Thesis:

Determinants of parental involvement in public preprimary school activities in Yatta sub-county, Machakos county, Kenya

Parents’ involvement in pre-primary school activities is important in ensuring that learners acquire quality education. However, in Yatta Sub-county, levels of parents’ involvement in school meetings, volunteering activities and learning material development in pre-primary schools is low. The study attempted to determine the factors influencing parental engagement in public pre-primary school activities in Yatta Sub-county, Machakos County, Kenya. The goals were to determine the impact of parents' education level, employment, marital status, and attitude toward participation in public pre-primary school activities. The study was based on the dynamic theory of determinants and the parental involvement theory. The study used a mixed technique and so employed a contemporaneous triangulation research design. The target population was 256 respondents, which included 64 headteachers, 128 pre-primary school teachers, and 64 parent representatives, from whom a sample of 155 respondents was drawn using Yamane's Formula. Stratified sampling was utilized to establish five strata depending on the number of zones in Yatta Sub-County. To guarantee proportionality, purposive sampling was used to choose (3) headteachers and (3) parent representatives from each zone. To eliminate prejudice and discrimination, 25 pre primary school teachers were chosen from each zone using simple random sampling. This technique resulted in a sample size of 15 headteachers, 15 parent representatives, and 125 pre-primary teachers. Questionnaires were utilized for collecting quantitative data from pre-primary school teachers, while interviews were used to acquire qualitative data from head teachers and parent representatives. Validity, reliability, credibility, and dependability were established by piloting with 16 respondents from a selection of public pre-primary schools in Yatta Sub-county. The validity was established by the opinion of experts. The split-half technique was used to check reliability, and the Cronbach Alpha Method produced a reliability rating of r = 0.745, showing high internal reliability. Credibility was verified by triangulation among multiple specialists. Dependability was assessed by comprehensive reporting on each process. The data analysis begins with identifying common themes in the respondents' remarks about what they have experienced. Qualitative data was organized thematically around the objectives and conveyed narratively. Quantitative data were examined descriptively by determining frequencies and percentages, while inferential analysis was performed using Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Analysis in Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS 23) and presented in tables. The study found that parents hardly participated in their children's pre-primary school education. Parents hardly attended school meetings, took part in volunteer activities, or helped produce instructional materials. This might be linked to their educational backgrounds, employment, marital status, and attitudes toward early childhood education. The report suggests that the Ministry of Education arrange seminars to educate parents about their involvement in pre-primary education. Parents should arrange their time wisely in order to fully engage in pre-primary school activities for their children's benefit. Parents should value the education of their children regardless of their marital status and participate in their pre primary school activities. Parents should understand the value of education and thus inculcate a positive attitude towards the early education of their children for holistic academic growth and development.