The Pedagogical Implications of Maternal Educational Attainment on Children’s Educational Outcomes in Cameroon

Abstract

It is unclear how mothers affect their children’s learning at home and how the pedagogical approaches used by mothers can lead to positive outcomes for children. The purpose of this study was to provide pedagogical evidence on the effects of Cameroonian women’s level of educational attainment on children’s level of educational outcomes. The survey research design and data from the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey were used. The instrumental variable probit model was used for data analysis. The results revealed that maternal educational attainment had a significant effect on children’s educational outcomes.  Mothers’ utilization of play based, song, storytelling and reading pedagogies or walking curriculum had positive implications on children’s educational outcomes. From a policy perspective, accelerating increase in women’s schooling had the potential to accelerate children’s educational outcomes in Cameroon. This was an important step to enhancing children’s cognitive growth.