An Evaluation on the Attitude of Child Care Givers Towards Child Care Practices in Nursery School
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the Study
This study seeks to ascertain the caregivers attitude towards child care practices in nursery schools.
Objectives
- To access the impact of care givers towards child care practices.
- To find out the attitude of care givers towards child care practices.
- To find out the various problems in which the care givers usually encounter towards child care practices.
- To find the extent to which child care practices is relevant to the early childhood education.
- To find out the difference between the children who were presented for child care practices and those who do not as regards to their early childhood education.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
Precisely, the chapter will be considered in three sub-headings:
- Conceptual Framework
- Theoretical Framework
- Empirical Review
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Early Childhood Education in Nigeria: Historical Development
Early childhood education has foundations in both philosophy and psychology. Hence, great thinkers like John Amos Comenius (1590-1690), Jean-Jacque Rousseau (1782 – 1788), Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1748-1827) and Friedrich Froebel (1782-1751) all developed theories in support of the practice. In Nigeria, too, scholars like Fafunwa (1967) and Maduewesi (1992) have written and spoken profusely in support of early childhood education.
Some scholars are of the opinion that in Nigeria Early Childhood Education was introduced by British colonial masters and soon spread to their Nigerian employees who tried to imitate their masters. Onyewumi (2010) and Sooter (2013) are a representation of those who propose this viewpoint. Onyewumi (2010) further explains that at that time only the wealthy could afford to send their children for such education. However, the Universal Primary Education (UPE), an initiative that afforded free education proved to be the lifeline for the children from poor homes. Obiweluozor (2015) and Sooter (2013) both corroborate this view also. As more children were sent to school the availability of these children for household servants declined rapidly. The needs of working class parents at that time for where to keep their babies (as it is today too), thus, became the catalyst for the growth of Early Childhood Education in Nigeria.
There are however some scholars who have a different perspective on the origin of Early Childhood Education in Nigeria. According to Akinbote (2006) Early Childhood Education in Nigeria started as an upshot of catechism classes or evangelism conducted by White missionaries in church premises. According to this view, church premises served as the venues for the schools, organized by missionaries, with their wives often in charge of their children and those of their members. A section of Sunday schools was also dedicated for focusing on these children. As the number of the children increased, school days were soon spread beyond Sunday alone to all other days of the week (Akinbote 2006).
Education for All Global Monitoring Report- EAGM (2007) observed that a 2003 study revealed that more than two-fifth (42%) of the sampled early childhood care facilities (such as Crèches, Pre-Nursery and Nursery schools) in Nigeria as at 2003 were private-owned. Government-owned accounted for 34%, and 21% by local communities. As time went on, however, it became necessary for the government to increase its involvement in pre-school education in the country. This led to the integration of this segment of education in 2004 into the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme by the UBE Act (2004). All children within the pre-school age bracket were entitled to be admitted into any Early Childhood Education Center without paying school fees. Then, also a plan was ignited to integrate Early Childhood Education into every public primary school so that the public primary schools began to serve as centers for Early Childhood Education also. From the year 2003/2004, the gross and net enrolment ratios were 14.7% and 10.9% respectively. The normative age groups under consideration were 3-5 years of age (EAGM 2007).
Federal Government interventions in Early Childhood education led to an upsurge in enrolment of preprimary school children for the programme. This led to a need for proper organization, coordination and guidance in order to attain the goals of education at that age. The Nigerian National Policy of Education saw this need and in 2004 it developed a policy that would guide Early Childhood Education in the country.
Concept of Early Childhood Care and Education
Maduewesi (1999) refers to early childhood care and Education as the education offered to children who have not yet reached the statutory age of beginning primary school. He further maintained that it is a semi-formal education arrangement, usually outside home where by young children from about the age of 3 years are exposed through play like activities in a group setting through mental, social and physical learning suited to their developmental stages, until the mandatory age of government approved formal schooling. FRN (2004) refers to Early childhood care and Education (pre-primary education) as an education given in an educational institution to children aged 3-5 plus prior to their enrollment in the primary school.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
Research Design
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e. mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of two hundred and twenty-nine (229) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which two hundred and fifteen (215) were returned while two hundred and ten (210) were validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 210 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Introduction
This chapter summarizes the findings on the attitudes of child caregivers towards child care practices in nursery schools in Agege and Ikeja Local Government Areas of Lagos State. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.
