Teacher Operational Dynamics As Support To Child Friendly School Environment In Early Childhood Development Education Centres In Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Education is an important factor in improving children's social and economic development all around the world. Despite the fact that the number of developing nations providing universal primary education has increased dramatically, the quality of such education remains a concern that must be addressed. The study general objective was to assess teacher operational dynamics that foster a child-friendly school environment at public ECDE Centres in Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to establish the influence of instructional methods on child-friendly school environment, to evaluate the influence of teacher’s perception on child-friendly school environment, to examine whether re-designing of learning environment influences child-friendly school environment, and to establish the influence of modification of learning activities on child-friendly school environments in public ECDE Centres in Uasin-Gishu County. The study was underpinned by constructivism instructional theory and the Reggio Emilia philosophy of early childhood education. The study adopted pragmatic paradigm utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study used a hybrid of descriptive and explanatory research designs. The study target population was 2151 participants comprising of; 1728 ECDE teachers, 422 school heads and one County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. The study used Yamane formula to arrive at sample size of 337 respondents. Study used simple random sampling to select ECDE teachers. The purposive sampling technique was used to select head-teachers and QASO officers. The tools that were used in this study were questionnaires and an interview guide. A pilot study was carried out in Nandi County to ascertain validity and reliability of the research instruments. The data was coded into the computer for analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS V. 22). The research yielded both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data obtained from interviews were analyzed qualitatively through thematic analysis and organized into themes and patterns corresponding to the research questions. Themes and categories were generated using codes assigned manually by the researcher. The data was then evaluated and analyzed for use in answering research questions and for report writing. Data from questionnaires were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The descriptive statistics used were frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics used was Pearson Product moment Correlation coefficient to determine the relationship that exists between the independent and dependent variables. Analyzed data were presented in form of frequency tables. The outcomes of the study revealed that instructional methods, teacher perceptions, re-designing learning environments, and changing learning activities all had a positive impact on a child-friendly school environment. In early childhood education, the teaching-learning process is critical. Teachers should establish a friendly learning atmosphere for all learners and pay attention to social interactions among them. The instructor should be creative and sensitive to shifting learning environments as well as address student variety. The findings will help teachers better grasp the best strategies for creating a child-friendly learning environment.