Influence of Parental Involvement on Learning Outcomes at Public Early Childhood Centres in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Authors

  • Orpha Nyakundi University of Nairobi
  • Grace Nyagah University of Nairobi
  • Jeremiah Kalai University of Nairobi
  • Simon Munayi University of Nairobi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47941/jep.458

Keywords:

Head teachers, parental involvement, influence, learning outcomes, early childhood centres

Abstract

Purpose: Parental support is essential in achieving pupils' learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is to discuss how parental involvement in pupils' learning programmes influences pupils' learning outcomes. The study was conducted in public Early Childhood centres in Nairobi City County, Kenya, to investigate the influence of parental involvement in pupils' learning programmes on children's learning outcomes. The problem is that, despite that parents have a responsibility and an influence in the education of their children, not all parents are involved in the learning programmes at the early childhood centres. The objectives of the study were to assess the extent of parental involvement in pupils' learning programmes and to determine the influence of parental involvement in children's learning programmes on learning outcomes.

Methodology: The study employed descriptive survey targeting the 21 public stand-alone early childhood education centres, 2243 children aged 3-5 years, 21 head teachers and all teachers at the learning centres. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected by using structured interview schedules for head teachers, closed questionnaires for teachers and document analysis guide to process pupils' learning outcomes (performance).  Records of Pupils of PP1 and PP2 levels from each centre were simple randomly sampled for review. By purposive sampling, 48 teachers were sampled, at least one teacher for each of the levels from the 21 institutions. The study employed, means, percentages and the coefficients in the analysis of the data.

Findings: The study revealed that 38.1 percent of the learning centres had parents who gave less than 50 percent of the expected support and that centres that involved parents in the learning programmes had higher learning outcomes. The conclusion is that parental involvement in the education of their children leads to high learning outcomes.

Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that The County Government should develop and implement a policy to support establishment and enforcement of a framework through which parents can work in partnership with the teachers at the learning centres. There is need for government instituted structures for sensitization of the parents on their role in the education of their children.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Orpha Nyakundi, University of Nairobi

Post Graduate Student: School of Education, Administrational and Planning, University of Nairobi

Grace Nyagah, University of Nairobi

Associate Professor: Department of Educational, Administrational and Planning, University of Nairobi

Jeremiah Kalai, University of Nairobi

Associate professor: Department of Education, Administrational and Planning, University of Nairobi

Simon Munayi, University of Nairobi

Senior Lecturer: Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Nairobi

References

All Children Reading. (2019).A Grand Challenge for Development. Retrieved from: https://allchildrenreading.org/

Abdullah, N., Flaherty, J., & Bosma, J. (2009). Recommendations for future early childhood literacy research. Washington: National institute for literacy.

Ahn, H. J. (2009). Child Care Teachers Strategies in Children Socialization of emotions. Early Child Development and care, 175:1 49-61.

Arnold, C., & Bartlett, K. (2006). Improving Learning Achievement in Early Primary in Low-Income Countries. Geneva, Switzerland: Aga Khan Foundation.

Aubrey, C., Godfrey, R., & Harris, A. (2012). How Do They Manage? An Investigation of Early Childhood Leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 41(1) 5-29.

Barkovitch, N. (1999). From motherhood to citizenship; Women's rights and international organizations. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins university.

Baron, E. (2005). Planning policies for early childhood development; Guideline for action. Paris : UNESCO.

Beaty, J. (2010). Observing development of the young child (7th ed). New Jersey.

Beaty, J. (2010). Observing development of the young child (7th ed). New Jersey: Merill.

Bell, J., & Waters, S. (2014). Doing Your Research Project: A Guide For First-Time Researchers. New York: McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Bloom, P. (2003). Leadership in action: How effective leaders get things done. Lake Forest : New Horizons.

Bransford, J., Brown, D., Darling, L., & Lepage, P. (2005). Preparing teachers for changing world. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

Britto, P. R., Engle, P. L., & Super, C. M. (2013). Handbook of early childhood development research and its impact on global policy. New York: Oxford University Press.

