Browsing by Author "Wanjohi, Githinji"

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    Influence of parents’ support on pupils’ transition from pre- primary schools to lower primary schools in Jimeta, Adamawa State, Nigeria
    (2018) Mshelbila, Esther Daniel; Kamau- Kang’ethe, Rachel W.; Wanjohi, Githinji
    The study focused on the influence of parents’ support for pupils’ transition from pre-primary schools to lower primary schools. The focus was on Jimeta, a major city that is located in Adamawa state, Nigeria. UNICEF views parents’ readiness and support as the extent to which parents understand the importance of education for their children. The article further states that parental support in areas such as direct participation in school activities academic encouragement and expectations for pupils’ attainment had helped pupils to experience the positive transition to school. The researchers used descriptive survey research design to gather information from selected respondents. Descriptive survey research design was considered appropriate for this study because facts, opinions and authentic information about the current study would be obtained. Parents’ Support was measured by actions parents undertake which included: feeding and emotional support such as playing with a child, parents helping with homework and siblings familiarizing children to the schools before their enrolment in primary one. The study revealed that parents who agreed that they fed their children before they go to school were 87.65%. Parents unanimously agreed that they provide the necessary school materials for their children (100%). However, some 12% of parents confessed that they do not provide food for their children to take to school. Besides, 55% of parents declared that they assist their children with their homework. Finally, 42% of the parents said they encourage their children to attend school. The study revealed that parents visited their children’s schools to find out about their performance. It also showed that parents assisted their children with their homework. Although the study revealed that quite a number of parents attended Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meetings, some never attended but send a representative. The study International Journal of Science Arts and Commerce ISSN: 0249-5368 www.ijsac.net 26 concluded that parents’ support had helped pupils to transit to formal schooling but it was not very smooth.
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    Influence of Teachers‟ Demographic Characteristics on Acquisition of Reading Skills Among Grade III Pupils In Kisii County, Kenya
    (International Research and Knowledge Publications, 2018) Ogetange, Teresa Binsari; Wanjohi, Githinji
    Reading is a fundamental skill in pupils’ education and development.. The development of reading skills is a complex intellectual process that requires skilled instructions in learning to read and to developing strong reading skills. Teachers are well-known as the backbone of the educational process and also as the major determining school factor of excellence and efficiency of its outcome. The purpose of this study was to find out the influence of teachers’ demographic characteristics on the acquisition of reading skills among Standard three pupils in Kisii County. Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory of Human Learning guided this study. This study adopted a descriptive survey research design targeting all the Grade III pupils, their class teachers and head teachers of all primary schools in Kenyenya Sub-County. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were employed to select the study sample of 30%. The data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedule and observation schedule.A pupils test was used to ascertain the reading levels among the Class three Pupils. This study found out that teachers’ characteris tics had influence on the acquisition of reading skills. The study further established that most of the class III teachers had limited training on teaching reading skills. The study thus recommends that the Ministry of Education should train and retrain teachers on teaching reading skills through regular teacher professional training, in-service courses, workshops and seminars to ensure that teachers have the necessary skills to teach reading at lower levels.
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    Teachers’ level of training in phonics and grade one learner’s achievement in reading skills in Meru county, Kenya
    (2025-05) M’amai, Martin Kinyua; Wanjohi, Githinji; Mwoma, Teresa
    This study sought to establish whether there is a relationship between teachers’ level of training in phonics and learners’ achievement in reading skills among grade one learners in Meru County. The study was guided by Gough and Tunmer’s Simple View of Reading and Vygotsky’s Social Cultural Theory. A mixed methods design involving descriptive survey, causal-comparative, and quasi-experimental approaches was used. The study targeted 61,870 learners and 1,397 teachers, from which a sample of 400 learners and 248 teachers from 234 schools was selected. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, and learner assessments adapted from the Hasbrouck Quick Phonics Screener and EGRA tools. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS Version 28, with descriptive statistics and regression analysis, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The study findings established that the phonics approach, especially phonemic and phonological components, was minimally used in classrooms. The findings show that the level of training on phonemic and phonological awareness was insufficient. Teachers’ level of training on phonics was linked to higher reading achievements among grade one learners. The more the teachers were trained on varied phonics levels involving phonics elements, the better the reading skills. It was noted that there existed a high positive relationship between teachers’ level of training in phonics and reading achievements among grade one learners in Meru County. At the 5 per cent level of significance, the independent variable (teachers’ level of training in phonics) was statistically significant (p = 0.000 < 0.05). Since the p-value was less than 0.05, the researcher had enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis that teachers’ level of phonics training does not significantly influence the achievement of reading skills among grade one learners in Meru County. The study concludes that there is a strong relationship between the level of teachers’ training in the phonics approach and reading achievements. The higher the level of training on varied phonics, phonemic and phonological awareness skills, the higher the reading achievements. This study recommended that training programmes should focus on comprehensive phonics instruction that covers a wide range of phonics elements. Teachers should be offered continuous professional development opportunities to deepen their knowledge and enhance their phonics teaching skills, leading to improved reading achievement among learners.