Preschools Research Articles

Early Childhood Education: Issues and Challenges – An Institutional Perspective

Early childhood education also known as preschool or pre-primary education is provided in settings such as Nursery schools, Kindergarten, Anganwadis, Montessori schools, etc. Some are located in the private sector while the Government sponsors some. Pre-primary education is critical for establishing a child's social, emotional, and overall well-being. Typically designed for 3 to 5-year-old children there are varying standards. It is on this foundation that the child's future learning and adaptability are built that it deserves serious attention. The importance of pre-primary education is recognized worldwide nevertheless universal coverage has not been achieved. According to the UNICEF Global Report on Early Childhood Education, which has come recently, world over there were at least 175 million children aged 3 to 6 years old who were not enrolled in school. The early years of a child's life build the basis for lifelong growth, and children who fall behind in these early years often never catch up with their peers, leaving them more likely to drop out of school and fail to reach their full potential. This points to the significance of probing into its causes and reflecting on solutions to overcome them. Going into the causes we find certain factors perpetuating this. Such are Economic backwardness, social backwardness, Institutional backwardness, and Administrative Deficiencies. The former two are pitfalls of a weak institutional system while the latter two reflect an institutional breakdown. Yet there are interlinkages between the two. Economic backwardness arises from the great divide between the rich and the poor and consequent power dynamics leading to increased marginalization of the poor. They lose the capability to encash opportunities for fair standards of living, education, adequate nutrition, appropriate housing, and healthy surroundings. Linked to it is the social backwardness where the morbidity becomes concentrated in the poor. Inadequacy of infrastructure and paucity of teaching-learning methods carefully tailor-made to needs, skilled manpower, motivators, and losing focus are major institutional factors. The state vested with the responsibility to intervene in high-priority areas lagging in progress or developmental needs through special programs and projects time to time suffer pitfalls pointing to administrative deficiencies as systemic factors. This paper attempts to bring out the issues and concerns of pre-primary education from an institutional perspective.

Educating for equality from a decolonial perspective: a participatory action experience with early childhood education students in Lamu, Kenya

The elimination of violence against women is one of the Sustainable Development Goals. Strategies to combat violence against women focus not only on its punitive correction, but also on promoting preventive measures. For this reason, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals recognise the need to include gender education at all levels of education. Similarly, this study, supported by other recent research, considers the inclusion of a gender approach in education as a strategy to prevent violence against women to be essential. In this study, we examined the level of gender equality knowledge in the final year of early childhood education in a school integrated into a non-governmental organisation on the island of Lamu, Kenya. The study was carried out using a participatory action methodology through the design and implementation of a course on «Human Rights and Gender Equality» in the 2019 academic year through twenty formative and participatory workshops. The decision to carry out this intervention stems from having become aware of a sexual aggression by several pupils of the entity’s nursery school against a five-year-old girl. Among the results, we observed the existing differences between the conception of equality in childhood, where there is an egalitarian community upbringing, and adulthood, where gender stereotypes are very evident. We also perceived how violence was intrinsic to children’s lives in public and private spaces, which could influence the possibility of justifying violence towards women as a form of correction from a very early age. In the conclusions, the possibility of working on gender equality issues to give children a space of trust where they can be listened to and respected is positively valued.

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the 10-item perceived stress scale in a sample of teachers.

The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale is a widely used questionnaire for measuring perceived stress. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale in a sample of Italian teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was performed. A sample of 1,179 teachers of pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools anonymously completed an online questionnaire. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed to compare the fit of a two-factor model against a one-factor solution of the scale. Multigroup CFA was run to test the measurement invariance of the two-factor PSS-10 solution across gender. The internal reliability of the scale was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald' omega coefficients. Convergent validity with measures of subjective well-being and self-reported health was evaluated. The results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the two-factor structure of the 10-items Perceived Stress Scale provided a better fit to the data and supported the adequacy of the Italian version of the scale. The two-factor model showed measurement invariance across female and male groups, as result of the multigroup CFA. The scale proved to have good internal reliability. Correlation analyses with measures of the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule and self-reported health supported convergent validity. These results suggest that the Italian version of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale has good psychometric properties and can be considered a valid and reliable instrument to assess perceived stress.

