A Comparative Analysis of Early Language Competencies between Boys and Girls in Pre-Primary Schools in Busia County, Kenya
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
European Journal of Special Education Research
Abstract
This study aimed to find out the difference in early language competencies between boys
and girls in pre-primary schools. This study used Joyce Epstein's parental involvement
model to inform the study, while correlation design was used to guide the study. The
target population was pre-primary school children plus their teachers and parents in 67
public schools and 40 private schools. Out of these schools, 7 public schools and 4 private
schools were sampled. Early language skills checklist, questionnaire, and interview
schedules were used for data collection. A pilot study was conducted in two primary
schools. Content validity was used to determine the research tools' validity, whereas the
reliability of the instruments was established using the test-retest method. When
analyzing qualitative data, thematic analysis was used, while quantitative data was
analyzed using inferential statistics, where frequencies, percentages, and means were
generated. A t-test and correlation were used to test null hypotheses. Results revealed
that female pupils were better in early language competencies, with a mean score of 2.35,
as compared to boys, who had a mean score of 2.28 with a mean difference of 0.07. This
outcome implies that the mean performance for female children was a bit higher than
that of boys. The average language competency of both boys and girls was 2.32. The
results were not significant at 0.05 level of significance and, therefore, were rejected,
meaning that there was no significant difference in early language competency between
boys and girls. Therefore, these results imply that gender did not influence children's early language competencies. The differences in language acquisition competencies
between boys (M = 2.30; SD = .843) and children in private school (M = 2.34; SD = 1.060);
t (252) = -.639, p = .523, two-tailed) was considered not significant, indicating no
significant difference in children’s early language competencies between boys and girls.
The study concluded that female learners acquired higher early language competencies
than male learners. Female learners had an advantage over males in the acquisition of
early language competencies. The study recommended that Public school administrators
and managers should encourage parents to offer voluntary services that enhance the
acquisition of language competencies, encourage parents to make frequent calls to the
school to inquire about their children's acquisition of language skills and attend
organized language functions. The Ministry of Education needs to begin programs in
schools where parents are encouraged to be actively involved in the acquisition of their
children's language competencies
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Journal Article
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Citation
Onyango, C. N., Begi, N., & Mugo, J. W. (2024). A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EARLY LANGUAGE COMPETENCIES BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLS IN PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN BUSIA COUNTY, KENYA. European Journal of Special Education Research, 10(4).