Efficacy of indigenous games on literacy and numeracy development in pre-schoolers in Zambia

Abstract

Background: The most effective indigenous games well known to pre-schoolers must be used in schools, given the significance of literacy and numeracy abilities in children’s future educational prospects and successes.

Aim: The goal of this article was to determine the efficacy of indigenous games in promoting literacy and numeracy skills among preschool children.

Setting: Ten teachers were selected from the four rural selected schools in Zambia with Early Child Education (ECE) centres.

Methods: The article used a participatory action research design with a purposive sampling technique. The researchers used interviews and participatory observations to collect data.

Results: The study found that indigenous games, when used effectively, can have the potential to promote the child’s literacy and numeracy skills, even though some teachers found them challenging to execute. The study adopted a thematic analysis approach to analyse a set of data and search for patterns in its interpretation to identify themes.

Conclusion: The study has shown that indigenous games have many benefits for pre-schoolers’ learning. The study recommends that teachers should attend intensive continuing professional development (CPD) workshops and seminars to gain the knowledge and abilities necessary to effectively and suitably teach ECE learners pertinent skills through traditional games. Parents should be involved in teaching traditional games. Besides, the curricula of universities and colleges of education should include instructions in indigenous games for teacher preparation.

Contribution: Research on the use of indigenous games in promoting the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills in Zambia is limited, hence this enquiry.