its enormous benefits in the teaching-learning procedure. Again, the study identified some factors that impede the use of community resources in teaching social studies; over-reliance on textbooks, lack of means of transport, inflexible timetable, and lack of support and cooperation from parents and other stakeholders. Despite the challenges, we recommend that social studies teachers prioritise integrating community resources in coaching social studies to make it more pragmatic, relevant, and effective.


PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT
Notwithstanding the wide acknowledgement of what can be obtain when using community resources, studies show that they have not become intrinsic part of instruction as one would have hoped. Social studies teachers use only textbooks to provide instruction and seldom use teaching resources. Sithole, 2010 in his study conducted on teaching Business studies discovered that out of the total teachers sampled, 68% had never used local people as guest speakers or resource persons. In a similar study conducted by Mitiale cited (Kerubo, 2015), he observed that social studies teachers make insufficient use of instructional materials. A great deal of studies has been conducted on the use of community of community resources in teaching social studies. However, little has been done to find out the extent to which these resources can be used in teaching social studies. Lack of incentive for teachers by schools diminishes teachers' commitment and affects the use of community resources in teaching social studies. Hence, this research study is intended to ascertain the effects of community resources in the teaching and learning of social studies in junior high schools. students, a teacher (n = 1) and a principal (n = 1). The researchers employed questionnaires and interviews as instruments for gathering data. The expressive survey research design was used as the methodology for the reading. It was revealed that community resources were not efficiently utilised to teach social studies, although the respondents reported its enormous benefits in the teaching-learning procedure. Again, the study identified some factors that impede the use of community resources in teaching social studies; over-reliance on textbooks, lack of means of transport, inflexible timetable, and lack of support and cooperation from parents and other stakeholders. Despite the challenges, we recommend that social studies teachers prioritise integrating community resources in coaching social studies to make it more pragmatic, relevant, and effective.

Introduction
The Ministry of Education (MOE)'s overarching objective is to provide excellent and relevant education for all Ghanaians, even the less fortunate, in order to equip them with the knowledge and abilities that will enable them to become productive and practically knowledgeable. This will aid in reducing poverty and encourage a swift socioeconomic expansion in the nation (Mensah, 2020).
Educational policies aim to help learners achieve something at the end of a particular education cycle. For instance, Social Studies education seeks to train people who can take leadership roles and make informed decisions. It is usually believed that learning occurs via perceiving and examining life experiences. Research has shown that using appropriate learning materials that best suit the specific objectives brings about outcomes that facilitate the teaching-learning process (Tebabal & Kahssay, 2011).
Instructional materials-textbooks, illustrations, wall charts, and community-based tools (Print and non-print) that the teachers utilise provide domain-specific knowledge to students during schooling and serve as resources to aid effective teaching and learning (Mbarika et al., 2010). These instructional materials play crucial roles in teaching practice, and by encouraging student-centred pedagogies, integrating instructional resources into classroom practice improves the quality of instruction (Abdo & Semela, 2010). They engage students, advance their knowledge, stimulate their interest in the subject matter, and assist them in illustrating concepts being taught (Kerubo, 2015).
In the educational ecosystem, community resources encapsulate people, places, or things that assist teachers during teaching practice and are present throughout the community. These resources include: project ideas, guest speakers from the community, educational field trips, nature walks and community services projects (Kerubo, 2015). In addition, community capitals are part of the teaching aid which can be used during tuition and learning. When adequately used; community properties can broaden learners' understanding, encourages their participation in class and aid learners in grasping complex concepts. Resources such as nature walks and community work projects help learners to develop basic concepts and extend to relationship building, increasing understanding and mindfulness of the surrounding environment of the learner (Kerubo, 2015).
Several studies have argued that fully completed and rounded teaching and learning should not occur just within the walls of the school but rather should be encouraged beyond the school and into the school community (Kerubo, 2015). Other researchers affirm that most learning in the educational context happens outside of the classroom (Eames & Aguayo, 2020), through social constructivism, introducing students to experts in the communities, and engagement with other social and economic resources within the communities.
Research has shown that some teachers have the wrong perception of using community properties in teaching and learning social studies (Alam, 2015;Muturi et al., 2018). They think that the materials accessible for social studies instructions are limited to bookstores or markets and are kept in the school for use every time. Other teachers too focused on textbooks as the only resource media and forgot to use the appropriate community resource centres. It could be true that teachers might have been taught that way; however, teachers must know the subject matter changes. Thus, the methodology must also change to make teaching and learning effective. Community resources are part of instructional media that aids the teaching and learning of social studies. Researchers and educators claim that operative teaching and learning cannot take place without adequate and appropriate learning materials, and the peculiar nature of social studies makes it possible for varied material resources to be employed in the teaching-learning process (Bukoye, 2019;Oppong Frimpong, 2021;Umar Abdulkadir et al., 2021).
Despite the widespread recognition of the benefits of employing community resources, studies reveal that they have not yet integrated themselves into the teaching process as one may have imagined. Most social studies educators frequently rely solely on textbooks to impart knowledge. Additionally, Sithole (2010) found that 68% of teachers teaching business studies had never used locals as guest lecturers or resource individuals. Similarly, cited in Kerubo (2015), noted that social studies teachers do not employ teaching tools to their full potential in his reading on the selection and use of educational resources. The same experiences are happening in various social studies classrooms and lessons within the Ghanaian context that need scholarly attention. For instance, most teachers do not recognise the potential of locally based resources like resource people and field trips. Most teachers are over-reliant on textbooks as the primary source of information.
The utilisation of community resources in social studies instruction has been the subject of numerous research. However, little research has been done to determine how much these tools may be utilised in social studies classes within the Ghanaian context. The lack of incentives schools provide to instructors reduces their commitment and impacts how community resources are used to teach social studies. Therefore, the study aimed to address the following research questions: (1) What resources are available in the Adentan District community for teaching social studies in junior high schools?
(2) How often do social studies tutors incorporate community resources into their lessons?
(3) What barriers do junior high school teachers face when utilising community resources to teach social studies?
It sought to determine how community resources affect junior high school social studies instruction and learning. Additionally, this study aimed to explore the varied community resources available for practical teaching and better ways of using them for effective teaching and learning in junior high schools in Ghana. The study is appropriate and beneficial for MOE and Ghana Education Service (GES). It will assist in advancing the teaching of social studies and enable learners to learn and achieve specific basic skills of observation analysis, be proactive citizens and draw conclusions and make inferences necessary for decision-making. The next section clarifies the literature on community resources in education to foreground the context for discussing the results.

