Teenage Mothers’ Involvement in their Children’s Acquisition of Pre-Literacy Skills in Kilifi County, Kenya

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to explore some factors that influence teenage mothers’ involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills. The specific objectives of the study were: to establish whether teenage mothers’ knowledge on parenting skills influences their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills; to determine whether teenage mothers’ level of education influences their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills; to establish whether teenage mothers’ socio-economic status influences their involvement in children’s development of pre-literacy skills; and to determine whether social support given to teenage mothers influences their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills in selected pre-primary schools in Kilifi County, Kenya. The study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems model. The study employed descriptive survey design. Both purposive and stratified random sampling methods were used to generate a sample of 115 teenage mothers with children in pre-primary 2 out of a study population of 1150. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. The research tools were piloted in two public pre-primary schools and one private pre-primary school in Magarini Sub-County, Kilifi County which were not involved in the actual study Face validity was tested to ensure that the results obtained represented the phenomenon under study. Test-retest method was used to ensure reliability and a correlation co-efficient of 0.78 was yielded. The quantitative data from the questionnaire was coded and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 22) to generate descriptive statistics in terms of frequency and percentage. Qualitative data from the interview schedule was transcribed and then coded as per the objectives. Thematic and narrative methods were used to analyze the qualitative data. In thematic analysis, deductive approach was used. Qualitative data generated from interview schedule was put into themes for easier interpretation and discussed as per the objectives of the study. The study established that teenage mothers do not have adequate knowledge on parenting skills and this in turn limits their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills. It was also established that the education level attained by teenage mothers influence their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills. The study revealed that the socio-economic status of teenage mothers influences their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills. However, teenage mothers who received social support such as instrumental support, financial support and informational, guidance and counseling support were more involved in their children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills than their counterparts who did not receive any form of support. The study concluded that knowledge on parenting skills, education level, socio-economic status and social support given to teenage mothers influence their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills. The study recommended that; the county governments should increase the amount of money given to pre-schools, the back to school policy should be totally implemented and professionals such as counselors should offer guidance and counseling and informational support to teenage mothers to promote their involvement in children’s acquisition of pre-literacy skills.