Persistence of Low Back Pain and Predictive Ability of Pain Intensity and Disability in Daily Life among Nursery School Workers in Japan: A Five-Year Panel Study.

Nursery school workers are known for having a high prevalence of low back pain (LBP). The natural history of LBP and the determinants of persistent LBP remain unclear. We examined the prevalence of persistent LBP and whether pain intensity and disability in daily life due to LBP affected the persistence of LBP among these workers. A five-year panel study was conducted for 446 nursery school workers in Japan. LBP, pain intensity, and disability in daily life due to LBP were assessed with a self-administered questionnaire survey. Pain intensity was assessed using the numerical rating scale (NRS). The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ) was used to assess disability in daily life due to LBP. At baseline, 270 nursery school workers (60.5%) suffered from LBP. The estimated prevalence of persistent LBP was 84.6% (80.3-88.9%), 82.2% (77.7-86.8%), and 82.0% (77.4-86.5%) at 1, 3, and 5 years after the initial study, respectively. NRS scores of 5 or greater predicted the persistence of LBP at 1 and 3 years after the initial survey (adjusted odds ratios: 4.01 (1.27-12.6) and 8.51 (1.87-38.7), respectively), while RDQ scores did not. In conclusion, LBP highly persisted for a long time and pain intensity predicted persistent LBP among nursery school workers in Japan.

Impacts of School-Based Outdoor Pedagogical Training Programme on the Teaching Practices of Pre-Primary School Teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria

Purpose: The pedagogical potential of outdoor learning in fostering the well-being and holistic development of children have been extensively documented in literature. Most pre-primary school children in Nigeria are however rarely exposed to outdoor learning experiences, owing probably to the inadequacies in knowledge and expertise among pre-primary school teachers. This study developed, implemented and determined the effectiveness of school-based experiential outdoor pedagogical training programme on the teaching practices of pre-primary school teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria.
 Methodology: The study adopted explanatory sequential design of mixed research methods, where qualitative data supported quantitative findings and provided evidences of the effectiveness of the training programme on outdoor teaching practices. The study used outdoor teaching competencies of the teachers, before and after the training, to provide quantitative evidence as well as interviews to elucidate the perspectives of the teachers on the impact of the training. The participants were (n = 36) pre-primary school teachers who were selected through multi-stage sampling technique across the three Senatorial districts in Oyo State, Nigeria. Experts in outdoor learning in early childhood facilitated the training. The participants were exposed to various critical aspects of their role in facilitating meaningful and enriching outdoor learning experiences for pre-primary children. The participants were engaged in hands-on training with various aspects of effective implementation of the early childhood curriculum in the outdoor environment. Aspects covered included lesson planning, sourcing lesson materials, organization of learning environment, instructional approaches and techniques, assessment and safety management, among others. The study was carried out between September, 2022 and June, 2023.
 Findings: The study found a variety of improvement in the outdoor teaching practices and learning opportunities for the children. The training showed positive effects on teaching practices and the overall performance of the teachers. The teachers showed increased skillfulness in lesson planning, instructional effectiveness, creativity and innovation in facilitating learning as well as deployment of varieties of teaching methods. The teachers broadly reported positive perspective of the training and believed it was helpful to their teaching practices. In addition, the teachers agreed that the training increased their confidence and expertise to engage children in quality outdoor learning as well as improved children's participation and enthusiasm for learning. Lack of policy support, parental concerns, time and availability of resources were some of the barriers reported by the teachers in the study.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study was anchored on experiential theory which emphasized the transformational effect of learning through direct experience, reflection and active experimentation. The findings appeared to lend support to the realms of theory, practice and policy within the domains of early childhood education. It enriched theoretical understanding by offering concrete, real-world applications of outdoor learning concepts, thereby, fostering a deeper comprehension of learning in the practical setting. It also provided pre-primary teachers with practical tools and strategies to effectively implement outdoor learning methodologies, thereby, promoting a more holistic and experiential approach to early childhood education. The study similarly provided a basis for the integration of outdoor pedagogy in the formal educational structure, emphasizing the significance of nature-based education and, suggesting the need for a broader integration of outdoor strategies in the context of educational policy development in Nigeria.

