Parental motivation and the enrolment of their children into kindergarten

Abstract

The study, which was conducted in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District, investigated factors that motivate parents to enrol their children in Kindergarten. The motivation of the study was to identify why parents voluntarily enrolled children in Kindergarten even when the State was unable to enforce compulsory universal enrolment or address Early Childhood Education sectoral challenges. The study employed a mixed-method approach and used question guides to collect information from 653 parents in the interviews. Focus group discussions provided additional information to validate the findings. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed while descriptive statistics such as percentages, pie charts, bar graphs and chi-square estimations were used to present or support the findings. Major findings of the study were that parents were motivated to enrol children in KG by factors like their notion of responsibility for their children’s development, their aspirations for their children, their awareness of ECE policies and initiatives, and their perception of the importance of KG. Other motivators included preparing children for school, need for places to keep children during working hours, government’s pro-poor policies, and availability of KG. Factors like parents’ place of residence, educational background, sex and age, also influenced. The study concluded that parental motivation is key in school enrolment decisions. The study recommended that the State adopt measures that will improve communication with parents, strengthen collaboration between school authorities and parents, involve parents in decision making in schools, and strengthen school-community relationship in order to improve parental motivation and involvement in children’s education.