Relationship between headteachers’ supervision of teaching and learning materials utilization and learners’ performance in activity areas in public pre-primary schools in Narok county

Abstract

The role of headteachers in the supervision of teaching and learning materials utilization even though widely studied has not been explored in regard to its influence on learners’ performance in public preprimary Schools. The study’s aim was to examine the relationship between headteachers’ supervision of teaching and learning materials utilization on learners’ performance in activity areas in public preprimary schools in Narok County. The study was informed by the Education Production Theory by Hanushek (1995) and Cognitive Load Theory by John Sweller (1988). Convergent Mixed Method design was used as it enables the researcher to handle both qualitative and quantitative data that were collected. The target population was 735 pre-primary schools, 735 Headteachers, 1470 pre-school teachers, 30 ECD Coordinators, and 6 Quality Assurance Standards Officers. The sample size comprised of 85 pre-primary schools, 85 head teachers, 85 pre-primary teachers from public preprimary schools, 6 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers and 9 ECD Coordinators. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of headteachers, while the sample for teachers, ECD Coordinators, and Quality Assurance Standards Officers was selected using simple random sampling technique. The researcher used questionnaires, Interview schedule, Center Performance Assessment Tool, and Center Observation Checklist as the main tools for collecting data. The researcher used qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyzing data. This assisted the researcher to summarize data for easy analysis. Regression Analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results show that headteachers’ supervision of teaching and learning materials utilization had a statistically significant influence on learners’ performance in activity areas.

Keywords: Headteachers’ Supervision of Teaching and Learning Materials Utilization, Learners’ Performance, Activity Areas, Pre-schools, Pre-Primary Schools