ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT AND JUNIOR SCHOOL LEARNERS’ ACHIEVEMENT OF COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION CORE COMPETENCIES IN LAIKIPIA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Effective administrative management has been instrumental in advancing the successful implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) in junior schools across Kenya. Despite several studies highlighting administrative challenges in Kenya’s education sector, barriers such as inadequate instructional resources, supervision by schools’ management, resource mobilization, workloads of teachers, and limited parental involvement continue to hinder the effective achievement of core competencies in the competency-based curriculum. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of administrative management in junior schools on the achievement of core competencies in the competency-based curriculum in Laikipia County Kenya. The Contingency Theory developed by Fiedler, Paul Lawrence and Jay Lorsch, and the Situated Learning Theory by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger guided the study. The study utilized a descriptive survey design. A target population of 23067 from 242 junior schools comprising 242 headteachers, 21,425 junior school learners, 745 class representatives, 408 junior school teachers, and 5 sub-county directors was used in the study. A sample size of 302 respondents comprising 88 junior school teachers, 51 headteachers, and 160 junior school class representatives was proportionately and randomly sampled, while 3 sub-county directors were purposively sampled and used as respondents in the study. Questionnaires for headteachers, class representatives, and junior school teachers were used to collect data. An interview schedule was utilized to collect data from the Sub-County Directors. A pilot study was conducted in Samburu County, which shared characteristics like those of Laikipia County. Supervisors from the Department of Education at Tharaka University ascertained the instruments’ validity. An alpha coefficient value of 0.855 was established, denoting reliability for the research instruments. Quantitative data was analysed using regression analysis, while Qualitative data obtained from the interview schedule was analysed descriptively and reported thematically in line with the research objectives. The null hypothesis was tested at a 0.05 significance level. Regression analysis established statistically significant influence of instructional resources, parents-teacher collaboration, staffing and BoM on the achievement of CBE core competencies in junior school learners. The p values were: Provision of instructional resources 0.040, parents-teacher collaboration 0.040, staffing 0.029, and 0.034 for BoM, all less than the critical value of 0.05. The study concluded that administrative management in junior schools influenced the achievement of core competencies in the competency-based education in Laikipia County, Kenya. The study recommended that the Government should equip all schools with enough instructional resources, organize induction workshops to sensitize all teachers, head teachers, and parents on the importance of teachers-parents collaboration in shaping learners in real-life situations. The study further recommends that the Teachers Service Commission should ensure staffing is not biased in terms of gender, and equitable distribution of teachers in consideration of their specialized learning areas. The study will be important to policymakers develop policies on restructuring the training of teachers to comply with the needs of Competency-Based Education, develop more strategies for increasing parental involvement. The study's findings will assist the Teacher Service Commission in ensuring factors such as teachers’ competencies are considered in staffing and developing quality induction programs that will equip JS teachers and headteachers with the necessary skills and knowledge on the CBE. The study will be useful to the curriculum implementers by providing useful information to the management of schools to strengthen school management by BoM. The study provides a foundation for further studies