Caregivers' Teaching Styles and Preschoolers' Participation in Classroom Activities in Early Childhood Centres in Rivers East Senatorial District, Rivers State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Caregivers Teaching Styles, Preschoolers’ Participation, Classroom Activities, Early Childhood CentresAbstract
This study investigated the relationship between caregivers’ teaching styles and preschoolers’ participation in classroom activities in early childhood centres in Rivers East Senatorial District of Rivers State. Specifically, the study examined how activity-based teaching relates to preschoolers’ verbal expression and how collaborative teaching relates to their engagement in group activities. A correlational research design was adopted, and a sample of 698 participants comprising 173 caregivers and 523 preschoolers was drawn from 35 public early childhood centres using multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire titled Caregivers’ Teaching Styles Questionnaire (CTSQ) and an observation checklist, the Participation in Classroom Activities Observation Checklist (PCAOC). Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used for data analysis at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a moderate, positive, and significant relationship between activity-based teaching style and preschoolers’ verbal expression (r = .476, p < .05). The study also found a strong, positive, and significant relationship between collaborative teaching style and preschoolers’ engagement in group activities (r = .743, p < .05). Based on these results, the paper concludes that child-centred teaching styles significantly promote preschoolers’ participation, language development, and cooperative learning behaviours. It recommends enhanced teacher training, provision of instructional materials, adoption of collaborative and activity-based pedagogies, and improved supervision to strengthen teaching practices in early childhood centres.
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