Concept of community resources
In this study, all resources available to both the teacher and the student and utilised to improve teaching and learning are referred to as instructional materials (Edinyang & Effiom, 2017). They are essential in the educational sector, and their benefits are enormous. Community resources are an example of instructional resources that aid in tuition and learning social studies in education. Thompson (2001) defines community resources as the materials found in the environment where man lives. Communities are made of individuals with different skills, abilities and knowledge that can be shared with others. Research has identified the ones centred on the local community, such as districts, local government areas, villages and others (Parson, 2020). Mupa (2015) assert that community resources are the materials within reach of the teacher and learners for effective teaching and learning. Miller (2011) posits that community resources suggest the materials obtained from the environment where man lives for teaching and learning. Learners are sent into the community to participate in lessons effectively, or a resource person is invited into the classroom. Additionally, community resources include all learning situations that bring learners into contact with the community environment, including meeting people for interviews and visiting institutions.
Several studies have explored the use of community resources in tuition and the available types of community resources. For instance, Mezieobi (2002), in a study conducted on community properties, outlined the following types: the physical environment, which contains man-made and natural resources: places, people, things and processes. Another researcher asserts that the local community encapsulates people with different skills and abilities that others can tap into (African Social and Environmental Studies Programme [ASESP], 1998). Such skills include carpentry, blacksmith, farming and beyond. In the course of instruction, learners can be taken to these places to have a first-hand experience in practical work, or those people can be invited into the classroom as resource persons to interact with the learners.
Ultimately, man-made and natural resources constitute buildings and structures in varied shapes and sizes produced by man. For instance, houses, national parks, recreational facilities, cemeteries, and airports. Studies suggest that the natural resources-mountains, valleys, seas, lakes, and lagoons-provide learners and teachers with information that informs teaching and learning (Thomson, 2001).

