Publication: An investigation of the relationship between instructional Resources and academic performance amongst preschool Learners in Gatanga Sub-County, Murang’a County, Kenya
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2015-11
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
The promptitude for conducting the study was based on the fact that effective application of
instructional materials to supplement the theoretical techniques of pedagogy has been low and has
thus been a concern for different education stakeholders in developing countries. Thus, the
proposed study was focused on investigating the role of instructional resources on academic
performance of preschool children in terms of cognitive development, acquisition of language,
problem solving and basic arithmetic skills in Gatanga Sub-county, Murang’a County. The study
was guided by The Behaviorist Learning Theory. The study used mixed methods approach and
thus applied concurrent triangulation design which enabled the researcher to use the quantitative
and qualitative methods during the same timeframe and with equal weight. Questionnaires were
used to collect data from preschool managers and preschool teachers whereas interview schedules
and an observation checklist were used to gather information from parents’ representatives and
preschool children respectively. Piloting of research instruments was conducted in Gatanga Sub-
county to establish validity, reliability, credibility and dependability. Reliability was determined
using test retest method and reliability coefficient obtained using Pearson’s Product Moment
Correlation Method with a value of r = 0.65 indicating high internal reliability. The target
population for the study comprised of 40 preschool managers, 80 preschool teachers, 120 parents’
representatives and 1260 preschool children in Gatanga Sub-county. Using The Central Limit
Theorem, 8 preschools, that is, 20% of 40, and 300 respondents, that is, 20% of 1500, were
sampled. Stratified sampling was applied to create 8 different strata based on the number of zones.
From each zone, one preschool manager and three preschool teachers were selected using
purposive sampling. Simple random sampling was then applied to select 5 parents’ representatives
and 29 preschool children from each zone. Data analysis began by identifying common themes.
Frequency counts of the responses were then obtained to generate information about the
respondents and to illustrate the general trend of findings on the various variables that were under
investigation. Qualitative data was analyzed based on themes whereas quantitative data was
analyzed inferentially using ANOVA in Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS Version
21). The findings of the study were presented using tables. The study established that there are
different instructional resources which enhance preschool children’s academic performance. These
include; realia, charts, audio-visuals, concept videos/DVDs, dioramas and models. Effective use
of instructional resources enhance preschool children’s acquisition of cognitive, language,
problem solving and numeracy skills. The study thus recommends that preschool teachers should
adopt instructional resources suitable for enhancing every aspect of cognition amongst preschool
learners. Preschool teachers should be sensitized to understand the importance of language to
preschool learners and thus suitable and relevant instructional resources should be adopted to
ensure maximum instruction and preschool children’s acquisition of reading, writing and listening
skills. Education stakeholders should provide a variety of instructional resources which can
enhance different aspects of problem solving amongst preschool children. Education planners and
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Early Childhood Studies