AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOLS PREPAREDNESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETENCY-BASED CURRICULUM IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN BARINGO COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Despite the implementation of competency based curriculum by the government of Kenya, there was no clarity on proper planning processes and the level of teacher and resource preparedness in its implementation. The purpose of this study was to assess school’s preparedness in implementation of competency-based curriculum in public primary schools in Baringo County in Kenya. The objectives of the study were; to examine the extent of teacher training in competency-based teaching approaches for the implementation of competency based curriculum, to determine the level of teacher’s ICT competence on the implementation of competency-based curriculum, to determine the level of involvement of stakeholders in the implementation of competency-based curriculum, to establish the level of infrastructure and resources preparedness for the implementation of competency-based curriculum and to find out the effectiveness of assessment and evaluation mechanisms in the implementation of competency-based curriculum. The study employed the curriculum implementation theory developed by Gross (1971) and Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory (1962). The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The target population included all the 748 head teachers and 6039 teachers in the 748 primary schools in Baringo County. The schools were selected through stratified and random sampling methods. A total of 306 teachers, 21 head teachers and 7 sub county directors of education were selected to participate in the study. Questionnaires, interview schedules and an observation schedule were used to collect data. The findings from the study revealed that there was inadequate training on content and pedagogical skills for teachers to implement the competency based curriculum. It was also found out that many teachers had low level of ICT competency. Furthermore, there was inadequate public participation; teachers and other stakeholders were not involved before the implementation of competency-based curriculum. It was also noted that there was inadequate infrastructure and resources such as computers, classrooms, labs and field spaces to accommodate the implementation of the new education system. Finally, it emerged that there were inadequate assessment and evaluation mechanisms as the new curriculum was being implemented. The correlation results revealed significant positive relationships between various factors and the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Baringo County. Notably, there was a strong correlation between resource and infrastructure preparedness and CBC implementation (r = .843; p = .000), followed by the level of assessment and evaluation (r = .827; p = .000). Additionally, teacher training (r = .581; p = .000), ICT competency (r = .507; p = .000), and stakeholder involvement (r = .524; p = .000) also showed significant positive correlations with CBC implementation. The findings from this study will be significant to all the education sector stake holders on measures to be employed to enable informed decision-making on the successful curriculum and its implementation.