Pre-primary SchoolTeachers' Use of Culturally Relevant Instructional Materials in Teaching in Kieni West District, Nyeri County, Kenya
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Date
2013-10-16
Authors
Waigera, Joseph Karaigua
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Abstract
Pre-primary school forms the beginning of formal education in Kenya. Research
indicates that children who obtain quality pre-primary education have a headstart in
life. It is also evident that early exposure and use of culturally relevant instructional
materials prepare children to be well adjusted in life. Children are also equipped with
problem solving skills that are important for daily living. A culturally relevant
pedagogy provides a way for learners to maintain their cultural identity while
succeeding academically. Despite many studies carried out on the use of instructional
materials in primary schools, secondary schools and teacher training colleges. not
much is known on what happens in pre-primary schools. The purpose of this study
was to establish pre-primary school teachers' use of culturally relevant instructional
materials in teaching. The study sought to determine the relationship between the use
of culturally relevant instructional materials by pre-primary school teachers and the
factors which are believed to influence their use. Theory of culturally relevant
pedagogy by Gloria Ladson-Billings (1994) guided this study. An exploratory
descriptive survey design was employed while stratified random sampling technique
was used, to select a proportionate number of private and public pre-primary school
teachers. A total sample of 98 pre-primary school teachers' was selected for the study
drawn from 121 pre-primary schools in the District. Questionnaires and observation
schedules were used to collect data. The data collected was coded and analyzed using
the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Qualitative and quantitative
methods were used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics computed included
frequencies, standard deviation, means and percentages. The inferential statistics used
to test null hypotheses were t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation
Coefficient at alpha value 0.05 (p<0.05). Results from data analysis revealed that
there is no significant difference in use of culturally relevant instructional materials
between public and private pre-primary schools. Most of the instructional materials
used in teaching were culturally relevant but inadequate. The relationship between
availability of culturally relevant instructional materials, attitudes towards culturally
relevant instructional materials and. pre-primary school teachers' use of culturally
relevant instructional materials was' significant. However, the relationship between
use of culturally relevant instructional materials, teaching experience, and
professional qualifications were not significant. To improve the use of culturally
relevant instructional materials in pre-primary schools, capacity building and
sensitization seminars for pre-primary school teachers and other stakeholders on
development and use of culturally relevant materials in teaching should be organized
by D1CECE officers at the District level.
Description
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