The importance of community resources
The major objective of social studies instruction is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to act responsibly as citizens of a democratic society that recognizes cultural variety and interdependence (NCSS, 1994). According to Olabode (2003), educating learners using the resources in the community is not only different but also a relevant supplement to a formal classroom lesson. He further explains that out-of-classroom experience enhances learning, promotes unit taught and provides first-hand experiences not gained in the classroom. Teachers should use community resources and institutions to make the academic subject more relevant to learners` everyday experiences. Community resources are necessary to provide learners with the requisite skills and knowledge for self-reliance and independent living (Poole, 1995). It can be inferred that education is not just a preparation for higher levels of learning but a preparation for one's life role as a citizen, a family member and an informed individual. Abolade (2014) contends that immersing students in the community during the learning process exposes them to an exciting learning environment and various personalities and viewpoints, increasing their feeling of purpose. Generally, using community resources helps learners and teachers achieve the desired results of a study of a particular topic in a more engaging demeanour than the old use of textbooks. Heng et al. (2018) affirm that learning will be more effective and indepth if students can see a connection between academic and non-academic domains and between classroom and outdoor experiences. He argues that this consistency and alignment aid students in connecting and applying their knowledge across disciplines inside and outside the classroom. This deliberate effort aids students in spreading their knowledge and critical-thinking abilities to situations outside the school, which is an intelligent method to promote transfer learning.
Importantly, we need to be open to all the options our community offers if we want students to successfully apply what they learn in the classroom (Holtschlag, 2001). He further argues that we do not need to be in urban centres before learning, for the resources are all around us; historical monuments, parents of learners, and artisans.

Methods in utilising community resources
There are several ways of engaging community resources in the educational ecosystem. Research has identified the widely used ones in the education system are the utilisation of field trips and resource personnel in the teaching-learning process (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014;Leader, 2003). A field trip in education alludes to an activity taken outside the classroom to have a first-hand experience of a topic being discussed and link learners to the classroom concepts. Behrendt and Franklin (2014) posit that field trips provide an opportunity for a real-life experience and arouse and create learners' interest. Leader et al. (2013) claim that the educational experience schools offer is enhanced through field trips. They offer experiences that cannot be obtained in a classroom. He continues by saying that they allow teachers to present students with various learning challenges, such as honing their investigative and problem-solving skills and encouraging their involvement in extracurricular activities.
According to Bagulia (2005), field trips frequently provide excellent educational value and facilitate more effortless learning transfer. Field trips assessment and drill ideas cultured in visiting places of interest and historical sites. The struggle for independence and the need to protect the environment become fixed in their minds. This can help learners become aware of their environment and cherish their freedom from the country due to the unique nature of the field trip. Field trips safeguard learners' appreciation of a topic being discussed, facilitate communication skills, and enhance the learner-teacher relationship (Leader, 2003).
A resource person is someone with expertise in a particular area of study who may be invited to perform a task. Both teachers and learners can benefit from resource persons (Ukadike et al, 2013). He asserts that a resource person helps learners understand a topic being discussed clearly, motivates learners, broadens learners' experiences, and gives first-hand information on the topic being discussed.
In sum, Taiwo (2007) concur that a resource person fascinates learners as they become excited to see professionals such as Doctors, Policemen and others. They inspire students, who want to emulate them. Additionally, they offer truthful data that may not be included in the textbook. The subsequent section discusses the methodology and strategies for gathering data for the study.

