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.