The role of Early Childhood Education on Genderedself Conceptof Children in Naivasha Sub County, Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Gendered self-concept can be described as an individual’s perception or evaluation of himself or herself, including the perceptions about the gender roles the person plays in society. The study sought to examine the role that early childhood education plays on the said gendered self-concept of children aged 6 to 10 years in Naivasha Sub-County. This was done by asking 3 major questions, what are the perspectives of children on gender roles for men and women, which gender dimensions, are illustrated in text material used to deliver the Early Learning Curriculum to children and what role these gender dimensions have played on the gendered self-concept of children. Social learning theory, liberal feminist theory and ABC of gender analysis were used to guide the researcher in data interpretation. The study employed a qualitative design and used child participatory methods, key informant interviews and critical textbook analysis as data collection tools. The sample size was 70 children, (34 boys and 36) girls. It was established that boys and girls hold different gender perspectives on gender roles allocated for men and women, for instance, boys associated women with traditionally female stereotyped careers as demonstrated by only 6% of the boys choosing doctor for women and 48% choosing doctor for men. Girls on the other hand were less stereotypical in their career choices for women with almost equal selection for doctor, with men at 42% and women at 35%. The study established that the text material used in the delivery of Early Childhood Education as perpetuates existing gender stereotypes with gender biased illustrations for productive and reproductive roles, power relations, leadership roles and careers. It therefore concludes that early childhood education influences the gendered self-concept of children by perpetuating existing gender stereotypes in society. The study recommends that in order to achieve gender equality using education, involved stakeholders need to create a school environment and a curriculum that legitimizes gender equality to both boys and girls. Education should structurally entrench the equality of the sexes using all its facets by using gender sensitive teaching materials and ensuring continuous gender training and workshops for teachers and other stakeholders.