Research Article | Open Access
TEACHING LITERACY SKILLS AMONG KINDERGARTENERS: INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED BY KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IN AWUTU-SENYA DISTRICT, GHANA
Samuel, Oppong Frimpong, Anthony, Woode-Eshun, Mark, Gyapong, Emmanuel Owusu
Pages: 282-295
Abstract
This study sought to assess the instructional strategies teachers use in teaching literacy skills among kindergarteners within the Awutu-Senya District. The study adopted a mixed-method approach and a convergent research design. Census was used to select 150 participants for the quantitative phase and the purposive sampling technique was utilized in selecting 10 respondents for the qualitative phase of the study. A structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide were the data collection instruments used. Descriptive statistics was employed in analyzingthe quantitative data using SPSS version 25.0whilst the qualitative data was analysed thematically. The study revealed that though the kindergarten curriculum and resource pack provided by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has outlined effective literacy skill instructional strategies to be used in teaching kindergarteners, teachers did not use these strategies. Reasons for not using the strategies included limited knowledge on how to teach with the strategies, inadequate instructional materials, and classroom with large number of learners. It was recommended that Headteachers, Awutu-Senya District Early Childhood Education coordinators should utilize the Professional Community Learning, and other district and school-based in-service avenues to provide teachers with training on how to teach with these strategies. Also, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service must fasten the process of approving and printing textbooks and should make them easily accessible to kindergarten teachers to enable them to implement the appropriate strategies in the classrooms.
Keywords
literacy skills, literacy development, reading and writing, instructional strategies, kindergarten