Awareness, Utilization and Effectiveness of Creativity and Critical Thinking Skills among Caregivers in Early Childhood Education in Oyo Town, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026374Abstract
The growing socio-economic challenges of the 21st century underscore the vital need to cultivate critical thinking and creativity skills from early childhood. This study investigates the awareness, use and effectiveness of critical thinking and creativity skills among preschool caregivers in Oyo town, Nigeria. Two research questions guided this study. A self-designed questionnaire for caregivers titled Caregivers Awareness and Use of Critical Thinking and Creativity Skills Questionnaire (CAUCTCSQ) was used to collect data for the study. The reliability index of the instrument was 0.75 Cronbach alpha. The study employed descriptive research design and a multi-stage sampling technique to survey 200 caregivers, Descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis. The findings reveal a fair level of awareness regarding the importance of critical thinking and creativity. However, the extent to which these skills are actively incorporated into daily teaching practices and their effectiveness demonstrates a fair level of utilisation. The study recommended that caregivers should be empowered through in-service training to build children fundamental skills for future challenges.
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