Assessment of Child-Centred Teaching Methods Among Early Childhood Educators in Imo State

Child-centred teaching places the learner's interests, developmental stage, and active engagement at the heart of instructional practice, and assessing the extent of its application in Imo State ECDE centres provides a baseline for quality improvement in South East Nigeria. This study assessed the application of child-centred teaching methods in ECDE centres in Owerri Municipal, Owerri North, and Owerri West Local Government Areas, Imo State. A mixed-methods design was employed, with structured classroom observations of 30 teachers and questionnaires administered to the same teachers. Results showed that teacher-directed, whole-class instruction dominated in 73 percent of observed sessions. Learning centre activities were used in only 27 percent of classrooms. Differentiated instruction was present in only 10 percent of sessions. Questioning was predominantly closed and convergent in 80 percent of teacher-child interactions. Younger teachers below 5 years of experience showed higher child-centred practice scores than more experienced counterparts, suggesting pre-service training progression over time. The study concludes that child-centred practice in Imo State ECDE centres remains limited despite policy intentions. Recommendations include workshop-based professional development in child-centred methodology, classroom redesign guidance, mentoring by experienced practitioners, and an observation-based quality monitoring system for all Imo State ECDE centres.

Keywords: child-centred teaching, early childhood educators, Imo State, classroom observation, ECDE quality