CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

As soon as pregnancy occurs, fetal development begins. In the absence of accidents and premature birth, it typically takes nine months for a fully developed fetus to be born into the world. Kaplan (2022) assert that from the moment of conception, a child is a unique individual with his or her own features. According to them, the nature of children is such that no two children, not even identical twins, are identical or similar in every way. Consequently, there are discernible characteristics that distinguish one child from another. According to Nwagbara (2022), the intricacies of children stem from both nature and nurture. Children go through several phases of growth, ranging from infancy through adolescence. The first two to six years of a child's life are crucial to their growth. During this time, children's physical, mental, and psychological development accelerates as they are in a state of perpetual change. They are undergoing major transformations and achieving tremendous development gains, particularly in the area of language acquisition and growth.

For intellectual development, it is considered that children's reading material should be related to their own spoken language as well as their interests and experiences. The emphasis on children's cognitive development is a good change (Anyanwu, 2022). This is because a child's mind is "blank slate" and ready to be filled. Recognizing this, educators strive for the optimal stimuli that will provide the optimum outcome for students. Web (2022) argues that it must be acknowledged that the sort of experiences supplied to youngsters can have an effect on their intellect.

According to Aiyedun (2022), children's literature provides experiences that contribute to their intellectual development. According to him, tales provide and enhance reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities because they excite the mind. Stories increase comprehension of human activities. One tale can serve as the basis for a more in-depth examination of other activities. Children have the chance to utilize terms that are recognizable to them from their family life as a result of specific events portrayed in storybooks. Therefore, children are encouraged to expand their vocabulary appropriately. Not only do infants acquire the lexicon of colors, shapes, and textures early on, but their storybooks are nearly exclusively illustrated. Storybooks provide practice in the four language skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing — that are essential for the intellectual development of children. In addition, they assist youngsters learn new words and alternate contextual meanings of words. This is achievable, assuming the language of the stories is not overly simplistic.

According to Anyamelue (2022), it is essential to provide young children with the proper care, nourishment, and stimulation for good growth and development. In addition, holistic care for young children is gaining prominence worldwide and in Nigeria. This was highlighted in the CRC and reiterated at the Dakar World Education Forum in 2000. The meeting reaffirmed the objective of developing and enhancing comprehensive early childhood care and education.

Brain development is one of the most prominent characteristics of early life. According to Godges (2022), the final three months of fetal life and the first two years after birth are the most crucial for brain growth. This is because more than half of the adult brain's weight is gained during this time. It grows rapidly in the first few years of life, reaching around two-thirds of adult weight by the end of the first year, 7.5 percent by age two, and 90 percent by age five. Thus, the brain of a five-year-old has matured nearly to that of an adult.

However, due to the fast growth of the brain, enough nourishment is required at this time. This is due to the fact that inadequate nutrition before and after birth and throughout the first few years of life can hinder brain development significantly. This may result in neurological and behavioral abnormalities, which may express themselves as learning difficulties.

A baby's brain is built of billions of neutrons ready to be woven into the "complex tapestry of the mind," according to study. Childhood experiences decide which neutrons are employed to connect the brain's circuitry. Begley observes, according to Hodges (2022), that "the events of childhood decide whether a kid grows up to be brilliant or stupid, afraid or self-confident, eloquent or tongue-tied."

According to Munonye (2022), there is also scientific evidence about the necessity of proper stimulation throughout early life for the child's cognitive development. During specific stages of childhood development, the environment can impact how the brain is "wired" for specific tasks, including language, music, physical activity, and mathematics. In order for the brain to "rewire" itself later in life, it must receive the right inputs at the right moment. The era of early childhood should consequently be treated with the utmost care. The decision to utilize first-grade students was influenced by their comparative level of development, which broadens their potential testing areas in comparison to their younger peers. In addition, Eleme Local Government Area was chosen for this study due to its proximity to the researcher's home, and hence its familiarity.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Most children do not develop cognitively well owing to a lack of early childhood education, which is mostly provided by their parents and their instructors, who are also considered as surrogate parents in the school (Adebesin, 2022). The majority of first-grade students in the Nigerian education system did not attend pre-primary institutions, where children are taught primarily using techniques suited to their learning aptitude and understanding at an early age (Oyewale, 2022). Due to this oversight, the majority of students in primary schools are unable to comprehend the substance of their courses, as they began their early education from the stem instead of the root (Oyewale, 2022).

In addition, the majority of instructors hired at primary one schools do not use child-comprehensible teaching techniques; thus, the majority of children do not have good academic proficiency in the early stages of their primary school education. Children's limited cognitive development has resulted in poor academic achievement at almost all levels of our educational system. This is due to the fact that what a child could not accomplish during early school will be difficult for him or her to accomplish at the highest level of education. (Oyewale, 2022).

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The broad objective of this study is to assess early education and its impact on child development. Specifically, other objectives of this study is to:

i.          Determine the extent of children’s early education in Eleme, Rivers State.

ii.        Determine whether there is any relationship between early education and child development.

iii.      Examine the benefits of early education on children.

iv.      Examine the different forms of early education given to children.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The  following research which are in line with the objectives of this study will be answered:

i.          What is the extent of children’s early education in Eleme, Rivers State?

ii.        Is there any relationship between early education and child development?

iii.      What are the benefits of early education on children?

iv.      What are the different forms of early education given to children?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study will be beneficial in the following ways:

v  With the help of the study's recommendations, teachers at the lowest level of the school system, the early childhood courses, would know how to educate or interact with children most effectively.

v  Teachers would be exposed to the right ways for teaching language to children in school, particularly at the preschool and elementary levels.

v  Parents would have a clearer understanding of the significance of teaching a child the language of his or her environment. This study will inform parents that they should be the first to convey information to the kid, particularly in regards to the child's language development.

v  With this research and its suggestions, parents will be able to determine the most effective methods for teaching language to youngsters.

v  The society will be exposed to the language learning process of the society's young ones. With the advice, society will also be able to determine how to best aid the youngster in language acquisition and mastering.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The main scope of this study is focused on early education and its impact on child development. Precisely, this study is focused on determining the extent of children’s early education in Eleme, Rivers State, determining whether there is any relationship between early education and child development, examining the benefits of early education on children and examining the different forms of early education given to children.

Early childhood and primary education teachers in Eleme, Rivers State will be the respondents of this study.

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