Disassociation between Empowerment Hypotheses and Structural Realities: An Accreditation-Aligned Investigation into Mid-Level Executive Readiness for Competency-Based Curricular Reforms in Public Junior Secondary Schools in Kenya
Robert Kipngetich Rutto, Grace Cheruto Kiptok & Salome Odek
Department of Education, School of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, Kenya
Email: robertkrutto@gmail.com
Abstract: The global transition towards Competency-Based Education (CBE) demands deep organizational reconfiguration and localized administrative stewardship to resolve systemic implementation bottlenecks. This study investigated the institutional readiness and pedagogical execution fidelity of junior secondary school mid-level executives navigating the rollout of the Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF) within Nandi North Sub-County, Kenya. Using Weiss’s Theory of Change and descriptive correlational research design, the study sampled 305 institutional administrators. Data were collectedvia role-customized closed-ended questionnaires. Analysis utilized descriptive metrics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that while conceptual awareness of CBE tenets is widely distributed (M = 3.41), practical readiness for execution remains deficient across both senior managers (M = 2.46) and departmental heads (M = 2.67). ANOVA models demonstrated absolute uniformity in structural preparedness across the administrative hierarchy, failing to establish role-based variance, F(1.430) < F(3.084), p = 0.2439. Pearson models confirmed a statistically significant, moderately strong positive correlation among Heads of Departments (r = 0.557, p = 0.035), supporting a systemic “learning by doing” phenomenon, whereas senior managers displayed a statistically non-significant linkage (r = 0.448, p = 0.167). The inquiry reveals a sharp dissociation between national curriculum directives and school-level operational capacity, characterized by chronic shortages of standardized assessment matrices and broken intra-institutional communication pathways. The study recommends system-wide continuous in-service retooling, the rapid deployment of standardized assessment templates by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
