Title:
TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL COMPETENCE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETENCY-BASED INSTRUCTION IN MATHEMATICS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN KAKAMEGA EAST SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Authors:
Araka Grace Bochaberi, Polycarp Muchesia Ishenyi and John Motari Momanyi

Abstract:
Due to globalization and the demands of the 21st century, the Competency-Based Education in Kenya is being implemented in phases, where the first cohort is now in Grade ten. The curriculum is implemented with a view to meeting the new demands of the market economy in different fields. Teachers are the main implementers of any new curriculum in the classroom. Their preparedness to implement competency-based instruction in mathematics in primary schools is still not clear, yet mathematics is a catalyst for industrialization and many professions rely on it. This study was guided by one specific objective, which was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical competence and implementation of competency-based instruction in mathematics. The study was guided by Vygotsky's scaffolding theory and adopted a Correlational research design. Simple random sampling was utilized to select 15 (12%) schools to participate from a target population of 124 schools. From these schools, purposive random sampling was used to select 15 mathematics teachers and 660 (12%) grade six pupils to participate from a target population of 5456 pupils. All these translated to 675 participants drawn from a target population of 5,576. Instruments for data collection were questionnaires and observation schedules. A pilot study was conducted before the actual study in three schools within the research area. Validity of the instruments was verified by curriculum instruction experts from the university, while reliability of the instruments was assessed using the test-retest method. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations), while inferential statistics were used to test the null hypothesis via Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient at the .05 significance level. Results revealed that there is a significant weak positive relationship between teachers’ pedagogical competence and their implementation of CBI in mathematics r (13) = .338, p = .03 at ? = .05, implying that teachers’ level of implementation of CBI does not heavily rely on their pedagogical competence.

Keywords:
Competency-Based Instruction, Mathematics. Pedagogical Competence, Secondary schools

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37500/IJESSR.2026.9517

Date of Publication: 07-10-2026