Influence of Paternal Involvement on Children’s Performance in Number Work and Language Activities in Public Preschools in Starehe Subcounty, Nairobi County

Abstract

This study sought to assess the influence of paternal involvement on pre-school children’s performance in number work and language activities in public preschools schools in Kenya, using schools in Starehe sub-county, Nairobi County as a representative case study. To this end, the study carried out empirical analysis on the primary data collected from head teachers, pre-school teachers, fathers and the preschool children in Starehe sub-county using questionnaires, interview schedules and standardized test. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data using frequencies and percentages. The study involved 4 school head teachers, 12 pre-school teachers, 24 fathers and 24 pre-school children giving a total of 64 participants. The results were presented in form of tables. The results based on the data and available literature shows that paternal involvement in the learning of the preschool children by directly participating in activities such as signing the diary and attending school meetings improves the child’s performance significantly. The study established that when father’s involvement in the pre-school learning is limited to paying school fees and buying only the required books, the impact on performance in number work and language activities is much lower compared to when the father is directly involved by helping the child with homework related work. Based on the findings in the study, recommendations are made to policy makers, school head teachers, teachers and parents to develop mechanisms that will motivate the male parents to take active role in the learning of the pre-school children. When fathers are directly involved in school decision making, their presence will be visible not only in the performance of their children but also in the transformation of the society.