Teenage Mothers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Acquisition of Pre-Literacy Skills: a Case of Kilifi County, Kenya
Abstract
Early literacy is an integral part in children’s learning. It is crucial in a child’s education
cycle since it is the basic foundation on which all further learning is built. Many
researchers have argued that since parents are the first teachers that a child encounter, it
is important to find out how they can be involved in their children’s acquisition of preliteracy
skills. The two major ways of parental involvement that have been put forward
are provision of resources that promote acquisition of pre-literacy skills and involving
children in literary rich engagements. Unfortunately, studies on how teenage mothers
can be actively involved in promoting their children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills are
scanty. Since teenage mothers are young and most of them depend on their parents for
financial support and nurturance, it is important to find out how effective they can get
involved in promoting their children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills. Therefore, this
article, highlights findings from a study that sought to establish whether teenage mothers
are involved adequately in their children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills. The study
was based on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory and employed descriptive
survey design. It was carried out in Kilifi County, Kenya and involved a sample of 115
teenage mothers. A questionnaire and interview schedule were utilized to collect data
from teenage mothers. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings
indicated that teenage mothers are not adequately involved in promoting their children’s
acquisition of pre-literacy skills. The authors recommend that the government increases
resources allocated to pre-primary schools and pre-primary school teachers should
sensitize parents on their role in getting involved in their children’s education to promote
pre-literacy skills.
URI
https://www.oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejes/article/view/3069http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/20303