Classroom-Based Challenges Affecting the Implementation of Competence-Based Curriculum: Secondary School Teacher’s Perspectives in Southern Central Region of Uganda

Abstract

This study aimed to explore classroom-based challenges teachers perceive to affect the successful implementation of ‘O’ level secondary school Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The study adopted a qualitative research approach and followed the Interpretivist paradigm, which enabled participants to create, construct, and interpret all their classroom. Participants were drawn from school in six districts: Kalungu, Bukomansimbi, Ssembabule, Lwengo, Kyotera, and Rakai. A total of 50 secondary school teachers that teach at ‘O’ level participated in the study. Teachers were selected purposively to enable the researcher to gather qualitative responses from the best-fit participants whose responses were relevant to the study. A structured interview was used to gather data and in-depth information. Through triangulation, the methods enabled the researcher to collect in-depth subjective reality, which was analysed using thematic analysis. The result revealed; larger class sizes, limited physical classroom spaces, limited teaching materials including laboratory apparatuses, textbooks, computers, and projectors that hinder some pedagogical practices, challenging students’ behaviours when they cannot access required resources, challenges associated with integration and project activities, assessment constraints, increased workload, interconnectedness between primary school curriculum and CBC in secondary, and poor time allocations as the pressing challenges. This paper therefore recommends an immediate review of the implementation of the CBC by National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), training of teachers in assessment and new classroom pedagogies, continual inspection by local government facilities, collaboration among teachers and other stakeholders, and provision and subsidisation of school materials required for teaching.

Keywords: Competence Based Curriculum, Teacher Perception, Curriculum Implementation

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-1-04

Publication date: January 30th 2025