Factors Affecting Children’s Academic Performance in Public Pre-primary Education in Ushetu District Council, Tanzania
Pius Kiliba *
Faculty of Education, The Open University of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Innocent Messo
Faculty of Education, The Open University of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Ngonge Rweyendera
Faculty of Education, The Open University of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Academic performance in early childhood education is shaped by conditions within schools, households and the wider community, yet these conditions remain inadequately understood in some rural settings. Drawing on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, this study analysed factors associated with children’s academic performance in public pre-primary education in Ushetu District Council, Shinyanga Region, Tanzania. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative approach and a descriptive exploratory research design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 academic teachers purposively selected from five public primary schools in five wards, based on their direct knowledge and experience of the pre-primary learning environment. Interview data were analysed thematically through familiarisation, coding, development and review of themes, and interpretation of participants’ accounts. Findings showed that inadequate institutional support and financing, classroom overcrowding, limited learning resources and poor physical learning environments, inadequate teacher qualifications and professional development, low teacher motivation and compensation, limited parental awareness and home support, language barriers, long distances between home and school, and family socio-economic circumstances were associated with children’s academic performance. Inadequate financing and limited learning resources constrained instructional conditions, while overcrowding was linked to limited teacher–child interaction and reduced individual attention. Limited parental engagement, household responsibilities, language differences, long travelling distances and family economic constraints were also identified as factors associated with children’s academic performance in public pre-primary education in Ushetu District Council. The study concludes that children’s academic performance in public pre-primary education in Ushetu District was associated, in participants’ accounts, with interconnected conditions across the school, home and community environments rather than a single factor. Strengthening institutional financing, improving classroom and learning facilities, expanding teacher professional development, enhancing parental engagement, and addressing barriers related to language, distance and household socioeconomic conditions are recommended.
Keywords: Pre-primary education, academic performance, learning environment, teacher qualifications, parental engagement, learning resources