Research On The Preschool Teachers’ Preparation For The Implementation Of Competence-Based Curriculum In Kenya

The Competence-Based Curriculum was introduced in Kenya in 2017 on a pilot drive.The pilot was conducted in 470 public primary schools countrywide.The introduction of the new curriculum followed a report on needs assessment conducted in 2016 by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.In January 2019,the curriculum was fully rolled out.The need for a new curriculum in Kenya was quite evident.The country needed a curriculum that was more skill-based than exam-based.The competence-based curriculum roll out however was done very hastily and the government did not prepare the stakeholders well enough for the reforms.Preschool teachers are particularly affected since they cushion the initial weight of the curriculum.This study seeks to analyse their level of training,their perceptions as well as the readiness of the preschool institution.This study used mixed method research design to analyse the state of preschool teacher preparedness to implement the new curriculum.The researcher issued questionnaires to 265 preschool teachers in 136 preschool institutions.250 questionnaires were considered valid and were used for the research.The researcher also used an observation checklist to collect data on availability of curriculum support materials in 136 schools visited.The data was coded and entered into SPSSTM version 23 whereregression analysis,ANOVA and descriptive statistics were used to analyse it.Data was then relayed in the form of frequency tables,graphs,histograms among other modes.From the findings,46%of preschool teachers had no training at all on the new curriculum.A cumulative figure of 64%of preschool teachers preferred the new curriculum over the previous one.44%of preschool teachers disagreed that their schools were wholly prepared to implement the new curriculum.Teacher training and institutional preparedness were considered statistically significant whereas teacher perceptions did not show any statistical significance.This research will serve to advice the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to allocate more time to train teachers for the new adjustments.The government should also allocate more funding to preschools for them to purchase necessary equipment for curriculum implementation.