Nursery World visits…: Belmont Farm Nursery School

Nicole Weinstein visits a London day nursery on the site of a working farm and looks at the resources and learning that takes place in its Forest School

Competence-Based Assessment in Pre-primary School Classrooms: The Case of Pre-primary Schools in Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

This article is based on the study which sought to examine assessment practices in pre-primary classroom settings. Specifically, the study sought to examine pre-primary school teachers’ knowledge of competence-based assessmentstrategies and abilities to employ competence-based assessment strategies in improving classroom teaching and learning. A descriptive case study design was employed in which 15 quality assurance officers, 15 head of schools and15 pre-primary school teachers from Kinondoni, Ilala and Temeke Municipalities of Dar es Salaam Region were involved. The data were collected through interviews, observations and documentary reviews and the analysis was done using thematic analysis approach. The findings indicated that teachers lacked a clear understanding of competence-based assessment strategies such as natural observations, checklists, oral interviews, peer interviews, cumulative forms, rating scales, projects and portfolios. The findings also revealed that most of the pre-primary school teachers were not able to employ competence-based assessment strategies in improving classroom teaching and learning as they were mostly using traditional ways of assessing children development such as written exercises, tests, and examinations. Based on these findings, it is recommended that Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) should conduct regular training on competence-based assessment to enable teachers understand what it entails and how it can be effectively implemented. It is also recommended that Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) should specify pre-primary school assessment strategies and tools which are reflective of the Tanzanian context so that the pre-primary school teachers do not encounter challenges in employing them. Lastly, it is recommended that teacher training institutions, including universities, should adopt competence-based teaching and learning styles during the preparations of teachers who will then work in pre-schools and colleges.

Teacher- competency a precursor of effective implementation of the competence-based curriculum among pre-primary schools in Kenya

Competency based curriculum is a new programme in Kenya whose implementation faces a myriad of challenges amid the posted successes. The curriculum was rolled out in the year 2017 and quite some successes cannot be underestimated. This study examined the teacher-level of factor as a precursor of effective implementation of the CBC. The study focused all pre-primary school centres in Embu County against the teachers’ competencies besides exploring the CBC implementation levels since its inception. The study was anchored on the theory of curriculum implementation (Gross, 1971). Purposive sampling was employed in identifying the study locale whereas simple random sampling was employed to draw a study sample size of 10%. Ex post facto research design was adopted since there was no manipulation of the study variables whose influence was already experienced. An exploratory survey methodology was utilized in collecting data. Data was collected using questionnaire, a check-list and an interview schedule. Data was analyzed using descriptive techniques with the help of the SPSS version 29. Results indicated low levels of CBC implementation and recommended teacher related factors to be addressed to mitigate the low level of CBC implementation particularly at the lower primary school grades. Pre-primary school teacher-competencies were found wanting despite indication of rigorous training sessions for lower primary school teachers. Meaning more emphasis was laid on lower primary school teachers than on all lower primary grades pre-primary school center teachers. All teachers require the training on CBC particularly those at foundational grades including Pre-primary teachers. The study therefore recommends that the government should scale up a series of induction/training programs in order to retool teachers’ pedagogical competencies. This will enhance CBC implementation and up take at all levels.

