The Impact of Civic Education on Students’ Political Awareness in Selected Secondary Schools in Lagos State

This study investigates the influence of civic education on the political awareness of secondary school students in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. Growing concerns about youth disengagement from civic and political processes have prompted researchers and policymakers to re-examine the role of formal civic instruction in schools. This study adopts a descriptive survey research design, targeting students in Senior Secondary School classes across five randomly selected public schools in the Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State. A total of 300 students participated in the study, responding to a validated structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using mean scores and standard deviation. The findings reveal that students who received consistent civic education instruction demonstrated significantly higher levels of political awareness, including knowledge of constitutional rights and electoral processes. The study also identifies teacher qualification and curriculum coverage as critical variables affecting outcomes. Recommendations include increased allocation of instructional time for civic education and the integration of current political events into lesson plans. School administrators are encouraged to support teachers with relevant resource materials. This research contributes to localised knowledge on youth civic engagement within the South West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Keywords: civic education, political awareness, secondary school students, Lagos State, youth engagement.