The Effects Of After School Lessons On Kindergarteners

THE EFFECTS OF AFTER SCHOOL LESSONS ON KINDERGARTENERS

Chapiter 1

Introduction

1.1 The Study’s Background

Children’s after-school time has been emphasized as a key part of their day. After that, kids can play, interact with others, do their assignments, play sports, take music and other enrichment activities, or just relax. The advantages of after-school activities for kids are numerous and varied, ranging from social and emotional to physical advantages. According to research, getting kids involved in extracurricular activities can help them mature (Jenner, 2007). Birth marks the start of the most important learning years (Kane, 2004). People are more able to learn things in their early years than they are later in life. The period of childhood is when the brain grows the fastest.

An after-school activity is any organized program that enables children to participate outside of the usual school day. A primary school offers some projects, whereas externally funded non-profit or commercial organizations offer others (Gottfredson & Wilson, 2013). After-school classes and activities could be held in a school building or outdoors in a park, community center, or library. By taking part in these events, kids gain experience in leadership and communicating with adults. Organized after-school activities have been found to improve children’s test scores, homework completion, grades, and even emotional development (Adoga, 2009).

The value of early childhood education for a child’s growth is understood by every parent. However, it doesn’t finish when the 2:00 p.m. bell rings. After-school lessons or activities are a great approach to continue a child’s growth. Children have the opportunity to complete their homework and, if necessary, get help during lessons after school.

Children feel more at ease finishing their coursework in a slightly less formal environment where they are free to ask questions at any time, according to Apsler (2009). There are further programs that instruct kids in math and science and pique their interest in these subjects. Since the child may be more engaged as a result, this can lead to better academic achievement and fewer missed school days (Honore, 2008).

The main reason why pupils attend scheduled after-school sessions is because some working parents prefer to have their kids under closer supervision after school. Parents sign their kids up for after-school activities to give them a safe, supervised setting, claim Wu & Van Egeren (2010). There are numerous after-school programs that take place on weekday afternoons, on weekends, and all summer long to help working parents with child care.

Children’s cognitive skill development involves the gradual improvement of cognitive skills like thinking, paying attention, and memory (Chen & Lu 2009). These fundamental skills enable kids to process sensory information and later learn to evaluate, analyze, recall, make comparisons, and understand cause and effect. Although a child’s genetics can have an impact on the development of some cognitive abilities, experience is the primary way that most cognitive abilities are learned. This suggests that practice and training can improve mental and educational ability.

One of the most important cognitive changes that takes place throughout the preschool years is the development of symbolic reasoning between the ages of three and four. The ability to mentally or symbolically represent actual things, actions, and events is known as symbolic cognition (Cook, 2010). The dramatic increase in their use of sophisticated pretend play is the most obvious sign that four-year-olds are developing symbolic reasoning.

Some proponents of preschool after-school programs hold the opinion that unattended kids may participate in undesired behaviors including fighting, rough play, and aggressive behavior. Levine (2006) contends, however, that children who spend a lot of time in structured after-school activities miss out on family time or connection and fail to develop self-management skills, which are essential building blocks for both psychological inner strength and academic achievement.

There is a dearth of empirical research on the effects of after-school classes on kindergarten students’ cognitive development in Nigeria as a whole, and Benue state in particular. In light of this, the aim of this study is to investigate the impact of extracurricular activities on a preschooler’s cognitive development in the Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.

Situation Of The Problem

In their children’s cognitive growth, parents are incredibly important. Parents are the finest people to help children develop the cognitive abilities required for success in school in the future. Preschoolers’ time with their parents is cut short when they enroll in after-school activities (Jordan, 2000).

Even though it seems that education and extracurricular activities are good for kids, there are a few other factors to take into account when evaluating their impact. As was previously said, children spend their after-school hours in a variety of ways and with a variety of adults.

Studies have shown that toddlers’ participation in after-school classes effects their morality, attitudes, and behaviors toward their friends and parents, in addition to providing supervision and academic help. Students can acquire good habits, attitudes, and morals, but they can also do the opposite just as quickly (Mahoney & Cairns, 2007). The after-school lesson for a preschooler may both help and hurt the child’s cognitive development. This study’s aim is to investigate the impact of after-school education on toddlers’ cognitive development in the Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.

1.3 Study’s Objectives

Examining the effects of after-school classes on kindergarteners is the main goal of this study. More specifically, the following goals of this research are:

i. To assess how much after-school instruction is provided to kindergarten students.

ii. To ascertain whether extracurricular activities have an impact on kindergarteners’ cognitive development.

iii. To ascertain whether kindergarten students’ academic performance is impacted by after-school lessons.

1.4 Hypotheses For Research

The validity of this investigation will be affected by the following hypotheses:

Ho1: After-school instruction had little impact on kindergarteners’ cognitive growth.

Ha2: After-school lessons have an impact on kindergarteners’ cognitive growth.

Ho2: Kindergarten students’ academic performance is unaffected by after-school lessons.

Ha3: After-school lessons have an impact on kindergarten students’ academic achievement.

1.5 Relationship To Other Studies

This study will help parents understand how their actions affect their kids’ well-being and how that affects their academic performance, both favorably and unfavorably.

It will encourage parents to give their kids what they need to succeed academically in order to keep them relatively comfortable. Parents will learn about the benefits and drawbacks of enrolling their kids in after-school activities according to this study.

Additionally, educators and curriculum developers would be advised to create flexible curricula to suit kids from a variety of household circumstances. Additionally, teachers would be aware of how a positive teacher-parent relationship would influence and boost a pre-cognitive student’s achievement.

When finished, the study will add to the body of knowledge in the field and encourage additional research.

1.6 The Study’s Scope

The purpose of this study is to look into how after-school lessons affect kindergarten students. The specific goals of this study are to ascertain how frequently kindergarteners receive after-school instruction, ascertain whether such instruction affects the cognitive growth of kindergarteners, and ascertain whether such instruction affects the academic performance of kindergarteners.

Participants in the survey for this study will be teachers at particular kindergartens in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

1.7 Limtations Of The Study

Like any human endeavor, the researcher encountered a few minor difficulties while carrying out the study. The researcher decided on a small sample size because there isn’t much literature on the topic as a result of the discourse’s nature, which resulted in additional costs and time spent looking for pertinent materials, literature, or information as well as during the data collection process. Additionally, the researcher combined this investigation with other academic endeavors. Additionally, the findings cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state because only a limited sample of respondents was chosen to complete the study instrument. No matter the constraints encountered during the study, all factors were minimized to guarantee the best results and the most fruitful research.

1.8 Term Definition

A child enrolled in kindergarten is a “kindergatener.”

Lessons: A period of instruction or instruction.