Afety and Protection Practices in the Early Childhood Education Centres

A safe and secure environment is an essential part of the early childhood development of any child. This study aims to investigate the safety and protection practices of early childhood centers in the Anambra state, Nigeria, and to determine if any improvements can be made to them. This study analyzed data collected from 60 Early Childhood Care Centers (ECCE Centers) and 60 Pre-Primary Schools (Preprimary School) in Anambra State using the Evaluation of ECCE Implementation Kit (KEIEP), direct observation, and unstructured interviews, all of which were conducted using the evaluation tool. Using descriptive statistics, chi-squares, and student t-statistics, the data were analyzed. According to the results of this study, 28.0% of the private ECCE centers were in compliance with the requirements for enough space for children to play, fenced facilities, a standard first aid box, a splint bandage and an antiseptic. It is important to note that the majority of public early childhood education centers (62.0%) comply with the requirements for fencing, a first aid box, splint bandages, cotton wool, antiseptic, scissors, methylated spirit, liniment, analgesics, and thermometers, whereas 31% of those centers do not have the remaining seven practices. A conclusion of the study was that both private and public ECCE centers in Anambra State comply with the safety and protection provisions and practices in place. Keywords: Caregiver, Early Childhood Education, Protection, Safety Practices

The Effects of Neighborhood Trust and Support on Parenting Stress of Mothers With Young Children in Japan.

While childrearing can enhance mothers' psychological well-being, parenting can also increase mental stress for mothers with young children, which is considered a risk factor for child maltreatment. A lack of social capital reportedly influences mothers' parenting, but few studies have investigated the effects of social capital on the perception of mental stress and well-being associated with childrearing among mothers with young children. Therefore, we investigated the effects of lower perceived neighborhood trust and support on higher mental stress and/or lower well-being associated with childrearing among Japanese mothers with children aged 2 to 3 years. A total of 570 mothers with children (aged 2-3 years) in nursery school were invited to join the survey. The childrearing perspective scale for mothers (CPS-M97) was used to evaluate mothers' perceptions of mental stress and well-being associated with childrearing. Odds ratios (ORs) reflecting lower satisfaction/fulfillment scores (ie, well-being) and/or higher burdened/anxious scores (ie, mental stress) associated with perceived social capital levels were analyzed, after adjusting for confounding factors. The OR for lower satisfaction/fulfillment scores was significantly higher (OR = 1.77) for mothers with lower neighborhood trust. Significantly increased ORs for higher burdened/anxious scores were found in mothers with lower neighborhood trust (OR = 1.50) and support (OR = 1.49). The ORs for poor mental status, with lower satisfaction/fulfillment scores and higher burdened/anxious scores, were significantly increased in mothers with lower neighborhood trust (OR = 1.96) and lower neighborhood support (OR = 2.10). Higher social capital was associated with higher psychological well-being and/or lower mental stress in Japanese childrearing mothers. These results suggest that enhancing social capital is necessary to facilitate successful parenting that contributes to the prevention of child maltreatment.

Teaching of Social Studies in Nigerian Schools: A Case for Activity Methods

Aim of the Study: this study examined the effect of using Activity based methods to teach Social Studies in Primary School Pupils in Nigeria. The Pupils used for the study were randomly picked in a primary school located in Ikere Ekiti. Methodology: The sample included 240 pupils out of a total of 497 pupils in primary five. Based on their performances in the recent conducted promotion examination, the pupils were listed and assigned to classes A and B systematically so as to concentrate on only the bright ones in the class. A was made the experimental group and B the control group. At the end of six weeks of intensive coaching, a test was administered to the two groups by the researcher and two research assistants respectively. Findings: the findings of this study revealed that there was a significant difference between the pupils in the experimental group (Group A) and those in the control group (Group B) in terms of their performance in the test administered after treatment. The group taught using the activity method performed better in terms of achievement. However, there was no significant difference in the performance of male and female pupils. Conclusion: it is recommended that teachers of Social Studies at the primary school level should identify teaching strategies and resource materials which facilitate learning and better comprehension of the subject matter of social studies. Recommendations: Despite the obvious benefits of the Activity based teaching, most teachers do not use that method of teaching social studies. Teachers of Social Studies especially at this level should be complaint to this method and other innovative methods of teaching the subject especially at the pre-primary and primary school level.

