Teachers’ Motivation and Its Influence on Acquisition of Reading Skills among Pre-Primary Pupils in Belgut, Kericho County, Kenya

Lilly Chepkoech Marisin, Josphine Oranga & Esther Bitok
School of Education and Human Resource Development
Kisii University, Kenya
Email: lychepmar@gmail.com

Abstract: Reading is an important literacy skill that needs to be established in early years of learning, yet many learners across the world, including Kenya, continue to struggle with reading. The input of the teacher in imparting reading skills is critically important. It is tenable that teachers’ characteristics have a role. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the teachers’ level of motivation on the learners’ acquisition of reading skills in pre-primary. The study was conducted in Belgut, Kericho County, Kenya. The study location was purposively selected for its diverse socio-economic environments and the mixed performance in Primary school learning outcomes. This study was based on Lev Vygotsky’s Interactionist theory. It adopted a descriptive survey design and targeted 240 pre-school teachers and 199 head-teachers. Krejcie and Morgan sample size table was used to arrive at a sample size of 148 teachers. 10% of the head-teachers were sampled for interviews. Stratified random sampling techniques were used to select participants. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to gather data. The data were analysed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 25. Chi square analysis tested for associations between variables. Results revealed that there was modest association, between teachers’ level of motivation with the learners’ acquisition of reading skills. Among 13 motivation indicators used, financial motivation recorded the lowest score on a 5-point scale (2.76). It is recommended that stakeholders invest more in improving the overall work environment; particularly regarding preschool teachers’ remuneration and provision of teaching/learning materials.