---

The basis of the study was the noted poor performance of mathematics globally as well as in Kenya, despite numerous researches on the possible causes and proposed solutions to alleviate the situation. Although there is abundance of information, the problem still persists. The study postulates that the reasons responsible for the prevailing poor performance could be found in the formative years of the child. The purpose of this study was to establish factors influencing scaffolding methods of teaching mathematics. The study involved Bandura´s Social Learning Theory, Vygotsy´s Social Development Theory and Bruner´s Constructivist theory. The study used used the following variables; class size, pre-school teaching experience, training programme, pre-school teachers´ attitude, mathematics attainment and school management.

---

Hannah Mwangi is a BED and MED (ECE)graduate of Kenyatta University where she is currently pursuing a PhD. Together with Glaudia Njuguna she has co-authored "Child Growth and Development 1" and "Health Nutrition and Care" which are useful references for ECE. She is a part-time lecturer at Kenyatta, Mt. Kenya and Presbyterian Universities.

---