Teachers’ competencies in the implementation of the competency based curriculum in public primary schools in Nyamira County, Kenya.

Abstract

Kenya has implemented different levels of curriculum reforms to develop a competitive job market both regionally and globally by moving away from knowledge and skills acquisition to knowledge creation and application defining the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). Research however, indicates that teachers lack adequate training to implement the CBC. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine teachers‘ competencies in the implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum in public primary schools, in Nyamira South Sub-County, Nyamira County. Anchored on the pragmatic paradigm and drawing on inspiration from Diffusion of Innovation theory by Rogers, the study sought to; examine teachers‘ technological knowledge for implementing CBC, evaluate teachers‘ pedagogical knowledge for implementing CBC, assess the attitude of teachers towards the implementation of CBC and analyze teachers‘ evaluation techniques for implementing CBC. Mixed method approach was adopted through the convergent mixed research design. The target population constituted 101 head teachers and 516 grade six teachers from which a sample of 186 respondents consisting 31 head teachers and 155 grade six teachers was selected through purposive sampling and simple random sampling techniques respectively. Data collection instruments used were questionnaire, interview guide and observation guide that saw both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Quantitative data from the closed ended questions was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages presented in tables. Qualitative data from the open ended questions, the interview and the observation guides were thematically analyzed and reported in narrative form. The study revealed that a significant majority of teachers (62.6%) lacked sufficient knowledge to effectively integrate technological tools in teaching, equally supported by head teachers who maintained that teacher training in integrating technology was not commensurate to the implementation of CBC. Most teachers (63.7%) predominantly utilized CBC teaching approaches. The head teachers similarly remarked that, teachers used the learner centered CBC teaching approaches, although some acknowledged occasionally resorting to lecture methods that did not align with CBC principles. Encouragingly, a majority of teachers (59.7%) demonstrated a positive attitude towards implementing the CBC with head teachers agreeing that teachers‘ attitude had positively improved as they felt motivated and confident teaching in line with CBC. Further, a substantial majority (68.2%) exhibited competence in employing CBC evaluation techniques. The head teachers unveiled that most teachers understood the CBC evaluation process, except for some who rarely constructed evaluation rubrics. In conclusion, while many teachers lack adequate technological knowledge for integrating technological tools into teaching, a majority largely employed CBC teaching approaches including role play, class discussions, modelling, experiential learning and fieldwork. Most teachers had a positive attitude towards implementing CBC with majority demonstrating competence in CBC evaluation techniques. The study recommends that the government should deploy computer experts to train teachers on technological skills. Teachers should undergo capacity building through re-tooling for them to adopt the learner-centered pedagogies and CBC evaluation techniques effectively. Teachers should be involved in the curriculum change process creating awareness on the benefits of CBC. It is hoped that this study will be useful to the policy makers, teachers and other stakeholders in mitigating CBC implementation shortcomings