Influence of Classroom Environment on the Learning of Social Studies in Public Pre- Primary Schools, in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.
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Date
2020
Authors
Awinja, Naomi Crispo
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Social Studies in Pre-Primary Schools refers to the learning of all human activities
and the people in the society that one lives in. Global Studies show that a child who is
effectively taught social studies obtains social skills and values in the society. The
purpose of this study was to find out the influence of the classroom environment on
learning of social studies in pre-primary schools in Eldoret East Sub-county in Uasin
Gishu County. The specific objectives of the study were guided by three research
objectives; to establish the suitability of the classroom setting, to find out the
availability of instructional materials used in teaching and to evaluate the
appropriateness of the teaching approaches used in teaching social studies. The study
was guided by the social learning theory by Lev Vygotsky, (1896- 1934). The theory
purports that social learning occurs in three themes; interactive activities, pairing a
learner with more knowledgeable others (MKO) and giving tips to a learner on how
to handle difficult tasks in their zone of proximal development (ZPD). The study
employed descriptive survey design. The target population comprised of 9 zones with
150 Pre-primary schools, 150 head teachers and 440 Pre-primary teachers. Stratified
random sampling was used to select schools, while simple random sampling was used
to select individual participants. Hence the sample size was 3 zones, 108 schools, 15
head teachers and 205 pre-primary teachers. The data was collected using the
questionnaires, interview schedules and observation checklists in which the teachers
and the researcher administered on the instruments respectively. The data was
organized and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Quantitative data analysis is descriptive statistically displayed in frequency tables,
percentage while qualitative data was analyzed using themes. The findings showed
that learning of Social Studies in pre-primary schools was majorly influenced by
availability of instructional materials at 24.0%, followed by the appropriateness of the
teaching methods at 8.1%, while classroom suitability influenced learning of Social
Studies at 4.8%. The study may be useful to the policy makers, curriculum
developers, curriculum support officers and the school managers who may utilize the
findings by ensuring that the classroom environmental conditions are conducive for
learning. The study may be a source of information for teachers to improve on the
teaching and learning standards of social studies in Pre-primary schools, and finally
the learners’ academic scores in social studies will increase and skills and values will
be expected to improve.
Description
A Research Project Report Submitted in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirement for Award of the Degree
of Master of Education in (Early Childhood Education) in
the School of Education of Kenyatta University
Keywords
Classroom Environment, Learning, Social Studies, Public Pre- Primary Schools, Uasin Gishu, Kenya