Effect of Teachers’ Competence in English Phonology on Reading Ability among Pre-School Children in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya.

Abstract

Good performance in English opens doors to many lucrative careers locally and internationally. Teaching reading and success in reading ability is therefore important for young learners. However, the ability for teachers to teach reading is not well documented. Little research has been conducted on teachers’ competence and attitudes towards reading ability among learners at preschool level. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of teachers’ competence on reading ability among pre-school children in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya. The theory of planned behaviour and education production function theory guided the study. The study employed the mixed methods approach. An explanatory research design was used. The target population was all the 1252 pre-school teachers in Elgeyo Marakwet County Kenya. Multistage random sampling technique was used to select the participating schools and individual teachers. A sample size of 294 schools was used. The instruments utilised were questionnaires, and observation schedules. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings revealed that there are more female pre-school teachers than male. It was also found that most of the pre-school teachers were inexperienced. Results indicated that the teachers’ competency in English phonology was below average. The study results indicated that the pre-school children reading ability was poor. Teacher competency in English phonology was found to have a positive significant effect on reading ability of pre-school children (β= .307, p<0.05). The study concluded that pre-school teaching is a gendered profession characterized by low competency in English phonology. It was also concluded that teacher competency in English phonology has a bearing on the reading ability of pre-school children. The study therefore recommended that preschool teachers be trained to improve their competency in English phonology as to improve the reading ability of pre-school children.