Factors influencing the selection of Instructional Resources in teaching Pre-Schools in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the selection of instructional resources used in public pre-schools in Eldoret Municipality. The study sought to identify various instructional resources used in Pre-schools, teacher attributes that influence the selection of instructional resources in pre-schools, investigate the head teacher-attributes that influence the selection of instructional resources in pre-schools and finally assess the learner characteristics that influence the selection of instructional resources in pre-schools. This study was a descriptive survey and was guided by Bruner's Constructivist Theory, which emphasizes that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas based upon their current knowledge. Stratified sampling was used to categorize centres into 5 zones; proportionate random sampling was used to select 20 Pre-schools from a total of 40 pre-schools. To obtain a public pre-school from each zone for the study sample, simple random sampling was applied. The main research tools were questionnaire, observation and interview schedule. The computer programme SPSS, was useful in analyzing the data collected in which descriptive statistical techniques such the frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. The study established that cards, printing blocks and rollers, containers like plastics and bottles and propellers were being used in the pre-schools selected for this study. It was also revealed that toys, puppets, photographs, picture puzzles, plasticine, pencils and posters were used during lessons taught. Further, it was established that teachers' teaching experience, duration of the training, age of the teacher, teaching methods, and teachers' mastery of content, motivation of the teachers, teachers' level of education, teacher's attitude and competence influence the selection of instructional resources. On the other hand head teacher motivation, the capacity to procure funds to buy instructional resources, the capacity to mobilize resources for the purchase of instructional resources, the capacity of head teachers' knowledge about the instructional material and the attitude towards the instructional resources greatly influence the selection of instructional resources. It was further found out that the age and entry behaviour of a pre-school learner, the number of children admitted and the sex, socio economic background, safety, learners' ability (special! normal learners) and language level were the other factors that influence the selection of instructional resources. On the basis of the findings, various influential factors were discovered which will be useful to both teachers and head teachers of preschools, the Government and the Ministry of Education, particularly the department of Early Childhood Education during the selection of appropriate instructional resources. The recommendations provided by the study includes; allocation of more time on teachers training sessions and regular in-service courses, use of cheaply available instructional resources and careful selection of such resources. .