Influence of Physical Facilities on Meeting Expectation for Transition from Preschool to Grade one in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

Abstract

In order to increase the transition from preprimary to primary, appropriate expectation measures must be set. However, Grade 1 teachers complain about a pre-school student's bad entry behavior. The following objective drove the study to find out the influence of physical facilities in meeting expectations for the transition from preschool to Grade one. The study was based on the constructivist theory of learning. This study employed a survey research design. The study target was 462 Preschools attached to public primary schools in Elgeyo Marakwet. The target population was 1848 participants comprising 462 headteachers, 924 preschool teachers and 462 Grade one teachers. The sample size of the study was 214 schools, 272 preschool and 210 Grade one teachers. The study employed stratified random and simple random sampling. Research instruments used in this study were questionnaires and interview schedules. A pilot study was carried out in 10 randomly selected schools in Uasin Gishu County to ascertain the reliability and validity of research instruments. Qualitative data collected using interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Quantitative data were coded, cleaned and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 26) to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics used were frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics used were correlation and multiple regression. Analyzed data were presented using tables and reports. Regression of coefficients results shows that physical facilities have a negative and significant effect on meeting expectations for the transition from preschool to Grade one in Elgeyo Marakwet county (β1=-0.140, p=0.037). The study concluded that physical facilities have a significant negative influence on meeting expectations for the transition from preschool to Grade one. The study recommends the county government and other preschools centers stakeholders to ensure that they build and avail the physical facilities.