Theoretical underpinning of the study
The mind sponge theory informed the concept of this study. The theory was first propounded by Quan Hoang Vuong and Nancy K. Napier in initial research articles on acculturation. Vuong et al. (2021), minds spongeonge theory helps to better grasp the intricacy of acculturation in an environment by describing how and why a person "learns and unlearns" cultural norms. In its initial application via explaining acculturation, the framework sought to provide an answer to the query: "What is the determining mechanism of absorbing and ejecting cultural core values in a mindset?" In more detail, it exemplifies a perspective in the shape of a dynamic procedure of incorporating and eradicating socio-cultural beliefs. The mind sponge theory is significant to this study by aiding in the replacement of teachers' textbook information values with the utilization of community resource information value that helps them to adapt to multicultural settings in achieving educational goals.
Five elements make up the mind sponge framework's conceptual diagram: following factors: attitude, comfort zone, multiple filters, cultural and ideological context, and cultural values (see Figure 1).
The framework is built on the premise that every person possesses a mindset, which is a nonempty collection of core cultural values or ideas that serve as the cornerstone of one's own identity. The attitude is represented by the red nucleus in the diagram's center. People regularly use the core principles as standards for judgments and responses to events, both explicitly and implicitly. This is particularly true when they must assess the worth and suitability of novel cultural values (or information). This mentality function, which is similar to the self-affirmation idea, gives one's "self" a self-protective mechanism. However, challenges from advancing ideals and conflicts with other core values have the potential to alter the essential tenets.
The attitude is encircled by a pale blue circle known as the comfort zone. The values in this area are supportive of and similar to the attitude. There are two ways that the Comfort Zone acts as a buffer. The mindset is first protected from external shocks, such as cultural shocks, by one's comfort zone. Additionally, screening and evaluating information regarding the applicability and use of every new value is aided by the comfort zone.
The multi-filtering mechanism also includes information and cultural values that are absorbed from the environment and enter the comfort zone. The inductive attitude and trust evaluators of the 3D multiple filters make up the system's main elements. The 3D multiple filters perform two tasks: differentiation and integration. While integration synthesizes and incorporates information and value that is consistent with the core values, differentiation measures the difference between the emerging and existing values to assess the costs and benefits of accepting or rejecting the emerging values (or even replacing the old core values with the new ones). As the new ideas are more deeply imprinted in the mind, they are assessed more critically. Source: Vuong and Napier, (Vuong et al., 2021) While the orange arrows show the outflow of unsuitable data or values, the blue arrows show the intake of the entering data or values. The 3D multi-filtering mechanism and the inductive attitude power both flows. Exercises to create trust for comfort zone values are facilitated by an inductive attitude and the 3D multi-filter method. The rising value is permitted to join the core thought by the trust assessor once it reaches the critical mass. Reversely, if a core value loses trust, the assessor may push it out of the core. The trust evaluator, which can be thought of as the person's cost-benefit assessment, serves as the guardian throughout the entire filtering process, wherever it takes place and whenever it takes place.
There are two extreme possible outcomes according to the mindsponge's information processing system. The first situation is when a person entirely disregards the values that are arising from their environment. This is due to the fact that the 3D multi-filtering mechanism does not function and the person's "radar" is not activated, leaving them unresponsive to environmental information. The expense of learning new ideas or information is another factor. In other words, the person maintains their current set of beliefs because they believe it would be too costly to adopt new values or information. The second extreme is when the person wants to change so badly that it is simple for them to adopt new core values or beliefs in place of their old ones. The individual perceives the cost of change to be relatively cheap because of this circumstance, which is caused by careless trust evaluators. Conclusively, the mindsponge information process theory is used to understand how and why teachers in the Adentan district of the greater accra region are characterized with limited use of community resource information.
The study is being informed by the mindsponge theory in the sense that it helps better understand teachers acculturation in teaching and learning environment by identifying the community resources utilized for tuition and learning social studies in Junior High School. This helped to uncover the community resources utilized in tuition social studies in Junior High School. Furthermore, how teachers utilize the community resources describes the ways in which teachers adapt to social environment norms and values to make informed decisions about teaching and learning social studies. Also, the barriers teachers face informs the understanding of why teachers teaching social studies at junior high school may unlearn the utilization of community resources due to challenges been faced.

Research design
This reading adopted a mixed-method design to explore the integration of community resources in tuition social studies in a selected junior high school in the Adentan District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The constructivist paradigm shaped it. The paradigm aided the researchers in building a collective interpretation of the respondents' experiences with community resources to understand how they are integrated into the teaching-learning process.

Population and sampling
The participants for the study were social studies teachers, the principal and students of selected schools in the Adentan district in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for the study. Simple random sampling was adopted to select (n = 2) two schools out of the (n = 13) thirteen basic state schools in the Adentan Municipalities (Ghana Statistical Service, 2010). The purposive sampling technique was chosen because it distinctly defines the features of the research study and genuinely suits the goals of the research study. A sample size of forty (n = 40) students was selected for the survey, and a teacher (n = 1) and the principal (n = 1) were selected for the interviews. Participation in this study was voluntary, with the assurance that the respondent could withdraw at any time. The research was highly consensual.

