The Effect of Investment in Talent Development on Pupils’ Participation in Sports in Public Primary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The CBC curriculum was introduced in the Kenyan basic education programin 2017 to foster early recognition of arts and sports talents among other skills. This can be achieved by deliberately investing in talent development. The vote for Free Primary Education (FPE) in the General Purpose Account (GPA) for each child‟s work was tripled from KSh 11.60 in 2016/2017 to KSh. 38.98 in the 2018/2019 financial year. Therefore, the main study objective was to establish the effect of investment on the development of sporting talent onpupils‟ participation in sports activities in Nairobi County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to determine the effect of investment on; sports teacher training, motivation of sports teachers, sports resources on pupils‟ involvement in sports activities and lastly, the impact of parental investment in talent management on pupils‟ participation in sports activities at public primary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory led the research. Mixed design was used in the study targeting all 225 public primary schools in Nairobi County. The study targeted the schools‟ head teachers, the teachers in charge of sports, and the sports captains in all targeted primary schools. The study employed a sample size of 271 participants obtained from 68 schools using randomized sampling and targeted sampling methods. Data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview schedule. SPSS version 22.0 software was used to analyse quantitative data. The descriptive statistics used included frequency, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Inferential statistics including regression, correlations were also used to assess the relationships and existing effect between the independent and dependent variables. Thematic content analysiswas used for qualitative data analysis and provided supporting narratives for quantitative data analysis. The data was presented in tabular form and discussed. The findings reveal that school investment in teacher education, teacher promotion in talent management and sports facilities significant influenced pupils‟ participation in sports in Nairobi County schools. In addition, parental investment in developing pupils‟sports talents may also translate into significant improvements in pupils‟ participation in sports in primary schools. However, at present there is little investment in the training of special sports teachers. There was limited investment in the motivation of sports teachers in schools. Many schools still did not have the resources in terms of sports facilities and the existing ones were not well maintained. Finally, most parents invested little in managing their children's sports talent. Area Location of the School was a moderating variable rather than an explanatory variable. Therefore, research recommends that; it should be emphasized that sports educators receive at least one special training once they have been appointed as teachers, in addition to the general training they get at teacher training colleges. School administrators need to improve the recognition, compensation and recommendations of sports teachers in order to be promoted. There is a need for school heads to increase investment in both indoor and outdoor sports facilities, and to maintain them in good condition. Finally, parents should be encouraged to invest heavily in managing their children's sports talents not as an alternative but as an act of recommendation that can improve their children's academic performance and the opportunity to develop and develop valuable skills