A Preprimary School Teachers’ Perspective on Early Childhood Giftedness

A Preprimary School Teachers’ Perspective on Early Childhood Giftedness

一般論文] 『어린이』에 수록된 유희동요 연구

This study focuses on the children’s songs featured in the Eorini started publication in 1923. The significance of children’s play music was investigated by examining newspaper articles, focusing on Dance and Recreation Schools which were popular in the late 1920s, and examines the correlation between Eorini and the Dance and Recreation School.
 The research examined songs featured across 116 editions of the Eorini, pinpointing six children’s play songs and a play chang'ga. The findings were as follows:
 First, a total of six children’s play songs were published in the Eorini, including a play chang'ga. Four songs were accompanied with photos, and two songs had commentary. The music were interesting to children, while being easy to sing and follow.
 Second, the study examined the correlation between children’s play songs featured in the Eorini and the School. From 1928 to 1949, it offered courses tailored for kindergarten educators. The study found that Kim Young-jae, served as the primary contributor, writing dances for four out of the six songs in the Eorini. He was the most active trainer in the School, and worked in many nursery schools. Dance and play education in the 1930s was considered important based on newspaper articles at the time. The play songs in the Eorini were disseminated to kindergartens through the School, primarily by Kim Young-jae, influenced education in kindergartens. This study demonstrates the magazine’s stature, societal, educational impact, and influence in the 1920s and 1930s.

Investigation of Motor Development Levels of 04-06 Age Group Girls and Boys According to Bruininks-Oseretsky Test

Motor skills are the physical elements that enable movement. Basic skills at an early age form the basis for activities that require much more complex motor skills specific to sports. These basic skills are called basic motor skills and include activities such as throwing, jumping, running, catching and hitting. Basic movement skills form the basis of sport-specific skills to be acquired later. In this respect, it is important to measure the basic movement skills of children and to monitor these skill levels. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the motor development levels of children aged 04-06 according to the Bruininks-Oseretsky test.
 The population of the study consists of children between the ages of 4-6 attending kindergartens and nursery schools in Rize in 2018-2019 academic year. 286 healthy children, 150 males and 136 girls, were randomly chosen for the study's sample. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Proficiency Test (BOT-2) was used in its abbreviated form for this experiment. Normality test was applied to the obtained data. It was observed that the data had normal distribution in some sub-groups and not normal distribution in some others. When comparing two independent groups in pairs, the t-test, or Mann-Whitney-U test, was used at a significance level of = 0,05, and the one-way ANOVA test, or Kruskal-Wallis H test, was used when comparing three or more groups.
 Test results showed that the difference between the gross motor skill levels of the children by gender and age was significant (Z0.05;-3,538; p

Evaluation of Total Protein in Malaria Parasitaemia

Malaria endemicity is most common in the tropical region, continuous transmission still occurs in about 85 countries and regions. The liver is very essential in overall body physiology and it plays a very important role in the life cycle of malaria and its function may be altered due to malaria parasitaemia. This cross sectional study was aimed at evaluating the level of total protein in malaria parasitaemia among children attending Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Palmars, Omega Children Hospital, Early Breed Group of Schools, St Francis Nursery and Primary school and Staff Nursery and Primary school in Port Harcourt, Rivers state Nigeria. Of the 1000 subjects within 1-10 years, 694 subjects had malaria parasitaemia while 306 subjects had no malaria and thus made up the control group. Venipuncture technique was used to collect samples for estimation of malaria parasite density and total protein (TP) using biuret method. The results showed low (873.8±30.44), moderate (3248±109.31) and high malaria (24813.8±877.22) densities with TP values of 42.70±0.50g/l, 43.21±0.60g/l and 39.64±0.60g/l respectively. There was a significant difference (P-value<0.05) in total protein (TP) levels among various groups of malaria densities. This study has shown that the impact of malaria on the liver health vary depending on the level of the infestation.