Procedures and data collection
All ethical considerations and approvals were obtained from the lead researcher's university in Ghana. The researchers sought permission and approval from the principal of the selected school. The participants' information was handled with the strictest discretion, and their identities were kept anonymous. The participants were guaranteed that whatever information they gave was only for academic reasons and that it would be safeguarded. The participants who agreed to be part of the study filled out consent forms issued by the lead researcher face-to-face and were taken through the details from the information sheet to obtain insights about the study.
Surveys in the form of questionnaires and interviews were employed to gather data for the study. The social studies teachers who agreed to be part of the study were quizzed to elicit information. The justification for using the questionnaires is that it allows for quick data collection. Additionally, if it is adequately organised, it is recognised to be highly genuine and reliable (Mensah, 2020).
• Interviews: This study used semi-structured interviews, which have the advantage of being flexible, to learn more about their use. Both open-ended and closed-ended questions were used throughout the interviews. These inquiries provided the researchers with specific information that can no longer be obtained through the use of questionnaires. The lead researcher interviewed the teachers and the principles of the schools to gather data for the research project. These inquiries give the researchers in-depth data that can no longer be obtained by questionnaires only.
• Questionnaire for teacher: The principal instrument for this research study was questionnaire. The lead researcher himself administered the questionnaire for this study. There were four sections to the instructor survey. The respondents' biographical information was covered in Part One, the availability of community resources was covered in Part Two, the degree to which community resources have been used was covered in Part Three, and finally, the difficulties encountered when using community resources were covered in Part Four (if any). While some questions were closed-ended and sought specific information from the responder, others were open-ended, allowing the respondent to express their opinions on the situation.
• Questionnaire for Learners: Both open-ended and closed-ended questions were used in the survey. It covered topics including whether local resources are available at the school and how frequently the teachers use them. To determine the rationality and breadth of the teachers' use of community resources, records from the learners' questionnaire were compared to records provided by the teachers.

Data analysis
The responses from the questionnaires were collected and analysed. A frequency table was used to analyse the replies to the closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions were read through by the lead researcher in order to categorise them into broad headings. Tally marks were used to classify each response into a category. Frequency data were collected from that tally mark, and percentages were calculated accordingly. The data was then appropriately prepared and shown in table form.

Research validity and reliability
Validity and reliability play a crucial role in ascertaining the authenticity of an instrument designed for a research study. Validity refers to the suitability of the assessment instruments for a given group of people or learners and not to the instrument in itself. Implying the extent to which a research instrument measures what it holds out for and measures (Mensah, 2020). Validity is aimed at testing the correctness and internal viscosity of the research instruments to curtail errors in interpretation. The lead researcher adopted this strategy to test the validity of the questionnaires: had an expert who understands the topic under investigation read through to evaluate the questions and how best they capture the topic broadly.
Reliability is defined as the solidity with which a test measures whatever it sets out to measure from one measurement to the other consistently over time (Mensah, 2020). According to Middleton (2019), concepts like dependability and validity are used to assess the calibre of research. The researchers ensured reliability through the following means: response validation of the interview transcripts, detailed documentation of the research process and triangulation. The lead researcher guaranteed verbatim transcriptions of recorded voices from the interviews, and transcripts were sent to the partakers for confirmation and endorsement. The participants endorsed the transcripts and responded to them via email. The researchers triangulated the data through the usage of multiple sources of data (interview data and questionnaire data). The triangulated data are presented in the section below.

Findings
This section details the synthesis and analysis of data from the interviews and questionnaires, emphasising the views of a teacher and students concerning the community resources available for tuition and learning social studies at the JHS level.

Teacher's views on the availability of community resources in teaching social studies
A participant (teacher) was asked to assess the availability and use of community resources in tuition and learning Social Studies in public schools in the Adentan municipality. It was exposed that most lessons were conducted with little or no learning materials or community resources. However, there were times when few of the teaching and learning community resources were available. These community resources included field trips to the National Museum, Christianborg Castle, and an invitation to resource persons from the National Commission for Civic Education. The teacher also said that some of the classes were large, and for that matter, it does not encourage teachers to use community resources, as controlling is sometimes tricky with large classes. The teacher said; I have realised that learners can easily grasp the concept when community resources are used in lesson delivery. However, when there is no resource for the lesson, learners find it difficult to understand the concept being treated. Also, access to community resources, most of the time, is challenging. Resource personnel sometimes feel reluctant to come to the school when invited, and conveying learners to the community is also difficult as transportation becomes a hindrance.

