ABSTRACT
This study investigates the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood education as a
course. The population and sample of the study was the two hundred and eighty-eight early
childhood education students at Institute of Education, Ekehuan Campus, University of Benin, Edo
State. The instrument for this study was a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using mean,
standard deviation, the independent sample t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings
from the analysis of the data showed that, undergraduate students’ attitude towards early childhood
education as a course is positive; there is a significant difference in the attitude of male and female
undergraduate towards early childhood education; and there is a significant difference in the
attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood education based on students’ level. The study
therefore recommended that government and stakeholders should put more efforts into developing
and implementing proper curriculum and programmes for early childhood education in Nigeria.
Key words: Attitude, Early childhood education, education, perception
Introduction
Education is the training and instruction designed to give knowledge to children and young
people in school and colleges. Education is the social instrument through which we can guide
nation’s destiny and shape its future. The purpose of education is not merely to contribute to the
continuity of culture but also change peacefully the material foundations of civilization. The
traditional goal of culture is the preservation of the past and the present and the development of
intellect. Furthermore, education help in improving the capabilities and skills of the students and
introduce new ideas and values among them. Education is the process through which knowledge
is transmitted from one individual or section of society to another.
Early childhood education is a broad term used to describe any type of educational program
that serves children in their preschool years, before they are old enough to enter kindergarten.
Early childhood education consist of number of activities and experiences designed to aid in the
cognitive and social development of preschoolers before they enter elementary school. Early
childhood education (ECE) programs include any type of educational program that serves children
in the preschool years and is designed to improve later school performance. In the second half of
the twentieth century, the early education system in Nigeria grew substantially. This trend allowed
the majority of Nigerian children to have access to some form of early childhood education. They
are also known by a variety of names, including preschool and pre-kindergarten (pre-Kg).
Early childhood education can produce significant gains in children’s learning and development.
High quality early childhood education assists many children in avoiding poor outcomes, such as
dropping out of school. Although the benefits seem to cross all economic and social lines, the most
significant gains are always noted among children from families with the lowest income levels and
the least amount of formal education. However, whether these benefits are long lasting is disputed.
All programs in early childhood education are not equally effective in promoting the
learning and development of young children. Long-term benefits are usually seen only in highquality early childhood education programs. A significant problem with the early childhood
education is that most programs available cannot be considered high quality. In addition, the most
effective ones are unaffordable for most Nigerian families. The overall effectiveness of an early
childhood program is dependent on several factors: quality staff, an appropriate environment,
proper grouping practices, consistent scheduling, and parental involvement.
Early childhood education is the first stage of education where the foundation for lifelong
learning and development is laid. Every pedagogue by intuition is aware that early childhood
education has a role to play in constructing a sustainable society. Early childhood education
programs that is been done in schools have been shown to significantly enhance children’s
prospects for academic success by reducing the probability of referral to special education, grade
retention and leaving school prior to high school graduation, which in turns facilitates the growth
and performance of schools (Smith, 2007). Other long-term benefits include decreased crime and
delinquency rates and increased high school graduation. UNESCO (2008) clearly states that in the
developed countries, more attention is given to concerns about how to improve the quality of early
childhood education in the service of sustainability. For example, classroom practices, curriculum
and pedagogy and early childhood teacher education.
Early years in life are the most important to the formation of intelligence, personality and
social behavior of a child. The year before a child reaches Kindergarten are among the most critical
in his or her life to influence learning. That is why modern societies show serious concern for the
education of their young ones by providing needed support to prepare them to succeed later in
school (Ejieh, 2006). It is common practice in most societies to make provision for early childhood
education programmes of various sorts for children below the official school-going age (usually
6years) mainly to prepare them for education in primary schools (Obidike, 2012).
The Federal Government of Nigeria recognizes the importance of early childhood education in
Nigeria and as a result it was given prominence in the National Policy of Education (FRN, 2014)
as one of programmes in the Nigerian educational system. Bagudo (2008), posited that reports
across the globe revealed that an estimated figure of one hundred million children, struggle daily
for survival in villages and cities, and are exposed to the risks of hunger, poverty, disease, illiteracy
and abuses. In support of this view, Mahuta (2007) stresses that the need to address the problems
and salvage these children and the next generation of children from these menace, has necessitated
the programme of Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE). He further stated
that the aim of ECCDE is to foster the proper development of the children, identify and address
their problems, harness their potentials, mould their character, enhance their learning, equip them
for life, so that their actions are channeled towards positive personal, communal and global
development in all ramifications of life.
