From curriculum reform to classroom enactment: A qualitative descriptive study of teachers’ experiences in Kenya’s Junior Schools

Nelson Muhia, Benta Abuya, Amani Karisa and Grace Gathoni

African Educational Research Journal
Published: September 22 2026
Volume 14, Issue 3
Pages 740-759
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22896264

Abstract

Limited evidence exists on how teachers in the relatively new Junior School level experience and navigate implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum in Kenya. This qualitative descriptive study examined teachers' experiences of CBC implementation, including what they perceived to be working well, the challenges encountered, and how they navigated them. Fifteen teachers were purposively selected from 15 public and private Junior Schools across Nairobi, Murang’a, and Samburu counties. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically using deductive and inductive coding. The findings revealed an important tension in teachers’ experiences of CBC implementation. Teachers generally understood and valued CBC's holistic focus on nurturing learners' talents and competencies and its pedagogical shift towards learner-centered learning. However, their capacity to enact these principles was constrained by inadequate capacity, teacher shortages, limited teaching and learning resources, gaps in learner preparedness, curriculum changes and communication, heavy workload, and limited parental support. Teachers adapted by seeking support from colleagues and online resources and reverting to teacher-centered approaches. While experiences were broadly similar across counties and school ownership, some constraints manifested differently according to local contexts. The study demonstrates an important distinction between teachers’ appreciation of curriculum reform and their capacity to enact it under everyday classroom conditions. Viewed through a Diffusion of Innovations lens, CBC implementation emerged as negotiated adaptation rather than simple adoption. Effective CBC implementation therefore requires coordinated attention to teacher preparation, staffing, resources, curriculum communication, learner preparedness, workload, and household-level conditions that enable intended practices to be realized.

Keywords: Competency-based curriculum, curriculum implementation, teacher experiences, junior school, Kenya.

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