Knowledge of the community
Finding community resources that are used to teach and learn social studies in junior high schools in the vicinity of the understudied school was the main objective of the research. Every community, in one way or another, is equipped with a wide range of resources that can be employed in the classroom, particularly in the subject of social studies because it is concerned with citizenship education. The teaching of social studies can make use of these materials. This part was deemed crucial to learn respondents' opinions of the neighbourhood surrounding their school and the resources available. The outcomes are presented in the table below.
According to the survey, 25% of the respondents said that the community is vibrant with resources that can be harnessed in social studies instruction. However, 65% of the respondents expressed that the community where the school is located is not rich with resources that can be incorporated into social studies instruction.
Moreover, participants were asked to identify (from the provided list) a few resources that were located in their school district. The number of resources available in the respondents' school districts could be checked by as many as possible. Given that every respondent checked more than one, the frequencies do not apply to all of the respondents. However, the data was compiled to demonstrate the proportion of respondents who said that a specific resource is available in their school district. The outcomes are displayed in the following table 1.
The results from Table 2 above show that the resources that all the student participants identified with the highest percentage (100%) were the education office and Chief Palace. These items were followed by factories with (92.5%), police stations with (90%) of the participants, and agricultural firms followed with (70%) of the participants. 57.5% of the student participants confirmed that the post office is found in the school district, and the library was identified by 55% of the student respondents. Again, 25% of the respondents discovered the Department of Social Welfare, 15.5% identified cultural centres, 7.5% also identified historical sites, and none of the student respondents identified zoos and airports.
Based on the students' responses, it can be deduced that the district in which the school is located has some local resources that can be used in social studies instruction in junior high schools.

The degree to which social studies lessons have made use of local resources
The study's second research question was to determine how many community resources were being used to teach social studies. The outcomes are compiled in the following table.
Rendering to the responses in Table 3 above, 2.5% of the students reported that there was a regular visit to nearby schools, 25% reported that there was an occasional visit to nearby schools and 72.5% stated that there has never been a visit to nearby schools. Going on educational trips was regularly done said 2.5% of the respondents, 15% said they occasionally went on educational trips from the school and 82.5% of the respondents reported they have never gone on any educational trip far from the school. 2.5% of the student respondents reported that resource persons were regularly used in teaching Social Studies, 52.5% of the respondents stated that resource persons were occasionally used and 45% of the respondents reported that resource persons were never used in teaching Social Studies. Furthermore, 15% of the student respondents stated that the library was regularly used, 20% of the respondents reported that they occasionally used the library and 65% of the student respondent stated that they never used the library in teaching Social Studies.
Conferring to the survey, 10% of the participants reported that Chiefs were regularly invited in the course of Social Studies instruction, 17.5% of the respondents stated that chiefs were occasionally invited as a resource person in Social Studies lessons, 72% of the respondents reported that chiefs were not used as resource person in Social Studies lesson. So, almost all the respondents reported that the chief was not used as a resource person in the course of the Social Studies lesson. Again, 7.5% of the respondent reported that a police officer was regularly used as     a resource person, 12.5% of the respondents stated that a police officer was occasionally used as a resource person, 80% of the respondents stated that a police officer was never used in the Social Studies lesson. Furthermore, 25% of the respondents reported that parents were regularly used as a resource person, 45% reported that parents were occasionally used as a resource person, and 30% of the respondents stated that parents were never used as resource person in the course of Social Studies lesson. From the above responses, it can be concluded that parents were used as resource persons looking at the fact that 70% of the respondents reported that teachers made use of parents as resource persons in teaching Social Studies.
Moreover, 30% of the respondents reported the regular use of Doctor/Nurse as a resource person, 37.5% reported the occasional use of Doctor/Nurse as a resource person and 32.5% of the respondents stated that Doctor/Nurse was never used as a resource person(See Table 4).
In conclusion, it can be realised from the above student responses that teachers to some extent made use of resource persons in Social Studies lessons with parents being used more and therefore taking the first rank with 70% of the students followed by the use of Doctor/Nurse taking the second rank with 67.5%of the students reporting its use and then Police Officer and Chief taking the last rank with 80% and 72.5% of the students reporting it not being used respectively. Table 5 above, specifies that places of educational value in relative to Social Studies were used efficiently. So, from the responses, the place that was mostly used was the castle with 82.5% of the student respondents. Museum at 72.5%, local factories at 32.5%, the parliament at 10%, the local chief palace at 7.5% and finally none of the student participants had visited National Park (Kakum National Park) and botanical gardens.
From the responses given by students, it can be concluded that except for places such as the castle and the museum, There has been inefficient utilisation of other resources. The kids also thought that teachers should frequently use local resources in their lessons. They will be able to understand the subject being taught if this is done.

