TEACHERS PREPAREDNESS TO IMPLEMENT COMPETENCY BASED CURRICULUM IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN KINANGOP SUB COUNTY, NYANDARUA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The Kenyan education system has undergone transformation; it is now competency based as opposed to content-based. As a result, the instructors ran into challenges while implementing a new curriculum, notably in the areas of instructional content delivery and assessment. The study looked at the degree to which educators are prepared to use CBC in terms of their understanding of its principles, their capacity to integrate teaching and learning with it, and their level of competence in evaluating students in CBC. Descriptive survey research design was the study's research methodology. The research instruments utilized were deemed valid by expert opinion. The questionnaire had a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0. 7. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive approaches, revealing the mean and percentages. Thematic topics were used to organize the answers to qualitative data. According to the study, the teachers had a limited understanding of the concepts of CBC (M = 2. 10, SD = 0. 21). The majority of instructors (107, or 66. 5%) had received no training in the use of CBC. The majority— 64 (40. 3%)—used techniques from the previous curriculum to bring about the new CBC curriculum. About 32 (20. 1%) of the instructors sought advice from others who had undergone CBC training. According to earlier findings of the research, the majority of instructors, 84 (52. 3%), reported being ill-equipped to plan their courses of instruction, which may have been caused by insufficient training. As a result, the lesson plans and work records that the teachers produced were flawed because they were based on the work schemes. The study setting only employed the recommended CBC methods of teaching and learning, which were utilized so frequently in instruction and learning (M = 2. 35; SD = 0. 21). Group work (M = 2. 54, SD = 0. 58) and drama (M = 2. 63, SD = 0. 81) were the only techniques that were somewhat commonly used in the classes. The sample lacked the ability to make informed decisions regarding teaching and learning methods in CBC classrooms in the area of the research (M= 2. 42; SD = 0. 26). According to the study, one of the main challenges in adapting teaching and learning methods to the demands of CBC was time constraints. According to the research, the teachers' ability to aid in the learners' evaluation was poor [M=1. 93, SD=0. 33]. The teachers were consequently unable to properly evaluate the learners' proficiency in the desired skills in order to guide the intervention in future skill acquisition and eventual mastery of the desired skills. The study article recommended that the Ministry of Education, through its representatives such as the Teachers Service Commission and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, should increase in-service training programs among the teachers. The goal of this was to improve their understanding of the principles of CBC, the teaching and learning methods that should be used, how to write professional papers for a CBC instructor, and how to conduct learner assessment in CBC. To promote CBC implementation, the government must also guarantee that schools have enough personnel and provide enough instructional materials.