FREQUENCY OF USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA AND ACQUISITION OF NUMERACY SKILLS AMONG PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the frequency of the use of instructional media in the acquisition of numeracy skills among pre-primary school children. The study was guided by Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, which emphasizes experience with instructional media as the basis on which concepts are developed. The study targeted a population of 204, comprising 136 pre-primary school teachers and 68 head teachers in Kasarani Sub-County. A sample size of 61participants, comprising 20 head teachers, and 41 pre-primary school teachers were sampled from 20 pre-primary schools. Data was collected using a questionnaire, interview schedule, and observation checklist. To ensure the validity and reliability of the study instruments, content validity and split-half technique were used respectively. The study employed a descriptive research design and analyzed qualitative data thematically and the responses were captured in the analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviation. The analysis process was facilitated by SPSS software Version 26.0. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically based on the study objectives. The results showed that the frequencies in which they used the materials varied among schools.  The majority of the respondents used the instructional media in numeracy lessons once a week as indicated by the majority (53.6%) who used sticks weekly, stones (53.6%), bottles (34.1%, bottle tops (53.6%), water (46.2), blocks (60.9%) and empty containers (43.9%). once a week. The study concluded that the majority of the pre-primary school teachers used the instructional media in numeracy lessons only once a week which was not effective enough for learners to acquire the basic numeracy skills. The study recommended that pre-primary school teachers should enroll in short courses which can equip them with skills in improvising instructional media from locally available resources. The study recommended that the school head teachers should pair teachers up to develop an interdisciplinary teaching activity using various instructional resources.