Training of ECD Managers

Teachers’ Perceptions about the Effects of Staffing on Learning in Early Childhood Education Centres in Meru South Sub County Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya.

2020-06-29T09:10:30Z

Teachers’ Perceptions about the Effects of Staffing on Learning in Early Childhood Education Centres in Meru South Sub County Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. Mugambi, Mary Murugi Due to the importance placed on education by governments around the world, many countries, Kenya included, have invested heavily on Early Childhood Development and Education. The Kenyan government envisages enhanced quality of education especially in Early Childhood Education. While the investments in education have been quite successful at expanding enrollments in education, for any given level of efficiency, increased enrollments require increased resources, in order to maintain quality of learning. If these resources are not forthcoming, the increase in educational quantity may come at the expense of quality. This study examined the perceptions of teachers regarding how staffing affects learning in Early Childhood Education Centres in Meru South Sub County, Tharaka Nithi County. The study employed the descriptive survey research design. The target population for this study was 210 respondents. Stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used to obtain a sample size of 73 respondents. The data collection instruments were questionnaires and interview guides. Validity of the research instruments was ensured through the expertise of University supervisors. Reliability of the instruments was estimated by use of Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and a correlation coefficient of 0.72 was obtained. The data were analyzed using percentages and frequency counts with the aid of SPSS version 20.0. The findings indicated that under staffing negatively affected the learning in Early Childhood Education Centres in Meru South Sub County. It was recommended that more Early Childhood Education teachers be employed to reduce the effects of staffing and improve learning in the Early Childhood Education Centres. An article in the International Journal of Education and Research

Mainstreaming Early Grade Reading Instruction in Early Childhood Teacher Education.

2020-06-25T07:22:50Z

Mainstreaming Early Grade Reading Instruction in Early Childhood Teacher Education. Inyega, Justus O.; Inyega, Hellen N. This paper provides insights on how Early Grade Reading Instruction Curriculum (EGRIC) catalyzed a pedagogical shift and, consequently, began transforming early childhood teacher education in Kenya through reading instruction. EGRIC, themed: All Teachers Teaching Reading All Children Reading, was sponsored by USAID’s All Children Reading: Grand Challenge for Development and implemented by the University of Nairobi from September 2012 to September 2014. EGRIC developed the capacity of 315 purposively selected UoN pre-service teachers enrolled in Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education and 170 in-service teachers to provide reading instruction, assessment and remediation in the early grades (K-3 rd grade). The ultimate goal was to infuse EGRIC into UoN’s B. Ed (ECE) program. Data were collected using mixed-method research approaches and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. EGRIC workshops and school follow-ups became an odyssey where teachers re-discovered the true meaning of reading instruction. Consequently, 298 teachers were certified as reading teachers at project close-out. Over 17, 800 children’s reading skills were impacted; of these, 298 children at-risk of reading failure received weekly one-on-one tutoring and registered improvements in their reading skills and motivation for reading.There is need to open up and/or extend space(s) to foster technical leadership, knowledge sharing, and evidence building around issues of early grade reading instruction and assessment; improving effectiveness, sustainability, and scaling up of early grade reading interventions. The broader goal should be to build capacity of stakeholders to apply evidence-informed practices to increase impact, scale, and sustainability of reading interventions in Kenya and beyond. An article in the International Journal for Innovation Education and Research

Utilization of Instructional Media for Quality Training in Pre-Primary School Teacher Training Colleges in Nairobi County, Kenya.

