USING PARTICIPATORY VISUAL METHODS TO TEACH CHARACTER EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD IN KENYA

The rising cases of youth engagement in anti-social behaviour in Kenya present the need for educational stakeholders to invest in the teaching of character education. This paper has explored the use of participatory visual methods (PVM) in the teaching of character education. A multiple case-study design was used where eight grade three teachers were selected purposively. Data were generated through drawings, individual interviews and reflective journals. These were later analysed thematically through systematic open coding. The findings showed that PVM are learner centred and that they advance collaborative learning. This child-centeredness encouraged active learning and excitement among learners. It also boosted learners’ memories and overcame the language barriers that learners experience during communication in class. This paper concluded that participatory visual methods are new approaches as an alternative for better teaching of character education in early childhood. This conclusion has implications for early childhood teacher education on child-appropriate teaching styles to be used in character education.   Article visualizations