Open AccessPre-Primary and Lower Primary Teachers’ Professional Identity in Primary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya
Author(s) -
Phyllis M. Magoma,
Esther Waithaka,
Teresa Mwoma
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
east african journal of education studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2707-3947
pISSN - 2707-3939
DOI - 10.37284/eajes.3.1.391
Subject(s) - identity (music) , school teachers , head teachers , professional development , primary education , job satisfaction , work (physics) , pedagogy , sample (material) , psychology , medical education , sociology , medicine , social psychology , engineering , mechanical engineering , chemistry , physics , chromatography , acoustics
Professional identity is a noteworthy aspect of the teachers’ professional lives. This is because it influences the manner in which they do their work, retention and productivity in their places of work. This article presents findings from a PhD study that aimed at establishing the status of pre-primary and lower primary teachers’ professional identity and exploring factors influencing it. Fredrick Herzberg’s (1950) theory of Satisfaction and Motivation was used to guide the study. The study used concurrent triangulation research design. The dependent variable was early year’s education teachers’ professional identity, while the independent variable was the type of school. The study was conducted in Kasarani Sub-County in Nairobi County, Kenya. The sample size consisted of 220 teachers and 44 head-teachers in both public and private primary schools. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data which was then analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings from the study revealed that pre-primary and lower primary teachers’ professional identity was weak. It was recommended that school management, county and national governments, and other key stakeholders should aim at addressing issues that weaken early year’s education teachers (EYET) professional identity.