2020-06-24T07:45:48Z

Utilization of Instructional Media for Quality Training in Pre-Primary School Teacher Training Colleges in Nairobi County, Kenya. Njoki, Ngure Grace Nancy Since teachers play a major role in the education of young children, the quality of their own training is a matter of concern. Among important aspects in pre-primary teacher training is the utilization of instructional media to reinforce learning, motivate learners and make learning real. However, reviewed studies on pre-primary schools have established inadequate use of instructional media by pre-primary school teachers, likely to have resulted from inadequacies during training among other factors. Given the importance of instructional media in any learning outcome there was need to investigate the factors influencing their utilization by pre-primary school college tutors during training, a concern that formed the focus of this study. It was out of this concern that this study was conceived. The objectives of the study were therefore to investigate pre-primary school college tutors‟ utilization of instructional media, the types of instructional media they used and the challenges they encountered in the use of instructional media. The study was carried out in public and private pre-primary school teacher training colleges in Nairobi County. Herzberg‟s two factor theory was used to guide the study. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The key study respondents were all pre-primary school college tutors who taught activity area units in the selected colleges, the programme officers and managers of the selected pre-primary school teacher colleges. A questionnaire for the pre-primary school college tutors, an interview schedule for the programme officers and managers of the selected pre-primary school teacher colleges and an observation checklist were used to gather data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used in the analysis of data. Descriptive statistics were calculated and presented in form of frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. Null hypotheses H01 was tested using t-test while H02 was tested using both t-test and Multiple Regression. All the null hypotheses were tested at alpha value 0.05. The results revealed that variety of instructional media were available and used minimally in teaching by the college tutors. The study also revealed that private college tutors utilized instructional media more than public college tutors. The contribution of availability of instructional media, tutors‟ attitude towards instructional media, and motivation to the utilization of instructional media was highly significant with a p-value of 0.000. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education ensures proper implementation of curriculum which includes effective use of instructional media in teaching. There is also need for Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to review the current diploma programme for pre-school teacher training and pre-primary school college managers to motivate tutors to utilize instructional media in teaching. A thesis submitted for the award of the degree of doctor of philosophy in early childhood studies in the school of education, Kenyatta University

Towards Context – Based Learning as a Model for Pre – Service Primary Teacher Education in Kenya: A Case of Meru and Egoji Teachers Colleges

2020-06-18T07:16:17Z

Towards Context – Based Learning as a Model for Pre – Service Primary Teacher Education in Kenya: A Case of Meru and Egoji Teachers Colleges Mwangi, Suleiman Kairu Research evidence points out that there is a strong relationship between teaching and learning. The KESSP 2005-2010 document and the Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2005 have cited low quality teacher education as a problem in Kenya. They attribute this to the traditional content-based pedagogical primary teacher education model which presents a fragmented view of learning and is not context-based leading to little or no connection between theory and practice. Though efforts have been made in terms of reviewing the primary teacher education curriculum among others, not much has been done in reviewing the traditional model of training. This study sought to establish whether context-based learning through focus discussion group on teaching and classroom practice improves pre-service teachers‟ teaching effectiveness. It identified experiences and perceptions of pre-service teachers on focus discussion group as a model of context-based learning and formulated a suitable primary teacher training model for Kenya. Five null hypotheses were formulated and tested. A Quasi-Experimental research design in a form of a pre-test/posttest longitudinal panel control group was used. It involved a stratified random sample of eighty (80) first year pre-service teachers from Meru and Egoji colleges for the experimental and control groups respectively. The experimental group was subdivided into groups of ten of equal gender proportions through stratified random sampling. They held discussions under the facilitation of the researcher once per week during the 1st and 2nd school-based practice learning sessions. The research instruments used included a classroom observation schedule, a questionnaire, a focus group discussion schedule and a reflective diary which were piloted at Kigari Teachers College. Data obtained from the research instruments were analysed by use of frequencies, percentages, and an independent t-Test. The findings obtained showed that there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups on all the variables under study namely; instructional system planning (t (78) = 5.327, p < .05), teacher-student interactions ( t (78) = 2.458, p < .05), students‟ motivation (t (78) = 2.348, p < .05) and use of instructional resources (t (78) = 2.807, p < .05) However, teachers‟ classroom management and control had a non-significant t-Test value of (t (78) = 1.143, p < .05). The study also revealed that pre-service teachers rated focus discussions groups as useful in their professional development and indicated that all the components of the context-based primary teacher education model were operating well. Based on these findings, a context-based pre-service primary teacher education model with four interacting sources of learning was formulated for primary teacher education in Kenya. Recommendations were made to primary teacher education policy makers, curriculum developers, tutors and pre-service teachers to design and implement context-based learning approaches in the training of primary school teachers which would create student-centred lessons, make students responsible for their learning. It will also help students to relate theory to practice, develop higher order thinking and problem-solving skills and contextualize their teaching in primary schools. Further research was recommended in determining the effect of each context-based learning component on preservice teacher effectiveness and establishing tutors teaching practices. Research Thesis Submitted For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School Of Education and Human Resource Development, Kenyatta University, May 2011