An Investigation Into the Factors Influencing the Implementation of Secondary School Curriculum in Limuru Division, Kiambu West District

Abstract

Implementation is an essential aspect of curriculum. A curriculum however well designed must be implemented throughout a school district if it is to make any impact or if students are to attain its goals and objectives. The problem that often arises is that implementing a curriculum has not been considered a crucial stage. Implementing a curriculum means getting educators to shift from the current programme to the new programme, a modification that can be met with great resistance. Implementation is the logical step once a programme has been developed and piloted. It involves extensive actions by many parties. Changes must be made in the behaviours of all affected parties. Teachers must be clear about the purpose, the nature and the benefits of the innovation. Implementation involves educating individuals about the worth of a new programme or programme component such as a new content area or a new type of material. Implementation then requires planning and planning focuses on three factors; people, programmes, organizations or processes and institutions. Based on the Overcoming Resistance to Change (ORC) model curriculum readers should overcome staff resistance to change. Teachers should be allowed to participate in decision about programme change, if this is done teachers tend to express ownership of the innovation. Educators must- deal with personal concerns, task related concerns for example adequacy of materials and impact related concerns. If these are ignored people will not accept the innovation. It is therefore important that teachers should share concern. By sharing concerns they may realize that they are capable of making the necessary changes in order to deliver the new programme. Teachers are key players in the curriculum development process. To effectively implement the curriculum there is need to educate teachers, teachers educators and to provide continuous support to the teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the implementation of secondary school curriculum in Limuru Division of Kiambu District. The instruments were validated by the supervisor in this study. A pilot study was conducted to determine the reliability of the instrument. This was done using 30 respondents from one national school that was not in the sample of the study. The questionnaires were then administered in the five schools of the division. The questionnaire return rate was 71.5%. The research findings showed that curriculum implementation IS influenced by the availability of adequate resources. Supportive leadership and the motivation of teachers was also noted to have a significant influence on curriculum implementation. The study also revealed that school policies have an impact on curriculum implementation. The perception of teachers about the teaching career was also noted to have an influence on curriculum implementation. This is because teachers are the main actors in curriculum implementation. As such teachers should be involved in all stages of curriculum implementation.