Summary of the Study
In this study, our focus was to examine the attitudes of child caregivers towards child care practices in nursery schools in Agege and Ikeja Local Government Areas of Lagos State. The study was specifically carried out to ascertain the impact of care givers towards child care practices, find out the attitude of care givers towards child care practices, find out the various problems in which the care givers usually encounter towards child care practices, find the extent to which child care practices is relevant to the early childhood education, and find out the difference between the children who were presented for child care practices and those who do not as regards to their early childhood education.
The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 210 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent are child caregivers in selected nursery schools in Agege and Ikeja Local Government Areas of Lagos State.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of this study, the researcher concluded that;
- The extent care givers impact on childcare practices is high.
- The care givers have a positive attitude towards child care practices.
- The various problems in which the care givers usually encountered towards child care practices includes: inadequate funding, lack of teaching resources, the non-availability of the national early childhood curriculum, lack of professional training for the teachers, Higher staff-child ratios.
- The extent child care practice is relevant to the early childhood education is high.
- There is a difference between the children who were presented for childcare practices and those who do not as regards childcare practices.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are proffered.
- For all children from both rural and urban areas to benefit from the identified significant effects of early childhood education experiences, there is need for the governments, especially at the local level to show more interest in early childhood education by providing adequate facilities and funds to the public or non-private early childhood settings, so as to ensure quality setting;
- A policy that will encourage the Non-governmental Organisation (NGOs) to come up with an interventions that can improve early childhood programme attendance chances for children across the globe, especially those from disadvantaged communities with high rates of poverty, violence, substance abuse, and physical and social disorder, should be developed and reviewed regularly;
- Effective quality monitoring units should be set up by State Ministry of Education and provide them with necessary logistic to ensure that minimum standards are maintained in both public and private early childhood education settings.
REFERENCES
- Akinbote, O. (2006). Origin and development of Early Childhood Education. National Open University (NOUN). Available at: http://www.nou.edu.ng/ noun/NOUN_OCL /pdf/EDUs/ ECE%20112%20ORIGIN%20&%20DEVPT%20OF%20ECE.pdf
- Anderson, R. H. (2002). Implications of early children education for life-long learning. Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education. Year Book II.
- Education for All Global Monitoring Report- EAGM (2007). Nigeria, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs. Compiled by UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE), Geneva, Switzerland (2006). Available on: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/ 0014/001472/147201e.pdf
- education: Achievements and short comings, in A. Ndu (Ed.) Educational policy and
- Emenanjo, E.N. (2001). Languages, NPE/UBE in multilingual Nigeria: Implementation
- Fafunwa, A. B. (1967). History of education in Nigeria. London: George Alien and Unwin.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria (1977). National policy on education. Lagos: Federal Ministry of
- Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education. Lagos: Government Press.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria (2012). National Policy on Education (4th Ed.) Lagos: NERCDC
- implementation in Nigeria. Awka: Mekslink Publishers.
- Maduewesi, E. J. (1999). Early childhood Education: Theory and Practice. Lagos: Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Limited.
- Maduewesi, E.J. (2001). Funding of early childhood education. In: E.J. Maduewesi (Ed). Financing of Education in Nigeria. Ibadan: The Nigerian Academy of Education.
- Maduewesi, E.L. (1992). Implementation of educational policy in pre-primary and primary
- Mishra, R. C. (2008). Early child care and education.New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation.
- Nakpodia, E. D. (2011). Early childhood education: Its policy formulation and implementation in Nigerian educational system. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 5(3): 159-163.
- Obiweluozor, N. (2015), “Early Childhood Education in Nigeria, Policy Implementation: Critique and a Way Forward,” African Journal of Teacher Education (AJOTE), Vol. 4, No. 4 (2015), 1-8.
