Influence of Teacher Professional Qualifications on Acquisition of Learner Competencies in Early Childhood Development and Education in Public Primary Schools in Embu County, Kenya.

Abstract

Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) refer to an educational programme and strategies which are geared towards children from birth to eight years of age. ECDE advancement is aligned to the global consensus which helps in development of children’s emotional, intellectual, social and physical well-being. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of ECDE teacher professional qualifications on learning in early childhood development and education in public primary schools in Embu County, Kenya. ECDE teachers in 381 public primary schools in Embu County were targeted. Stratified random sampling was used to select the schools for the study from the five sub-Counties. The main tools for data collection were questionnaires, document analysis and observation schedule. Both qualitative and quantitative methods collected and analyzed data using SPSS programme. The study found that ECDE teacher professional qualifications had an effect on early childhood development and education learning. Based on results, the study recommends that ECDE teachers handling ECDE classes should be equipped with competency skills for handling learners transiting from ECDE classes that encourage growth of the child holistically. The relevant departments within the Ministry of Education should also monitor ECDE centers and training colleges and especially to see to it that teachers are equipped with the knowledge on monitoring and encouraging growth of children and especially in competencies required in the society they live in. This would ensure smooth transition of pupils from ECDE classes to other grades and complete the purpose of mainstreaming of ECDE learning in primary schools.