THE ROLE OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

This study investigated the role of recreational facilities in Early Childhood Language development. To achieve this, thirty teachers which comprised twentytwo Nigeria Certificate in Education (N.C.E.), and eight Degree holders in Early Childhood Education were drawn from five purposively sampled schools from Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. The study adopted the descriptive survey design where four research questions were answered and one hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The instrument used in this study was a researcher developed questionnaire for the teachers in four sections. Sections A and B dealt with the aim of Early Childhood Education based on the National Policy on Education and the educational value of recreational facilities respectively, structured along a modified 4-point Likert scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), Strongly Disagree (SD). A mean of 2.50 and above was regarded as important to the study while below was not regarded. Sections C and D highlighted expected basic recreational facilities under “Availability” and “Utilization”. A percentage of 50 was accepted as what can promote language among young children. The Kuder-Richardson formula 21 was used to determine the reliability of the instrument with coefficient of 0.79 while the checklist was a modified adaptation from Musa (1997). The data collected were statistically analyzed using the frequency count, percentage and t test. The findings of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in the responses of Degree and N.C.E. teachers with regard to the educational value of recreational facilities for language development in children. However, it was revealed that some of the sampled schools were deficient in recreational facilities in various sections of learning. It was therefore recommended that every section in the entire school programme for the children, whether indoor or outdoor activities should be loaded with numerous relevant recreational facilities that will arouse and sustain their interest to learn. Furthermore, the reading room should house a wide variety of materials in diverse subject areas which will cater for the needs of the range of their interests and abilities, to develop independent study habits, enriched vocabulary store, promote easier interactions among peers and increase zeal for participation in activities