Attitudes are mental predispositions or tendencies to respond positively or negatively
toward a certain thing, such as persons, events or objects (McMillan, 2000). According to Fishbein
and Ajzan cited in Gilakjani and Leong (2012), attitude is a learning predisposition to respond in
a consistently favourable or unfavaourable manner with respect to a given object. Attitude is one
basic thing that can alter every aspect of any person including education. Also, attitude determines
students’ ability and willingness to learn. Attitude could be positive or negative. A negative
attitude if not properly checked will make student to truncate his/her learning. Thus changing
students’ negative attitude towards learning involve ability to determine the factors driving the
attitude and using the information acquired to bring about change. On the other hand, a positive
attitude and perception help students to learn proficiently.
Maio and Haddock (2010), define “attitude” as a summary evaluation about a stimulus
object which can be anything from an ice-cream to mathematics. Attitudes about the same object
which can be translated simply as “to like or dislike the object” have two important attributes as
“strength” and “direction” (Maio & Haddock 2010). In line with their definition, Maio and
Haddock (2010), assert that attitude has three components: (a) cognitive information, (b) affective
information and (c) behavioral information. These components seem to cap all relative belief
constructs in the literature by assuming that they all serve under one of the components of attitude.
For example all kinds of beliefs, views, cognitions and so on, about early childhood education can
be classified as cognitive information forming up the cognitive domain of attitude. Likewise, all
fears, anxieties, self-perceptions and so on, about early childhood education can be classified as
emotional information forming up the affective domain of attitude. Similarly all previous
experiences and behaviors about early childhood education can be sorted as behavioral information
constituting the behavioral domain of attitude.
Two categories of attitudes and perception were identified by Marzano (2016) that affects
learning. They are: attitude and perception about the learning situation (climate); and attitude and
perception about classroom task. He further stated that the basic premise of the dimension of
learning model is that effective teachers continuously reinforce attitude and perception in both
categories. Mc Leod (as cited in Ayob and Yasin 2017) stated that attitude could be described as
a long-term positive or negative emotional disposition about any particular construct (including
subjects). According to Goldin (2002), attitude are rather stable and contain both affective and
cognitive factors. Hart, cited in Marchis, (2011) averred that attitude has three components:
emotional response; beliefs regarding learning; and behaviour related to the subject. Ashby (2009)
outlined the factors that influences attitude towards learning a subject to be: confidence, belief in
the importance of the subject; and the utility in practice and anxiety. Development of positive
attitude towards profession helps in developing creative thinking and motivating students (Celikoz
& Cetin, cited in Soibamcha & Pandey, 2016).
Pepe, and Özkurt (2016) conducted a study on attitude of high school, female and male
students towards Physical Education and Sports. The result showed that students' attitudes towards
physical education and sports classes was positive, but male students have more positive attitudes
than female students. Devi (2005) found that success in teaching field depends upon two prime
factors; attitude towards profession and job satisfaction. In another study, Cornelius cited in Pepe,
and Özkurt (2016), revealed that intelligence, attitude towards teaching and academic achievement
of teacher trainee cast impression on their competence. In the same vein, Pushpam (2003)
confirmed positive relationship between women teachers’ attitude towards teaching and job
environment. On the issue of gender and attitude, Naik and Pathy in Pepe, and Özkurt (2016)
reiterated that female science teachers have more positive attitude towards teaching than male
counterparts. Ghosh and Bairagya (2010) in their study concluded that female secondary teacher
possess more favorable attitudes towards teaching profession than male teachers.
Martinez and Gil (2020) carried out a study on gender differences in school performance and
attitude towards school using data from national from Spain and international evaluation report.
The findings reveal that girls have a clearer commitment to school work, being still much
underrepresented in technical studies whose importance in the labour market is greater. According
to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2015a) report, the
difference in performance persist in all the countries of Europe in favour of girls. The report further
stated that the reason being the positive attitude of the girls as opposed to that of the boys.
Weinburgh (2000) carried out a study on gender, ethnicity and grade level as predictors of middle
school attitudes towards science. The study revealed that students showed less positive attitude as
they continue in school. He contended that the 6th grade students showed more positive than the
7th grade while the 7th grade showed less positive attitude than those in 8th grade.
Steyn, Haris and Harte (2014) conducted a study in South African University on why
student do not consider offering courses in early childhood education. The study revealed that most
students were not aware of the existence of the course until they were given as a course to study.
The study also, showed that the choice of studying education and early childhood education was
merely a backup plan for many students in the programme. Another revelation from the study was
that a positive correlation exist between a student interest and aspiration.
One of the reason why early childhood education as a course is not usually considered by
undergraduate is the perception that they will end up being a teacher. Egwu (2015) in her study
revealed that students have negative attitude towards the teaching profession. According to her,
this was as a result of teaching been perceived as a difficult task, and that teachers were not well
paid compared to other profession.
