Selected factors influencing use of thematic approach by pre-school teachers in Kasarani division, Nairobi province,Kenya

Abstract

The Government policy on Early Childhood Education is of partnership basis of various duty bearers. This has led to escalation of a number of diverse ECD programmes (both for teachers and children alike) that follow different approaches in training and teaching respectively. Early childhood care and development programmes have had tremendous achievements and expansion in recent years in Kenya and the world over. Kenya has no doubt achieved an impressive increase in quantitative indices of education at ail levels since independence. In Kenya. Early Childhood Care and Education is no exception. However. Pre-school teacher/ caregiver-training programmes in Kenya are largely teacher-centered in nature and ECD teachers in Kenya undergo different training curricula. Literature reviewed reveals that thematic approach is now the recommended teaching approach at pre-school level in Kenya (NACECE, 1999; 2000 & ?001). The purpose of this study was to establish whether pre-school teachers in Kasarani Division of Nairobi province teach using thematic approach and investigate factors relating to the use of the approach by pre-school teachers. Bruner's theory of instruction (1966), Sutherland's Child-centred theory (1988) and Fishbein's & Azjen's ex-pectancy model of attitudes (1976) guided the research design was employed since the researcher could not envisage ac control on the study independent variables as their influence had already been felt. A structured in-depth questionnaire was used to collect data. Sampie Teachers tilled-in the questionnaire guided by 18 structured items. A random sample of 60 (33%) of pre-school teachers participated in the study. Data was sieved, prepared and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics was employed in analyzing and presenting the results of the study. Significance for the variables was calculated at a 0.05 significance level. This study found out that teacher academic level and the type of training programme a teacher underwent ;elated significantly the use of Thematic Approach. A mid- score of 45 ; (50%) was the minimum assumed indication of use of thematic approach. Teachers who scored above the mid- score (50%) were likely to use thematic approach more than their counterparts whose scores were below the mid-score.