Parental kindergarten school choice in Addis Ababa: The policy implications

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out whether parents sending their children to community-based, faith-based, and privately owned kindergartens significantly differ in their perception about the determinants of Kindergarten (KG) school choice. Empirical data were collected through a three-scale closed-ended questionnaire items from 118 parents – selected through stratified proportional sampling from six sample KG schools. The data for each item were inserted into a 3 × 3 contingency table and analyzed by employing descriptive statistics and chi-square (x2) test. Findings of this study showed that parents of the three school type did not significantly differ in their perception on some school choice parameters like: school proximity, childcare and safety, and teachers’ competence and ethics. On the other hand, playgrounds and instructional materials, foreign language instruction, moral/religious instruction, and school transportation service were found as high priorities in school choice for parents of private KG children. Similarly, moral/religious instruction, and playgrounds and instructional materials were high priorities for faith-based KG parents. School provision of free lunch and school fee appeared as the priorities in making school choice for community-based KG parents. These findings do have significant implications in designing policy responses to the varied parental preferences and expectations of KG schooling. The findings also hinted the need for regulating and setting minimum standards for all KG education providers in urban Ethiopia. However, further research is needed to more understand the issue involving wider samples, other related variables, and using qualitative data as well.