The study's third research question was to identify the barriers to using community resources to teach social studies at the junior high school level
The third objective of the study sought to identify the challenges (if any) that teachers face in their attempt to use community resources as an integral part of teaching Social Studies in Junior High Schools. The lead researcher sought to find out the constraints teachers encountered in the attempt to use community resources in tuition Social Studies. Source: (Field Survey,2021) Preceding this, the researcher presented a list of items to the interview with the teacher. From the response, the teacher acknowledged that she sometimes uses community resources thus the researcher proceeded to ask for specific reasons why community resources were not fully utilised while teaching Social Studies.
First and foremost, the lead researcher asked whether the school is surrounded by community resources.
The teacher responded; that the school is not surrounded by community resources.
Teacher, the community where the school is situated lacks community resources with few of the resources to be noticed in the area of Social Studies Secondly, the lead researcher asked if there was adequate time to use community resources.

The teacher reported;
there is enough time to use community resources the problem is that the resources are not available.
Again, the researcher solicited the opinion of the teacher on whether learners lack interest when community resources are used.

The teacher reported;
Student's interest is aroused when community resources are used and this makes teaching and learning more interesting and relevant.
This confirms what Dale et al, (2014) posit that the use of community resources such as field trips provide an opportunity for a real-life experience, arouses and creates interest.
Furthermore, the researcher asked about the enrolment of the school and the challenge it poses in using community resources.

The teacher reported;
There is over enrolment of students in the school with an average class size of 45. This makes it difficult to send learners out of the school compound.
Moreover, the researcher wanted whether the authorities supported them in the attempt to use community resources.

The teacher reported;
The school authorities of the school are ever ready to support them but the problem is with the processes that you will have to go through before you can take students on an excursion, that is the need for approval from parents, the education directorate of the district just to mention a few sometimes discourages teachers from taking learners on educational field trips.
In addition to what has been said, the researcher asked what parents' reactions are when they see the learners outside the school compound.

The teacher reported;
Some of the parents are happy and even show their gratitude to teachers for letting the learners have first-hand experience of the environment which makes learning more relevant.
Last but not the least, the lead researcher asked, does the use of community resources disrupt the schedule of the school?
The teacher responded; The use of community resources such as educational field trips sometimes takes the whole day which affects the school timetable and other functions of the school. Again, because the number is huge, it will require the company of other teachers which also disrupts the timetable and other functions of the school.
Finally, the lead researcher asked whether it is risky to take learners outside the school compound.

The teacher reported;
It is sometimes difficult, especially when you don't have other teachers to accompany you thus it becomes difficult to control them due to their large size.
In conclusion, the teacher added that another challenge has to do with the fact the school is not having their own means of transportation and to go on a trip they have to hire one which comes with expenses that learners cannot bear because most of them come from poor homes and the school too has a limited budget and cannot bear all the cost.

