Parental Satisfaction With The Quality Of Pre-Primary Education In Bondo District, Siaya County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Studies done in Kenya show that most pre-primary education programs suffer from poor quality services. However, many parents continue to enroll their children in these schools and it is not clear whether they are satisfied with the quality of services provided. The purpose of the present study was to establish the overall parents’ satisfaction with the quality of pre-primary education provided to their children in Bondo district, Kenya. The study also explored how parents’ satisfaction with the quality of pre-primary education related to type of school, parents’ education, income and gender. Expectancy- Disconfirmation Theory of Customer Satisfaction was used as the basic theory of the study. It was supported by the Harris School Poll’s Conceptual Model of Parents’ Satisfaction. The population for this study comprised of all parents with children in 206 pre-primary schools in Bondo District, Kenya. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The dependent variable was parents’ satisfaction with the quality of pre-primary education. While the independent variables were type of school, parents’ gender, income and educational levels. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Questionnaires and interview methods were used to collect the required data. The t-test for independent samples was used to test Ho1 and Ho2, while one way ANOVA was used to test Ho3 and Ho4. Data were analyzed by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results showed that most parents were somewhat satisfied with the quality of pre-primary education. A t-test of independent samples found no significant difference in parents’ satisfaction with the quality of pre-primary education by school type and parents’ gender. One way Analysis of Variance found a significant difference in parents’ satisfaction with the quality of pre-primary education by various levels of parents’ education and income. The study recommended that the government and other stakeholders should find alternative ways of addressing the issue of poor quality of education in pre-primary schools. Specific policy issues that were recommended include strengthening of Community Support Grants, establishment of charter pre-primary schools and implementation of voucher schemes. Further research was recommended in the area of factors influencing parents’ choice of pre-primary schools.