Early Childhood Education and Literacy Development: A Perspective of Kenyan Elementary Grades

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Early Childhood Education and Literacy Development: A Perspective of Kenyan Elementary Grades

Dr. Rose Atoni (Ph.D)
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract: – The study investigated on the influence of early childhood education on reading ability of grade one children from a Kenyan perspective. The study was guided by the following objectives; to establish the influence of early childhood education on reading ability of grade one children; to determine whether there is a difference between reading ability competence of children who had received early childhood education and those who had not. The study was guided by the innate theory. The following hypothesis was tested; there is no significant difference between mean reading ability scores of children who attended early childhood education development centres and those pupils who did not attend. Experimental design namely pre- test post-test guided the study. The target population was grade one children and grade one teachers of English. Sampling was through the use of simple random sampling .To collect data observation schedule and reading test was used. Data analysis was done by use of percentages, means and frequencies .To test hypothesis; independent samples t- test was used. To determine validity English experts were consulted and for reliability test retest technique was used. The result was that attendance of early childhood education development did not contribute to a child’s reading ability. It was concluded that the preparation a child receives while at grade one was crucial to development of reading competencies.

Key Words: Early Childhood Education; Reading Ability; Grade One Children; Elementary Schools.

I. INTRODUCTION

The Education For All conference articulated the importance of early year in forming the foundation for the individual in life. Early childhood education development provide an array of educational and social services to children (Gronlund, 2014& Barnett, 1995)). The authors further asserted that the main objective of early childhood education is to prepare children for later formal schooling. Also at this level of learning children to develop skills that will enable them to cope with the demands of primary school and other levels of learning. The aim of early childhood education is to provide developmental support and care for children in their formative years so that they can acquire the skills necessary for future learning and success in school. This success is expected to benefit the social and economic development of society at large.

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