IMPACT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN AWKA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study determined the impact of early childhood education on the academic performance of primary school pupils in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State. Three research questions guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted in this study. Population of the study was made up of 419 teachers comprising all the teachers in the 45 public primary schools in Awka South Local Government Area. The sample size was 151 primary school teachers drawn using the simple random sampling technique. The research instrument for the study is a questionnaire titled “Impact of Early Childhood Education on the Academic Performance of Primary School Pupils Questionnaire” (IECEAPPSPQ). The instrument contained three clusters with 21 items that sought information required to answer the research questions. The internal consistencies of the items in the clusters were determined using Cronbach Alpha Method and an overall coefficient of 0.76 was obtained. Data collected were analyzed using mean. A mean cut off of 2.50 was used as the bench mark. It was revealed that early childhood education has positive impact on the cognitive, affective and psychomotor performance of primary school pupils in Awka South Local Government Area. It was recommended that Governments and private institutions should allocate sufficient funds to establish and maintain quality early childhood education programs, providing necessary resources, infrastructure and trained educators.