English Teachers’ Attitudes and Challenges Towards the Implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum Lesson Planning and Assessment Strategies – A Case Study from Machakos Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and challenges faced by teachers of English when implementing the CBC lesson planning and assessment strategies in primary schools in Machakos Sub-County. The study was guided by the Theory of Visible Learning by John Hattie. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The target population included 91 primary school head teachers, 2 Curriculum Support Officers, and 364 Teachers of English. The study used simple random sampling to select eleven (11) primary schools in the Machakos Sub-County. A total of eleven (11) head teachers were purposively sampled from the eleven schools, and forty-five (45) grade one to grade six teachers of English were purposively sampled. One curriculum support officer was purposively sampled from among the three educational zones in the Sub-County. The research instruments used in the study included: questionnaires for head teachers, teachers, and Curriculum Support Officers. The quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages and presented in tabular format. Chi-square tests run using SPSS 27 were used to evaluate the association between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The findings of the study show that the teachers’ attitudes toward the implementation of CBC did not significantly influence the quality of specific learning outcomes. The study identified four key challenges to CBC implementation which included: inadequate time for preparation and assessment; inadequate teaching materials/ resources; confusing curriculum guidelines and some degree of lack of experience among teachers. The study recommends that there is a need for teacher training institutions in Kenya should swiftly incorporate CBC training courses in their curricula.