Mac Ewan (2013), believed that the pursuit of a degree in early childhood education by
undergraduate is a goal that should be encouraged. He further gave the importance of early
childhood education to include: enabling the students to gain knowledge of developmental
milestone from the time a child is born through their fifth year of life; enabling students to
understand the early learning process; helping student to learn relationship – building skills;
enabling them to provide hands – on learning experiences; motivating students to advocate for
early childhood education resources and initiatives. Others are: fostering a profound understanding
of young children, the psychology behind their actions, their peculiarities, their physical needs,
emotional needs and their learning needs. Despites these benefits of early childhood education,
undergraduates seem not to be too kin in taking a course in early childhood education in most
Nigerian university.
Statement of the problem
Student attitude to learning a subject or a course to a large extent determines their future prospects
in that course. Attitude predicts a students’ commitment, attendance and personal research
attributes necessary for him/her to achieve success. Students attitudes to learning a task are not
equal; while some may exhibit e highly positive attitude, others may displace non challent. This
could be attributable to several interrelated factors such as; understanding of the course content,
perception about the course, love or disillusion with the course, mode of instruction, selfmotivation and many more.
Early childhood education as course has several benefits which includes; enabling students to
understand the early learning process; helping student to learn relationship – building skills;
enabling them to provide hands – on learning experiences; motivating students to advocate for
early childhood education resources and initiatives; fostering a profound understanding of young
children, above all providing job opportunities for students after the period of training. Despites
these benefits many undergraduates seem not to be interested in studying the course. Could this
non-challant attitude be as a result of not been aware of the course, or could it be that they are
having a wrong perception of the course. This is the crux of the study.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitude of undergraduate students towards early
childhood education as a course in the University of Benin. Specifically, the seeks to; determine
the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood education; ascertain if there is a difference
in the attitude of undergraduates based on gender and level of course of study.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided this study
1.
What is undergraduate’ attitudes towards early childhood education as a course in the
University of Benin?
2.
Is there a difference in the attitude of undergraduates towards early childhood education
based on gender?
3.
Is there a difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood education
based on level of course of study?
Question 1 was answered while Questions 2 and 3 were hypothesized.
Hypotheses
1.
There is no significant difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood
education based on the gender
2.
There is no significant difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood
education based on level of course of study
Significance of the study
The study will enable government and other stakeholders in the education sector to see the urgent
need to sensitize the public on the benefit of students’ acceptability of early childhood education
as a course in the University, and to be seen as a dumping ground for those who could not meet
up the cut off mark for other courses.
It is also hoped that the findings of this study would pave way for accelerated development of
early childhood education as a course so as to be more appealing to undergraduate students.
Methodology
The research design for this was the survey. The population of the study consisted of all
undergraduate students at the Institute of Education, Ekehuan Campus, University of Benin, Edo
State. There are two hundred and eighty- eight (288) students in early childhood education for the
2018/2019 academic session. The sample of this study was the 288 undergraduate students at the
Institute of Education, University of Benin for the 2018/2019 academic session. The breakdown
is as follows; 75 in 100 level, 66 in 200 level, 72 in 300 level, and 75 in 400 level. The purposive
sampling technique was used for the study. The instrument for this study was a questionnaire,
titled “The attitude of undergraduate student towards Early Childhood Education as a course in the
University of Benin.” It consisted of two sections. Section A was meant to elicit demographic data,
such as sex, age, level, and so on, while section B comprised of 20 items geared towards gathering
needed data for the study.
The research instrument was validated by the three experts in the field at the Institute of
Education, University of Benin. The face and content validity were employed. The Cronbach alpha
was used to determine the reliability index, and it gave and acceptable reliability index of 0.86.
The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, the independent sample t-test and analysis
of variance (ANOVA). A normative value of 40.0 which is the result of multiplying the 20 items
by 4 and dividing it by 2 was used to determine the attitude of student’s. A mean value greater
than 40.0 implies a positive attitude.
Results
Research Question 1: What is undergraduate students’ attitude towards early childhood education
as a course in the University of Benin?
Table 1: Mean and standard deviation of undergraduate students’ attitude towards early
childhood education
Attitude of students towards N
Mean
Standard Deviation
early childhood education
54.72
6.11
214
Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviation of undergraduate students’ attitude towards early
childhood education as a course as 54.72 and 6.11 respectively. It further shows that the mean
attitude is greater than the normative value of 40.0. Therefore, the undergraduate students’ attitude
towards early childhood education as a course is positive.
Hypothesis 1
There is no significant difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood
education based on gender.
Table 2: Independent sample t test of difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards
early childhood education based on gender.