Discussion
This paper explored the community resources that affect social studies instruction and learning in junior high schools and the varied community resources available for useful teaching and better ways of making use of them in the tuition and learning of social studies in junior high schools in Ghana. Additionally, the students' knowledge about community resources and the challenges teachers face in integrating community resources into the tuition and learning of Social Studies were investigated. Research has confirmed the significance of community resources in education and regarded schooling as a social activity with society (government, parents, chiefs and other community leaders) playing crucial-associate and mediating roles (Abolade, 2014;Sujatha, 2011). This aligns with the social constructivist and sociocultural theory of learning, which perceives learning as a socially constructed phenomenon, interaction with experts in fields and the community, and the influence of the environment on students learning (M. Akpan & Umoh, 2016;Swanzy-Impraim et al., 2023;V. I. Akpan et al., 2020). This underscores the necessity for teachers and administrators of schools to concentrate on providing and utilising community resources in the tuition and learning of social studies at the JHS classrooms.
The findings acknowledged varied community resources such as libraries, chiefs, police officers, parents, doctors and nurses as available resources to utilise when teaching Social Studies at the Junior High level. A regular visit to the community library was identified by the students as a means they use to utilise community resources, and they admitted it facilitates the tuition and learning of Social Studies. Several studies have argued extensively about the significance of community libraries to teaching and learning in local schools and how they have served as repositories of information over the years (Itsekor & Nwokeoma, 2017;Jameel Sulieman, 2016).
Another significant finding is that social studies teachers do not incorporate the few available community resources in their lesson delivery. This affects the learners' academic performance in social studies as learners' interests are not aroused, and understanding becomes difficult when community resources are not incorporated into certain topics in the social studies syllabus. Toti and Aiholli (2020) state that leveraging resources in the communities and communal partners builds learners' opportunities and widen their perceptual territories and experiences concerning local expertise, ideas, knowledge, and understanding of social and cultural elements.
Additionally, the findings uncovered varied instructional and administrative factors that militate against incorporating community resources into the teaching-learning process. For instance, there is a lack of fiscal resources and cooperation between the teachers and the administration. Again, it was revealed that the timetable of the JHS department was not favourable as a period lasted forty (40) minutes, making it too short to incorporate community-oriented instructional techniques. The size of the class also discouraged teachers from combining instructional resources. Researchers have outlined several measures to tackle the issue of large class sizes, explicitly suggesting classrooms with larger sizes should be split into smaller units when considering the engagement of community resources that needed field trips and travelling out of the school environment (Aoumeur, 2017;Hansen, 2014). Social studies teachers can incorporate community-based instructional materials when buses are provided for field trips, the class number is reduced to a sizeable number, and the timetable could be restructured to meet the time requirement for resource persons.
The findings identified other challenges teachers face in integrating community resources in the teaching and learning Social Studies at the Junior High School level. For instance, the location of the schools, time factor, overpopulation of students in the schools (large class sizes), lack of support from school authorities, and disruption of the timetable when not planned properly.

Limitations of the study
The study was limited to only one district in Ghana. Some of the problems that evolved were the lack of easy accessibility to the selected school and the retrieval of administered questionnaires. Also, some of the participants did not offer clear and concise responses. Some learners also felt reluctant to answer the questionnaires. It was also challenging meeting the participants because of their tight schedules, as they were preparing to write their exit exam.

Conclusion
The study has investigated how community resources affect social studies instruction and learning in junior high schools. It has also explored the varied community resources available for useful teaching and better ways of using them in tuition and learning social studies in junior high schools in Ghana. From the findings of the study, the researchers can conclude that the incorporation of community resources in the delivery of instruction is key to learners' comprehension. It should be on record that the selected school's community is not rich with resources that can be harnessed in social studies instructional delivery. Only a few resources were available to be incorporated into social studies instruction.
Factors that militated against the incorporation of community resources in social studies instruction include: the unavailability of a school shuttle to convey students to places for the firsthand experience; the lack of motivation for resource persons, so teachers feel reluctant to invite resource persons as the school does not foot the bills of such, and lack of cooperation between the teachers and the administration. Finally, community resources can be incorporated into social studies instruction and the benefits it harnesses when teachers work with the administration, use field trips, invite resource persons and sometimes take the learners out for a first-hand experience.

Recommendations
The following recommendations were made based on the findings: Despite the difficulties, social studies teachers should try to include community resources in tuition social studies subjects. This will significantly raise the standard of training, improve teaching and learning, and increase the relevance of social studies education.
Administrators and other stakeholders of the schools should motivate teachers to use community resources through the provision of funds, flexible timetables, and other programs that help learners understand the concept being taught and develop their potential.
Teachers should collaborate with the administrators of the schools for assistance and cooperation when students are being sent outside the school compound for educational purposes.
The MOE and GES should hold seminars and workshops for social studies teachers on the value of utilising community resources to improve the teaching and learning of social studies through district assemblies.

Suggestions for further studies
The study outcome is not exhaustive, and further studies can be carried out on using community resources in teaching Social Studies at the JHS level in other districts in Ghana to expand the scope and results. Similar studies should be carried out on the effects of community resources on learners' academic performance in Social Studies at the JHS level. Finally, there should be further studies on how teachers and school administrators feel about using community resources to teach social studies to get their perspectives on the phenomenon. Although mindsponge theory has been reviewed in this study, it is recommended that further studies may extensively examine psychosocial dimensions of knowledge management using information processing approach.