CURRENT STATUS OF BRAND MANAGEMENT AND BUILDING OF NON-PUBLIC NURSERY SCHOOLS IN HIEP HOA DISTRICT, BAC GIANG PROVINCE

Building a strong brand will affirm the position and image of the school in society. Currently, the non-public system of nursery schools is growing and developing along with the trend of socialization of education. Although positive results have been achieved, fierce competition between educational organizations is the difficulty that all schools are facing. The article has analyzed the current situation of planning, organizing, directing, inspecting, and evaluating the branding of non-public nursery schools as well as the management of physical facilities for branding. Thereby clearly identifying the limitations and causes of limitations as a premise to propose measures based on a number of research directions to meet urgent scientific and practical requirements.

Infrastructural Facilities and Supervision: Strategies for Effective Management of Nursery Schools in Ika North East

This work focused on the infrastructural facilities and supervision of instruction as strategies for effective management of nursery schools in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State. The research design was ex-post-facto. In carrying out the research 180 teachers were selected from 20 nursery school. The instrument used for eliciting information from the respondents was questionnaire titled strategies for effective management questionnaire (SEMQ). The statistical tool employed was the chi-square. Some of the findings of the study revealed that adequate infrastructural facilities lead to effective management of nursery school, effective use of infrastructural facilities lead to effective management of nursery schools and adequate supervision of instruction leads to effective management of nursery schools. The researcher recommended that adequate infrastructural facilities should be made available in schools, because these facilities help to make learning easy and significant, promote meaningful teaching and learning and consequently, promote the standard of education in the country and there should be adequate supervision of instruction in both public and private nursery schools with a view to improve the management of schools.

Pre-Primary Education and School Readiness Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This article investigates to what extent disrupted schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected pre-primary-age children’s school readiness in Ethiopia. We use data on early numeracy of 2,640 children collected before and after the eight-month school closure to assess their learning progress in the context of COVID-19. We find that children who attended pre-primary school prior to the school closures performed better than those who did not after schools re-opened, and made greater gains in early numeracy at primary school entry. For children who attended pre-primary education, boys, children with literate caregivers, and those from wealthier families show significantly greater learning gains than their peers, which raised concerns about widening learning inequality as a result of the pandemic. Given that pre-primary education was the most neglected part of the government’s COVID-19 education response, these findings point to an urgent need for political leadership to prioritize pre-primary education in responding to the current and future crises.

Influence of Nurturing Creativity in Education on Student’s Academic Performance in Selected Private Nursery and Primary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of Rubavu District

Influence of Nurturing Creativity in Education on Student’s Academic Performance in Selected Private Nursery and Primary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of Rubavu District

Assessment of the Sustainability of Community-based Preprimary School Teaching Program on Education Empowerment to Children in Longido District, Tanzania

The study assessed the Sustainability of the Community Based Preprimary School Teaching Program on Education Empowerment to Children in Longido District. Convergent design under the Mixed Methods Approach was used. Research instruments used in the study include an interview guide, questionnaires, and observation schedules. The target population was 146 participants. The study sample comprised 44 participants, namely: 28 teachers, 1 quality assurance Education officer, 3 Ward education officers, 1 programme Coordinator, 4 head teachers, and 8 parents. Data collected using questionnaires were coded and entered into the computer, using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 to analyze the data. Validity of the evaluation instruments was conducted through content analysis to check grammar and language appropriateness of the items in questionnaires, interview guide, and observation schedule. The reliability of questionnaires for teachers was ensured by the Cronbach-alpha coefficient. The study found that the program will be sustained to a great extent through fundraising, the creation of income-generating projects, soliciting funds from donors, and involvement of the community in program development. The study concludes that the sustainability of the community-based preprimary school teaching program enhances, to a great extent, the empowerment of children in education. The study recommends that the government should support the program since it enhances the provision of quality education to Tanzanian children.