Bruce, T. (2005). Early childhood education. London: Hodder Arnold.

Burnet, N. (2010). How to develop the UNESCO the world needs: the challenges of reform. Journal of International Cooperation in Education, pp.89-99.

Bush, T., Bell, L., & Middlewood, D. (2010). The priciples of educational leadership management (2nd ed.). London : Sage publishers.

Cooper, A. (2015). Nature and the Outdoor Learning Environment: The Forgotten Resource in Early Childhood Education. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 85.

Copple, C., & Bredenkamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs (3rd .ed). Washington, DC: National association for the education of young children.

Cozby, P. (2001). Methods in behavioral research (7th ed.). California: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Daniels, D., & Meece, J. (2008 ). Child and adolescent development for educators (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw- Hill companies.

Delaware Early Childhood Council. (2009). Delaware Department of Education. Delaware: State of Delaware.

Desforges, C., & Abouchaar, A. (2003). The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievements and Adjustment: A Literature Review. Education and Skills, Research Report, 4-9.

Dwyer, L., & Bernaur, J. (2014). Quantitative research for the qualitative researcher. Boston: Sage publishers.

Epstein, J. (2001). School family and community partnerships: preparing educators and improving schools. Colorado: Westview press.

Fowler, F. (2002). Survey research methods (3rd ed.). New York: Sage publications.

Fraenkel, J., & Wallen, N. (2009). How to design and evaluate research in education. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Frede, E. C. (1995). The role of Program Quality in Producing Early Childhood Program Benefits. The Future of Children. Long Term Outcomes of Early Childhood Program. Vol 5 No.3 -Winter.

Garcia, M., Pence, A., & Evans, J. (2008 ). Early childhood care and development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington: The World Bank.

George, J., & Jones, G. (2006). Contemporary Management, (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Gol-Guvan, M. (2009). Evaluations of the Quality of Early childhood Classroom in Turkey. Early childhood Development and Care 179:4, 437-451.

Goodall, J., & Vurhaus, J. (2010). Review of Best Practice in Parental Engagement. Department of Education UK. Department of Education UK.

Goverment of Kenya. (2018). The County Early Childhood Education Bill. The County Early Childhood Education Bill (p. 51). Nairobi: Goverment Press.

Gray, C., & Macblain, S. (2012). Learning theories in childhood. London: Sage publishers.

Harris, A. (2004 ). "˜Distributed leadership: leading or misleading? Educational Management and Administration, 32(1), 11-24.

Henrick, J. (1988). The whole child (4th ed.). Columbus: Merill publishing company.

Hohmann, M., & Weirkart, D. (2002). Educating young children (2nd ed.). Ypsilant: High Scope Press.

Howe, N., & Prochner, L. W. (2012). Recent Perspectives on Early Childhood Education in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Hoy, W., & Miskel, G. (2008). Educational administration (8th ed). New York: Mc-Graw Hill.

Hsu, D., & Tillman, D. (2000). Living values; An educational program for children ages 3-7. Florida: Health communications.

Hyde, K. A., & Kabiru, M. N. (2003). Early Childhood Development as an Important Strategy to Improve Learning Outcomes . Association for the Development of Education in Africa , 1-116.

Jacobs, G., & Crowley, K. (2007). Play, projects and pre-school standards. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers.

Johnston, J., & Williams, L. (2009). Early Childhood studies. London: Pearson.

Kaplan, P. (2000). A child's odyssey (3rd ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth.

Kariuki, K. I., & Ndani, M. N. (2019). Adequacy of School Infrastructure and Quality of Early Childhood Education - The Case of Nakuru County, Kenya. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 5 │ Issue 12 │ 2019, 1-12.

Kendall, J. (2012). Increasing parental involvement in early childhood education. Florida: University of south Florida.

Kothari, C. (2004). Research methods (2nd ed.). New Delhi: New Age publishers.

