Influence Of Parents’ Involvement On Learning Outcomes Of Early Childhood Learners In Makueni Sub-county, Makueni County, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of parents’ involvement on learning outcomes of ECDE learners in Makueni Sub-county, Makueni County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were; to assess influence of parents’ involvement in homework activities, school decision-making, volunteering activities and parent-school communication on learning outcomes of early childhood learners. The study was guided by parental involvement theory and learning outcomes theory. The study adopted a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches of methodology. The study applied concurrent triangulation design in which researcher implemented the quantitative and qualitative method at the same time and with equal weight. Target population comprised 76 headteachers, 304 ECDE teachers, 304 parents’ representatives and 2,500 ECDE learners. Using the Central Limit Theorem, a sample of 200 respondents were selected. Stratified sampling was applied to create five strata based on the number of zones in Makueni Sub-county. From the sample, the researcher selected 15 headteachers, 90 ECDE teachers, 30 parents’ representatives and 65 ECDE learners. Questionnaires were used to collect data from headteachers and ECDE teachers, interview guides were used to collect data from parents’ representatives whereas observation checklists were used to gather information from ECDE learners. Piloting was conducted amongst 20 respondents from a sample of ECDE centers in Makueni Sub-county to establish validity and reliability.