Attitude of students
N
Male
72
Female
142
Mean
Std. Deviation
df
t
p-value
53.58
6.43
212
-2.95 0.041
56.30
5.88
Remark
Significant
Table 2 shows a t value of -2.95 and a p value of 0.041. Testing at alpha level of 0.05, the p value
is lesser than the alpha level. Therefore, the null hypothesis which states that “there is no significant
difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood education based on sex” is
rejected. Consequently, there is a significant difference in the attitude of male and female
undergraduate towards early childhood education. The female undergraduate seemed to have a
better attitude towards early childhood education as a course than their male counterpart.
Hypothesis 2
There is no significant difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood
education based on level of study of students.
Table 3: Mean and standard deviation of the attitude of undergraduate towards early
childhood education
N
Mean
Standard Deviation
100 level
46
54.50
3.746
200 level
45
58.16
4.685
300 level
56
53.63
6.248
400 level
67
53.49
7.281
Total
214
54.72
6.107
Table 3 shows the mean and standard deviation of the attitude of undergraduate towards early
childhood education based as 54.50 and 3.75; 58.16 and 4.69; 53.63 and 6.25; and 53.49 and 7.28
for students who are in 100 level, 200 level, 300 level and 400 level respectively.
Table 4: ANOVA of the difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood
education based on level of study
Sum of squares df
Mean Square
F
Sig.
Remark
Between Groups
701.451
3
233.817
6.779
.000
Significant
Within Groups
7243.282
210
34.492
Total
7944.734
213
Table 4 shows an F value of 6.779 and a p value of 0.000. Testing at alpha level of 0.05, the p value is
lesser than the alpha level. Therefore, the null hypothesis which states that “there is no significant
difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early childhood education based on level” is
rejected. Consequently, there is a significant difference in the attitude of undergraduate towards early
childhood education based on students’ level. The 200 level undergraduate seemed to have a better
attitude towards early childhood education as a course.
Discussion of Findings
The study investigated the attitude of undergraduate attitude towards early childhood
education. The study revealed that the attitude of undergraduate students towards early childhood
education as a course is positive. This is in line with Pepe, and Özkurt (2016) who opined that students'
attitudes towards physical education and sports classes was positive. But the study disagree with Egwu
(2015) who averred that students have negative attitude towards the teaching profession. And with
Steyn, Haris and Harte (2014) who stated that most students were not aware of the existence of early
childhood education until they were given as a course to study, and that, the choice of studying
education and early childhood education was merely a backup plan for many students in the
programme.
On the issue of gender gap in the attitude of student towards early childhood education as a course,
the study revealed that there is a significant difference in the attitude of male and female undergraduate
towards early childhood education, and that the female undergraduate seemed to have a better attitude
towards early childhood education as a course than their male counterpart. This is in tandem with Naik
and Pathy in Pepe, and Özkurt (2016) who reiterated that female science teachers have more positive
attitude towards teaching than male counterparts. Alluding to this, Ghosh and Bairagya (2010) stated
that female secondary teacher possess more favorable attitudes towards teaching profession than male
teachers. But the study is not in conformity with Pepe, and Özkurt (2016) who opined that students'
attitudes towards physical education and sports classes was positive, but male students have more
positive attitudes.
The study also revealed that there is a significant difference in the attitude of undergraduate
towards early childhood education based on students’ level. This is in consonant with Weinburgh
(2000) who posited that students showed less positive attitude as they continue in school. He
contended that the 6th grade students showed more positive than the 7th grade while the 7th grade
showed less positive attitude than those in 8th grade.
The study further shows that and that the 200 level undergraduate seemed to have a better attitude
towards early childhood education as a course. Newly admitted students into early childhood
education are known to have negative attitude towards the course not until when they get to 200
level that is when they start showing passion and acceptance to the course.
Conclusion
Early childhood education is the first stage of education where the foundation for lifelong
learning and development is laid. For any child to attain the desire goal in life, they must have the
right attitude towards whatever task they are given. This study revealed that undergraduate student
attitude towards early childhood education in Nigeria Universities is positive. But the females have
a better attitude towards the course and that newly admitted students seem to have a lazier affair
attitude towards the course until when they are in the second year. This attitude came as a result
of some not aware of the course or were forced into taking the course due to their inability to meet
up the cut off mark for other courses.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made:
1. The government and other stakeholders in education should put more efforts into
developing and implementing proper curriculum and programmes for early childhood
education in Nigeria, which is the foundation of all other forms of education.
2. Early childhood education is not gender sensitive, therefore, male folks should be
encouraged to show positive attitude towards the course.
3. Students who apply for educational courses should be encouraged to consider early
childhood education as well. This is because the future of the younger generation strongly
depends on the skills and knowledge acquired over time.
4. Parents, teachers and the government should encourage young adults who are willing to
study early childhood education. This is to avoid cases where those who do not wish to
study the course show unsatisfactory attitude towards ECE because they are being pushed
by parents who have low educational background or unsupported by parents who have
high educational background.
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