Implementation of Government Policies on Classroom Organization in Early Childhood Education Centres in Bungoma East Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya: A Comparative Analysis
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Date
2016-08
Authors
Munandi, Emily Khakasa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Early childhood education plays a crucial role in laying the foundation for further
education and character formation of children. For children to achieve good results in
any early childhood class, a good classroom set up plays a role in helping children
develop positive attitudes towards learning and it offers ideal opportunities for children
to achieve social interactions. To ensure proper classroom organization and hence
quality education, countries have policies on Early Childhood Education (ECE)
classroom organization. Policies are important as they tend to focus on how teachers act
toward classroom organization. This study investigated the implementation of
government policies on classroom organization in early childhood centres in Bungoma
East Sub-County. Specifically the study sought to achieve the following objectives: To
analyze the teaching and learning aids arrangement and display in early childhood
classroom to establish its consistency with the government policy on classroom
organization; to examine the seating arrangement of children in order to establish if it is
consistent with the government guidelines on classroom organization; to assess the
process of grouping children and its consistency with the government policy on
classroom organization and to examine how material distribution is done and if it is
consistent with the government policy. The study was guided by Cultural Lag Theory
By William Ogborn. The sample consisted of 15 ECE centres, 15 ECE headteachers, 60
EeE teachers and 3 ECE officials. Descriptive study design was employed to conduct
the study. The research instruments used were questionnaire for teachers, interview
scheduJes for headteachers and EeE officials, observation checklist and document
analysis. Data collection was done by self- administration of the questionnaire and
collected after one week. Face-to-face interviews with headteachers and ECE officials
were conducted at their convenient time and the researcher used an observation
checklist to ascertain the availability of class displays and corners in classrooms.
Quantitative data were coded and summarized into frequencies and percentages with the
help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Qualitative data from the
Questionnaire, interview schedules, document analysis and observation checklist were
summarized into themes as they emerged from responses and presented in a narrative
form. The study revealed that in both urban and rural ECE centres in Bungoma East
Sub-County, the implementation of arrangement and display of teaching and learning
materials policy is low; the policy on' seating arrangement is to a small extent being
implemented in urban ECE centres as compared to rural ECE centres where
implementation is low and in both rural and urban ECE centres the implementation of
the policy on grouping of children and material distribution is equally low. The study
recommends that teacher training, in-service, capacity building seminars and workshop
need to be organized to involve all stakeholders if the policy on classroom organization
in ECE centres has to be fully implemented.
Description
A research thesis submitted for the degree of master of education in comparative education in the school of education of Kenyatta University, August 2016