Use of instructional materials in facilitating classroom interaction in pre-primary education centres in Juja zone, Kiambu County, Kenya
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Date
2015
Authors
Gachoki, Lucy S. Warui
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Abstract
Pre-primary education is globally recognized as important in laying the
foundation for a child's further education and character formation. As the most
significant resource in schools, pre-primary school teachers are critical to
ensure that learning takes place at the pre-primary education centres. The
competent use of instructional materials in pre-primary education is expected
to enhance classroom interaction which results in effective learning and
positive outcome in education. However, with the mushrooming of preprimary
education centres across the country, lack of proper supervision and
regulation of pre-primary education, there are concerns as to whether there is
proper use of instructional materials in classroom interaction in Juja zone,
Kiambu County, Kenya. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of
instructional materials in facilitating classroom interactions in pre-primary
education Centres in Juja zone, Kiambu County, Kenya. Lev Vygotsky theory
of social constructivist historical theory was used to guide this study. The
study used qualitative and quantitative research approach to achieve the set
objectives. The dependent variable was classroom interactions while the
independent variables were; types of instructional materials, criteria used in
selection of instructional materials for pre-primary education, condition of
school environment, and challenges faced in use of instructional materials.
The target population was all the pre-primary school teachers,ยท children and
administrators of the pre-primary centres within Juja zone. The sample size
consisted of 8 administrators and 24 pre-primary school teachers. An
interview schedule for administrators, questionnaires for pre-primary teachers
and observation protocol were used to collect data. The information was
broken into phrases or sentences, which reflect a single, specific thought
which created various themes. The collected data was analyzed qualitatively
based on the study objectives. The findings of the study were presented using
percentages and tables. The findings of the study revealed that 4 (50%) of the
centres did not have adequate instructional materials in relation to the number
of children in the centres. Further results also showed that 4 (50%) of the
centres did not have adequate outdoor environment and fixed equipment.
Challenges encountered in the use of instructional materials, includes limited
number and variety of materials, lack of funds to buy and maintain appropriate
materials, wear and tear of the materials and lack of support from the various
stakeholders. The results revealed that the challenges affected the process of
'classroom interaction by time wastage, limiting children interaction period
with materials leading to poor learning outcomes compared to the standardized
curriculum levels.
Description
Department of early childhood studies a research project submitted to the school of education of Kenyatta University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of master of education degree in early childhood education. November, 2015. LB 1044.88 .G3