The Learning and Teaching Practice of Privately Owned Pre-schools in Abbi Addi Town: Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the learning and teaching practices of privately owned preschools in Tigray, with a specific focus on Abbi Addi town. This study employed a mixedmethods descriptive design, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Due to the small number of preschool teachers (38) and principals (10) in the study area, all were included in the research to ensure comprehensive data collection, a complete enumeration approach that allowed for broad representation and minimized sampling bias. All teachers and principals from the selected preschools participated in the study. In addition, to gain deeper insights into parentschool relationships and factors influencing preschool enrolment, 20 parents with enrolled children and 10 parents with preschool-aged children not enrolled were purposively selected with the support of preschool principals, and one education expert from the local education office was also included using purposive sampling. Four data collection tools were used: questionnaires, interviews, observation checklists, and document analysis; reliability and validity were ensured through expert review of the instruments and alignment with the study objectives, and the tools were refined for clarity and consistency before full-scale data collection. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentages), while qualitative data were presented through thematic descriptions to support and enrich the quantitative findings. The results indicated that most preschools had adequate indoor and outdoor equipment consistent with the standards of the Tigray Education Bureau, and additionally, 92.1% of preschools provided a moderately conducive classroom environment for teaching and learning; however, only 13% of teachers had received specialized training in early childhood education, while 47% had training from a Teacher Training College (T.T.C), and parental involvement in preschool education was found to be moderate (57.8%). Despite some positive indicators, preschool education in Abbi Addi town was not fully implemented according to policy guidelines, with key challenges including the lack of dedicated learning environments, inadequate sanitary facilities, poor organization of materials, limited in-service training for teachers, a shortage of assistant teachers, and insufficient support from the Area Education Office.