Influence of “ekisaakaate” native language instruction pedagogy on early childhood moral learning outcomes in Buganda Kingdom

Promoting the moral development at early childhood level may be the key to creating human beings that are caring and emotionally stable. However, there is still debate on whether the approach to promote children’s moral development should continue following a formal path or revert to traditional practices, especially when there is no universal agreement on the appropriate moral standard for all. This paper devoted itself to exploring the influence of traditional “ekisaakaate” native language instruction pedagogy on early childhood moral learning outcomes in Buganda Kingdom. Thus, the objectives of this study were to find out whether traditional drama, poetry and cultural context methods of instruction influences early childhood moral learning outcomes in Buganda Kingdom. Concurrent triangulation and cross-sectional research designs with phenomenological research approach were adopted involving 301 respondents. Data were collected using a questionnaire, interview guide and observation checklist. Content analysis was used on qualitative data, while a Simple Linear Regression Analysis (SLRA) was used to identify moral predictors. Results showed that while drama and cultural context methods were significant predictors of early childhood moral learning outcomes, poetry in the hierarchy was not. The study recommended that education stakeholders in the respective early childhood education centres should encourage use of traditional drama and cultural context as methods of instruction to early childhood moral learning outcomes.