ABSTRACT

This research was about the measures pre-school teachers take when faced with misbehavior from children in and outside class. Efforts have been made to emphasize the aspects of misbehavior which the research is intended to investigate. In the statement of the problem, it is stated that the poor adjustment of young children, leaving the safety of their homes for the first time, does make it very hard for teachers to control them. The aim of the study was to find out the methods used to keep the children in control, and how such methods are effective or ineffective. Reviews of several authors on issues of discipline and class control. Among the control methods addressed in the literature review are; power based methods, good teaching methods, counseling, peer tutoring and use of play. This research is considered a survey study in the sense that it is geared towards observing what is actually taking place in the pre-school centres without influencing the outcome in any way. Random sampling was used in selecting the respondents from different schools. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics m which tables and relative frequency were generated. The findings are presented in various tables and graphs. The graphs were designed to illustrate clearly the relationship between different types of misbehavior, and further to show how control methods in use, relate to the increase or decrease of specific types of misbehavior according to gender is also given. Lastly, conclusion and recommendations of the researcher as to how best misbehavior at pre-school level can be controlled. It is worth noting that peer tutoring was observed to be effective m~thod of class control, while laziness was discovered the most common type of need to structure learning activities in a manner that captures the imagination and deep interest of the children are emphasized