Kothari, C. R., & Garg, G. (2019). Research methodology : methods and techniques. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Limited, Publishers.

Koza, W. (2010). Managing an early childhood classroom. Huntington: Shell educational publishers.

Lapan, S., Quartaroli, M., & Riemer, F. (2012). Qualitative Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mandillah, L. (2019). Kenyan Curriculum Reforms and Mother Tongue Education: Issues, Challenges and Implementation Strategies. UNISA: Education as Change Volume 23, 1-18.

Marquez, C. (2019). Latino Parent School Involvement: Do Parents Read and Respond to Teacher Invitations? San Bernardino: California State University.

Meece, J., & Daniels, D. (2008). Child and adolescent development for educators. New Jersey: Merrill.

Meeting King. (2019). Effective school staff meetings. Retrieved from https://meetingking.com/effective-school-staff-meetings/

Metto, E., & Makewa, L. N. (2014). Learner-Centered Teaching: Can It Work in Kenyan Public Primary Schools? American Journal of Educational Research, 2014, Vol. 2, No. 11A, 23-29.

Mishra, L. (2012). Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Care Education. A Study International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 22-27.

Montie, J. E., Xiang, Z., & Schweinhart, L. J. (2006). Preschool experience in 10 countries: Cognitive and language performance at age 7. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21(3), 313-331.

Moyles, J. (2005). The excellence of play (2nd ed.). Buckingham: Open University Press.

Mtahabwa, L., & Rao, N. (2010). Pre-primary education in Tanzania: Observations from urban and rural classrooms. International Journal of Educational Development.

Mugambi, M. M. (2013). Teachers' Perceptions on How Selected School Factors Affect Learning in Pre-Schools in Meru South District, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. Nairobi: University of Nairobi .

Muirjs, D., Aubrey, C., Harris, A., & Briggs, M. (2004). How do they manage? A review of the research on leadership in early childhood. Journal of early childhood research 2(2), 157-160.

Murkerji, P., & Albon, D. (2012). Research methods in early childhood. London: Sage publications.

Nairobi County. (2013). Register for Pre-school and Primary schools. Nairobi: Nairobi County.

Nairobi County. (2015). Education department. Nairobi: Nairobi County.

Neuman, M. J., & Devercelli, A. E. (2012). Early Childhood Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy 2012, Vol. 6, No. 2, 21-34, 1-14.

Njoroge, A. (2011). Factors influencing children enrolment in Pre-school education in Thogoto. Nairobi : University of Nairobi.

Nyakang'i, E. (2018, 08). Home » Competency Based Curriculum » What is Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya? Retrieved from Kenyayote: https://kenyayote.com/what-is-competency-based-curriculum-cbc-in-kenya-detailed-illustration/

Okumbe, A. (1999). Educational management: theory and practice. Nairobi: University of Nairobi press.

O'Leary, Z. (2014). The essential guide to doing your research project (2nd Ed.). London: SAGE.

Onojerena, E. (2015). The Role of School Managers in Curriculum Implementation in Nigerian Secondary Schools. A journal of the Faculty of Education. Ambrose Alli University. Vol .14 1st Edition.

Page, J. (2000). Reframing the early childhood curriculum. London: Routledge Falmer.

Papalia, D., Olds, S., & Feldman, R. (2004). A child's world. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Parker-Rees, R., Leeson, C., Willan, J., & Savage, J. (2010). Early childhood studies (3rd ed.). London: MPG books group.

Patrikakuo, E. N. (2008). The Power of Parents Involvement: Evidence, Ideas and Tools for Students Success. Academic Development Institute.

Pianta, R. (2012). Early childhood education. New York: The Guilford press.

Republic of Kenya. (2005a). Sessional paper N0.1 2005- A policy framework for Education, Training and Research. Nairobi : Government printers.

Republic of Kenya. (2005b). Kenya Education Sector Support Programme 2005-2010. Nairobi: Government printers.

Republic of Kenya. (2008). Early childhood development and education syllabus. Nairobi: Kenya institute of curriculum development.

