Influence Of School Based Factors On Preschool Children Participation In Creative Activities In Marani Sub-county, Kenya

Every child is born with creative potential and it is the role of early education and later school years to nurture that creativity and support resourceful problem-solving, imaginative thinking, and transference of skills and knowledge to new experiences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of school based factors on preschool children participation in creative activities in Marani Sub-County, Kenya. The study aimed at establishing the influence of teachers’ attitude towards creative activities, assessing the influence of availability of teaching and learning resources, and examining the influence of teachers’ professional development on preschool learners’ participation in creative activities in Marani sub-county, Kisii County. The study was based on Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory. The study adopted cross sectional survey design. The study targeted 61 head teachers, 198 preschool teachers and 3040 preschool children from 61 public Early Childhood Development Education centres. The study sampled 36 preschool teachers, 18 head teachers and 845 preschool children. Data were collected through preschool teachers’ questionnaire, head teachers’ interview schedule and preschool learners’ creative activities observation schedule. Pilot testing involved teachers and head teachers from the neighbouring Kitutu Chache Sub County. The content and construct validity of the data collection instruments was ascertained by presenting the instruments for scrutiny by the researcher’s two university supervisors. Reliability of the preschool teachers’ questionnaire was ascertained through test-retest technique. Data were analysed by both descriptive and inferential statistics.