Abstract:
This study sought to investigate the factors influencing the provision of instructional materials in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) in Keiyo North Sub County. It determined the availability of instructional materials, established the source of instructional materials, assessed the classroom environment, examined the roles played by the stake holders in provision of the instructional materials and investigated the perception of the stakeholders towards the provision of instructional materials in the ECDE centres of the sub county. It was guided by the systems theory which is an approach looking at different systems, sub-systems and supra-systems together with their characteristics and relationships with one another. The study employed a survey research design. The target population was 688 comprising the DQASO, DICECE officers, 376 ECDE teachers, 66 head teachers, 120 ECDE centres and 120 Centre Management Committee Chairpersons. The sample size was 230 respondents drawn from the education office and 120 ECDE Centres. They were selected through purposive, stratified and simple random sampling respectively. Data was collected using questionnaire, observation checklist and interview schedule. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages. From the study, the instructional materials were either inadequate or not available. The sources of instructional materials were most frequently improvised by the ECDE teacher and less frequently purchased through fees payment while borrowing from libraries, Income Generating Projects, fund raising and publishers were not utilized at all. The classroom environment including outdoor playfield and furniture were available but not adequate. Most stakeholders played their roles inadequately. The perception of the stakeholders towards provision of the instructional materials included low support by parents and other stakeholders, inadequate finance, low motivated ECDE teachers and incompetent primary school head teachers. The study recommends the Center Management Committee, ECDE teachers and other stakeholders to activate and maximize their roles, sources, classroom environment and facilitate sensitization and mobilization of the stakeholders towards effective provision of ECDE instructional materials. The findings of the study will be of paramount significance to the head teachers, ECDE teachers, education officers and other stakeholders towards improving provision of the instructional materials for a successful instructional system.
