Personal attributes influencing gender disparity in development of early childhood education teaching profession in Kakamega East Sub-County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51867/AQSSR.3.2.47Keywords:
Early Childhood Education, Gender, Personal Attributes, Teaching Profession, Kakamega East Sub-County, KenyaAbstract
Education determines the ability of individuals to connect and communicate with one another. Despite this view, the gaps in education opportunities in most developing countries are large. Public schools in Kakamega East Sub-County haven’t escaped the waves of gender disparities that have affected both private and public schools in Kenya. This study, therefore, sought to establish personal attributes influencing gender disparity among early childhood development education (ECDE) teachers in Kakamega East Sub-County, Kenya. The study was supported by the social role theory. A descriptive survey study design was used, which is primarily concerned with the generic statistics that derive from the extraction of data from respondents. The location of study was Kakamega East sub-county in Kakamega County, Kenya. The target population was 1,106, including head teachers, deputy head teachers, teachers, program officers, and quality assurance officers (QUASO). Simple random sampling was employed to select 260 respondents, which constituted the sample size. Stratified random sampling was used to sample schools according to wards. Data was collected by the use of questionnaires and interviews with 37 head teachers, 37 deputy head teachers, and 184 teachers. A pilot study was conducted to validate the research instruments in advance. Cronbach’s alpha (α) as a coefficient method to establish the reliability of the research instruments revealed a coefficient of 0.783, which shows that the instrument was reliable. Data was collected from the teachers in line with the three study objectives using questionnaires and interview schedules. Data obtained from the research instruments were analyzed inferentially and descriptively with the help of a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22. Quantitative data was summarized to quantify the strength of the association between the variables; the researcher conducted a regression analysis to establish the effect of selected factors on gender disparity. Results were presented in tables. The findings revealed that personal attributes have a positive effect (β=.642, p<.05) and explain 40.9% of the variance in gender disparity. It was concluded that all the selected factors had a significant influence on gender disparity in the early childhood education profession. The study recommends that teachers undergo training to help them build on their personal attributes and develop a positive attitude towards ECDE learners.
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