Kindergarten Teachers’ Choice of Instructional Strategies for Developing Literacy Skills: A Critical Analysis of Kindergarten Teachers in Agona West Municipality

The study employed the sequential explanatory missed
method design to identify the conditions that determine teachers’
selection of literacy skills instructional strategies. One hundred
and seventy-six (176) kindergarten teachers within the Agona
West municipality constituted the sample size for the
quantitative phase of the study of which 15 participants were
used for the qualitative phase through the use of interview. The
Slovin formula and homogeneous sampling strategies were used
as sampling techniques for the quantitative and qualitative
phases respectively. Structured questionnaire was used to collect
the quantitative data and semi-structured interview guide was
used to collect the qualitative data. The instruments were
validated and pilot tested and the reliability coefficient for the
questionnaire was 0.943. The quantitative data were analysed
using frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation and
the hypotheses were tested with multiple linear regression and
one way analysis of variance. The qualitative data were analysed
thematically. The study identified teacher’s personal and
professional experiences, number of years in active service as
teachers and as kindergarten teachers, available instructional
materials, class enrollment and assessment structure as some of
the conditions that determined their selection of literacy skills
instructional strategies. The study further revealed that KG
teaching experience significantly influenced the conditions that
determined the choice of instructional strategies used in teaching
literacy skills among kindergarteners. Thus, study recommends
ECE teachers should design/develop instructional materials to
augment what the Municipal Directorate of Education will
purchase to enhance effective literacy instruction. Workshops,
for example on developing instructional material, could be
organised by the headteachers to equip ECE teachers with that
skill. Also, efforts should be made by the Ghana Education
Service and the Agona West Education Directorate to make sure
that only teachers with early childhood education professional
qualification are assigned to teach at the kindergarten level.