Republic of Kenya. (2014a). Kenya Gazette supplements No. 108: Senate bills no. 32, 2014. Nairobi: Government printers.

Republic of Kenya. (2018). The County Early Childhood Education Bill. Nairobi : Kenya Goverment Printer .

Republic of Kenya. (n.d.). MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND.

Robert, C., Cesare, A., Higgins, S., & Elliot Lee, M. (2014). What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research. Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring.

Robinson, M. (2008). Child development 0-8 years. London: Open University Press.

Rodd, J. (2006). Leadership in early childhood. The pathway to professionalism. Williston: Teachers' college press.

Ruane, J. (2005). Essentials of research methods. Malden: Blackwell publishers.

Sadek, J., & Sadek, E. (1996). Good practice in PP 1 management. London: Stanley Thomes.

Sheldon, S. T.-V. (2019). Handbook family-school-community partnerships. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Siraj-Blatchford, I. (1998). A curriculum development handbook for each childhood educator. : Trentham Books.

Smidt, S. (2002). A guide to early years practice (2nd ed). New York: Routledge Falmer.

Smith, J. (2010). Early childhood development (5th ed). New Jersey: Merrill.

Sunderman, G., & Kim, J. (2005). Teacher Quality: Equalizing Educational Opportunities and Outcomes. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.

Talan, T., & Bloom, P. (2004). Measuring early childhood leadership and management. New York: Teachers' college press.

Tassoni, P., Bulman, K., Beith, K., Burnman, L., & Eldridge, H. (1999). Early years care and education. London: Barth press.

Teachers Service Commision. (2018). Teacher Registration and Recruitment Requirements. Nairobi : Teachers Service Commision .

Thornton, K., Wansbrough, D., Clarkin-Phillips, J., Aitken, H., & Tamati, A. (2 July 2009.). Conceptualizing Leadership in Early Childhood Education in Aotegroa New Zealand. New Zealand: New Zealand Teachers Council.

UNESCO. (2006a). Education for All global monitoring report 2007: Strong foundations. Paris: UNESCO.

UNESCO. (2006b ). Cross-National compilation of national ECCE profiles. Geneva: UNESCO International Bureau of Education.

UNESCO. (2007). Strong foundations; early childhood care and education. Paris: UNESCO.

UNESCO. (2008). Education for All monitoring report 2009; How far have we come. Paris: UNESCO. .

UNESCO. (2014b). Education for all: the 2015 National review. Nairobi: UNESCO.

UNESCO. (2015). Education for all; 2000-2015; Achievements and challenges. Paris: UNESCO.

UNESCO. (Sep, 2010.). Building the wealth of nations; Conference concept paper. United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization, 27-29.

Verspoor, A. (March 27-31, 2006). Effective Schools for Sub Saharan Africa. Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), 5-10.

Wambui, K. E. (2017). Factors influencing students' academic performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education: a case of Kirinyaga Central sub county. Nairobi: Nairobi University.

Ward, Bowman, C., & Kakabadse, A. (2007). Extra ordinary performance from ordinary people. Amsterdam: Elsevier Ltd.

Wasik, O., & Barbarin, B. (2009). Child development and early education. New York : The Guilford press.

Wiersman, W., & Jurs, S. (2009). Research methods in education (9thed.). Pennsylvania: Allyn & Bacon. .

Yeats, W. (2016, 6 3rd). Early Reading: Igniting education for all. Retrieved from Research Triangle Institute: http://allchildrenreading.org

Yoshikawa, H., & Kabay, S. (2015). The Evidence Base on Early Childhood Care and Education in Global Contexts. New York: UNESCO.

Downloads

Published

2020-10-15

How to Cite

Nyakundi, O., Nyagah, G., Kalai, J., & Munayi, S. (2020). Influence of Parental Involvement on Learning Outcomes at Public Early Childhood Centres in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Journal of Education and Practice, 4(3), 26–43. https://doi.org/10.47941/jep.458

Issue

Section

Articles