Parental variables influencing their level of involvement in education of learners in public pre-schools, in Kenya

Abstract

Educators have frequently pointed out the critical role of the home and family environment in determining school success of a child. While more studies that are related to Education of Pre-schoolers have been more focused on other factors such as lack of facilities, inadequate teachers, indiscipline, low intelligence, anxiety and learners motivation as potential factors affecting education of children, little attention has been given to parental variables that influence their level of involvement in learners’ education in Nandi. The purpose of this study was to find out the parental variables influencing their level of involvement in education of public preschool learner’s in Nandi Central Sub County, Kenya. The study’s objectives were: to determine the influence of parental marital status on level of involvement in education of public preschool learners, to establish the influence of parental level of education on involvement in education of public preschool learner, to find out how parenting style influence on level of parental involvement in the education of public preschool learners and to determine strategies of enhancing parental involvement on education of the pre-schools learners in Nandi. The study employed Concurrent Triangulation design and was informed by Epstein model of parental involvement. The study targeted a population of 3,566 comprising of 183 head teachers, 183 lead preschool teachers and 3200 parents of final class in Nandi Central Sub County. The study adopted purposive and simple random sampling techniques to sample respondents and informants. The ECDE parents were sampled using stratified random sampling technique. The total sample size for the study was 438 whose participants were 65 head teachers, 65 ECDE lead teachers and 308 ECDE parents. The instruments used were questionnaires and interview schedule.. The pilot study was done in four schools that didn’t participate in the actual study and test re-test method was used to determine the instrument’s reliability to ascertain Cronbach alpha co-efficient of 0.804. Validity was ensured through expert judgment by university supervisors. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic Analysis.Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively by use of percentages and frequency counts. Inferential statistics such as ANOVA and T-test were used to analyze quantitative data. The study reported that there was high parental involvement among the married couples than single parents. Literate parents were greatly involved in the preschool learner’s education than illiterate parents. Authoritative parents were likewise involved in the education of their children than permissive and authoritarian parents. Similarly, married parents were involved more in the education of their preschool children than single/divorced/ separated parents. In addition, parents who have put in place educational strategies on their preschool children’s education perform better. The study recommends that teachers and the administrators should try to create awareness in parents on the importance of their involvement in their children’s school work. The parents need to be informed that they can contribute to the education of their children through encouragement, provision of learning facilities and active assistance among others. The Kenya Institute of curriculum Development should come up with a curriculum that incorporates strategies of enhancing parental involvement to sensitize parents on the need of being involved in their children education.