Effects of Early Socialization on the Academic Performance of ECDE Children in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya, though it has various education interventions from the state and non-state actors is faced with very low literacy levels. Many of the residents engage in casual labour and subsistence farming for survival. With this low level of literacy, many of the parents are not aware of good parenting practices for their children. The researcher thus intends to establish the effect of early socializations of children on their academic performance in school.The researcher chose case-study research design to carry out this research. The researcher selected her sample through the use of simple random sampling technique. Data was collected from the respondents through the use of questionnaires and interview schedules. Secondary data was collected by the use of document analysis. The data collected was analyzed and presented in frequency distribution tables, pie charts and bar graphs. Thematic paragraphs were used to present qualitative data.From the research conducted, it was established that the parents instill fear in their children by caning them among other forms of corporal punishment. There also is a relationship between early socialization and the academic performance of children in school. There are various agents that are used to socialize a child in the society including school, family church among others.The researcher recommends creating awareness among the parents, teachers and other stakeholders on the importance of early socialization of children among children. Government interventions are also recommended to solve the issue of poor socialization of children.