Effectiveness of Early Childhood Education on Student Learning Outcomes in Tehsil Rahim Yar Khan

Abstract

The research aims to determine the association between Early Childhood Education (ECE) and mental, societal, and emotional development. The objectives of this study are: 1) To assess how well ECE affects the students' learning results. 2) To promote the holistic development of a child. 3) To investigate issues and also create suggestions about the execution of ECE programs. 4) To increase the literacy rate and decrease the dropout level. 5) To encourage a child’s curiosity about his/her environment. A descriptive quantitative design was used for this study. The hypotheses predict a positive effect of ECE on learning outcomes. The results support the hypotheses, showing a significant positive impact of ECE on Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) and improved cognitive, communal, and demonstrative development. The population of this study is all ECE government schools of Tehsil Rahim Yar Khan. 140 ECE schools were selected using a simple random sampling technique. ECE teachers, ECE caregivers, and head teachers were selected from each school and 420 (male and female) individuals participated as a sample. For data collection, one self-structured questionnaire was used which consists of 65 items. After data collection, it was examined with the help of SPSS. The findings suggest that effective ECE is crucial for enhancing SLOs. It is strongly associated with successful learning outcomes for students and plays a vital role in a child’s entire life. ECE creates an environment that develops interest, boosting children to discover learn, and grow. ECE also encourages inspiration, imagination, and investigation crucial for lifelong learning.