Assessment of school feeding program on pre- school Learners’ achievement in Mvita sub-county, Mombasa

Abstract

The school feeding program (SFP) plays a vital role in learner’s achievement of pre- primary school. Young children in their development stage need a lot of quality nutrition to attend school, transition to the next educational level, and perform well in academics. This study therefore explored the extent to which school feeding program impacts on the academic achievement of pre-school learners in Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa County, Kenya. Failure to supply adequate nutrition to preschoolers may affect school attendance with a high possibility of poor retention and transition by preschoolers. The following research objectives were formulated to guide the study; To establish teaching and learning after the initiation of school feeding Program of preschoolers’ academic achievement in Mvita Sub County; to find out the provision of quality food influence academic achievement; to establish whether the amount of food and frequency of feeding influence academic achievement of learners. The study used a descriptive survey design. The research equipment demonstrated strong reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.75, and their validity was confirmed through expert assessment. The theoretical foundation of the study was the Hierarchy of Needs by Maslow. The target population included 921 participants, including 13 head teachers, 49 preschool teachers, 49 parent representatives and 810 preschool learners. Using the Yamane Formula, a sample size of 367 respondents was determined, including 13 prominent teachers, 43 teachers, 43 parent representatives, and 268 preschoolers. To collect the data, the questionnaire was distributed to preschool teachers, while interviews were conducted with school heads and parent representatives. For preschool learners, data was collected through an observation checklist. A pilot study involving 92 participants from the selected public preschool in Mvita was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of the equipment. The study adopted a mixed-method approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data was analyzed using Kitwood’s Technique of analysis and was presented narratively. Quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential data, especially Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation, using the SPSS version 23, and the results were displayed in a tabular form. The findings indicated that the school feeding program positively affected the pupil appearance, enrollment and academic performance. Therefore, lack of SFP and poverty were thought to be the key contributors to the poor academic achievement of preschoolers. The study recommends that the government through the ministry of education and the county governments should encourage the parents to subsidize SFP by contributing food and money to support the learners.