Influence of instructional resources on acquisition of language skills among early year learners in Kiambaa sub-county, Kiambu county, Kenya

Abstract

Language entails the ability to communicate with other people with significant variations between understanding of speech and language. Although language acquisition largely depends on learner’s ability the access and availability of instructional resources play a pivotal role in language acquisition among children in Early Childhood Education Centres. The main aim of this study was to determine the influence of instructional resources on acquisition of language skills among early year learners in Kiambaa sub County, Kiambu County. The study was guided by the following specific objectives; to establish the types of instructional resources that influence acquisition of language skills among early learners; to assess the influence of available instructional resources on the acquisition of language skills among early year learners; to determine the impact of teachers’ competence on the use of instructional resources on the acquisition of language skills among early year learners and to determine influence of challenges in use of instructional resources on acquisition of language skills among early year learners in Kiambaa sub county, Kiambu County. The study was based on the constructivist and overlapping spheres of influence theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 98 ECD centres with 98 head teachers, 210 ECD teachers and 7136 pupils. Purposive sampling was used to obtain 12 head teachers, simple random sampling was used to obtain 44 teachers while systematic sampling was used to obtain 40 parents computing a sample size of 96 respondents. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Scientists, version 26.0. Descriptive analysis was done through frequencies and percentages. Majority of the teachers indicated that their learners were approaching expectation with regards to language acquisition (50%), 22.7% had attainment below expectation (22.7%), 15.9% were meeting expectations with a few indicating that they learners had exceeded expectations (11.4%).The overall mean of Language learning outcome was 2.159 regarded as approaching expectation. A multiple Linear Regression model was used to model the relationship between the independent variables and the response variable (Acquisition of language skills). The study found that different types of IR, availability of IR and teacher competence have a significant positive effect on acquisition of language skills as denoted by their p values (P <0.05). Challenges in use of instructional resources has no significant influence on acquisition of language skills (P>0.05). The study recommends that teachers can take the lead in identifying and selecting appropriate instructional resource types, while head teachers and parents can play a vital role in providing these resources. Stakeholders, including head teachers, teachers, and parents, should understand the importance of having sufficient instructional resources. Efforts should be made to improve access and availability based on recommendations from ECD teachers, thereby fostering language acquisition among early learners. Head teachers should prioritize initiatives that enhance teachers' competency in utilizing up-to-date educational technologies and methodologies. While resource provision and teacher competency should remain priorities, efforts should also be made to raise awareness and support teachers in overcoming any obstacles they may face in effectively using instructional resources. This comprehensive approach will contribute to optimizing language acquisition outcomes among early learners.