Assessment of Pre-Primary II Teachers‟ Resource Development and Utilization Skills for CBC Implementation in Language Activities

Kenya's educational landscape has witnessed a transformative shift towards curriculum reform, aiming to enhance the quality of education. A central element of this reform has been the transition from mere knowledge and skill acquisition to fostering the creation and practical application of knowledge and skills. This study specifically focused on evaluating the readiness of teachers to implement the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) in language activities for Pre-Primary II students within Nambale Sub County, Kenya. The research objective was to assess Pre-Primary II teachers' ability to develop and utilize learning resources as an essential component of implementing CBC for language activities. Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory served as the theoretical framework underpinning this study. Mixed convergent research design was employed, including a sample size that involved 20 Head Teachers, 20 teachers-in-charge, 40 Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers, the County Director ECDE, the Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (QASO) and the Sub County Director of Education (MOE). These individuals were purposively chosen due to their intimate involvement with educational processes. Data collection methods incorporated questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. The analysis of the study's findings revealed a significant relationship between the teachers' ability to develop and utilize resources and the effective implementation of CBC in language activities. This relationship is underscored by a coefficient value (R) of 0.619 and an R square value of 0.383 at P=0.000, signifying that 38.3% of the variation in the implementation of CBC language activities is explained by the teachers' capacity to develop and utilize resources. The study recommends the enhancement of the successful implementation of CBC in language activities for Pre-Primary II learners, such as early teacher preparation, support for resource development and acquisition, structured planning of learning experiences, and capacity-building of teacher‟s initiatives.


INTRODUCTION
The genesis of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) can be traced back to the late 1950s in the United States of America (USA), as Hodge (2017) notes.The USA was prompted to explore this educational shift in response to the launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union in 1957, a landmark event that ignited a "space race" between the two superpowers.The USA's perception of falling behind in the competition sent shockwaves through American society, and its educational system was scrutinized as a potential culprit for the nation's perceived inadequacies in the space race.
The subsequent debate over the role of the educational system in addressing these concerns led to the conceptualization and development of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).This new approach aimed to transform the education system, making it more responsive to the evolving needs of society (Burton, 2017).Significant financial resources were subsequently invested in education and innovative federal interventions, signaling a strong commitment to advancing the CBC.Chishimba (2015) points out that the inception of the CBC in most Western countries bore a close connection to the "behavioral objectives movement" of the 1950s, which was influenced by educators such as Benjamin Bloom.This movement placed a heavy emphasis on defining the intended outcomes of learning, viewing education through the lens of observable student behaviors.The objective was to enhance the overall effectiveness of schools, teachers, and teacher educators, addressing societal concerns about the quality of teacher training and student achievement.
The implementation of CBC was underpinned by two primary models, each with its proponents and critics.The first model, Competency-Based Teacher Education (CBTE), focused on competencies, including cognitive understanding, teaching behavior, and the ability to achieve desired teaching outcomes.The second model, Performance-Based Teacher Education (PBTE), centered on evaluating a teacher's actual performance and teaching behavior, emphasizing how effectively they fulfilled their competencies (Burton, 2017).
As such, the successful implementation of CBC hinged on teachers possessing the essential knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes required to effectively navigate this new educational landscape.This paradigm shift in education was not limited to the USA, as several countries across the globe adopted similar competency-based approaches with varying degrees of success.Countries like Singapore and Hong Kong stood out as notable successes in the implementation of CBC.Singapore consistently ranked among the top-performing countries in international assessments of student achievement (Karim & Abdul, 2011).This achievement was attributed to its rigorous teacher performance management system, emphasizing competencies that lead to exceptional performance, making it a model to be considered by others.
In Hong Kong, Curriculum-Based Language Teaching (CBLT) applied CBC principles to language education.CBLT focused on the desired language learning outcomes, prioritizing learners' abilities to effectively use the target language.It underscored the significance of outputs over the learning process itself, leading to successful language acquisition and application (Christie, 2015;quoted in Jansen, 2018).Indonesia recognized the importance of school-based curriculum in English for language activities, emphasizing the functional, transactional, and interactional aspects of language.This approach sought to teach language within its social contexts, promoting effective communication skills as an outcome.It required teachers to enhance their role in improving learners' speaking skills, fostering autonomy, and incorporating activities that encourage language development.
In Africa, the adoption of CBC began in South Africa in 1998, primarily driven by the need to address skill shortages and equip citizens with employable skills (KICD, 2017).South Africa's adoption was a response to the competency debates in Australia and New Zealand, which eventually crystallized into the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).Outcome-Based Education (OBE) was perceived as a means to address inequalities in learning and to enhance skills acquisition within the nation.Rwanda stands out as a success story in the East African region, adopting and implementing CBC in 2015.The shift from knowledge-based to competence-based curriculum aimed to develop learners' competences, integrate ICT tools, and focus on cross-cutting issues in the classroom.A key strength in Rwanda's approach was the active involvement of parents and caregivers in the implementation of the CBC, reflecting a unique partnership between various stakeholders.
In Kenya, the impetus for curriculum reform was rooted in the acknowledgment that the existing system was rigid and lacked the flexibility to align basic education with learners' career interests, aptitudes, and abilities.The CBC, proposed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), aimed to make learners proficient in seven key areas and these are communication and collaboration, digital literacy, learning to learn, self ephicacy, creativity and imagination, critical thinking and problem solving Teachers were expected to be adequately prepared to deliver this transformative curriculum (KICD, 2017).The CBC aimed to instill eight core values in learners: love, responsibility, respect, unity, peace, patriotism, social justice, and integrity.Teachers also had to be well-versed in pertinent and contemporary issues.

Statement of the Problem
The global issue of teacher preparedness in implementing language activities in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) has been a persistent challenge.The recent adoption of the CBC curriculum in Kenya places significant importance on communication and language as integral components.A study conducted in California, USA, found that a substantial percentage of preschool language teachers lacked in-service training on effective learner instruction, revealing a critical gap in teacher preparation.In Tanzania, the implementation of the CBC curriculum in secondary schools faced obstacles, with a majority of teachers exhibiting a limited understanding of the competencebased curriculum and ineffective practices.
In Kenya, the education system has undergone several transformations, with the introduction of the 8-4-4 system in 1985 aimed at addressing concerns regarding the academic curriculum's inability to promote sustainable employment.However, limited stakeholder involvement and inadequate teacher preparedness contributed to the system"s challenges.Technical subjects like music and art and craft were not effectively integrated into primary schools, mainly due to unprepared teachers, resulting in graduates lacking competencies to apply their knowledge effectively.This prompted the development of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).The CBC"s implementation requires teachers to play a pivotal role in facilitating language activities in the early years, fostering selfexpression, self-efficacy, and communication.However, studies in various regions of Kenya, such as Bomet East Sub County, revealed that teachers were ill-prepared for the CBC, lacking a clear understanding of its principles.The CBC introduces a significant shift in instructional approaches, necessitating changes in teacher education programs to equip educators with the necessary pedagogical skills for effective implementation.
Traditionally, Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers have been following guidelines and handbooks for language activities, which had a syllabus covering oral, reading, and writing readiness for three years.The current CBC divides language activities into distinct strands and these are listening, speaking, reading, and writing, to be taught for two years, marking a paradigm shift.It is essential to assess the teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources in order to facilitate learning experiences appropriately.The facilitation of language competencies in language activities plays a pivotal role in facilitating all activity areas in Pre-Primary II, emphasizing the need to assess the teachers" ability to develop and utilize adequate, relevant, attractive, and durable learning resources to enhance learning in ECDE within this context in Nambale Sub-County, Kenya.The study therefore aimed at assessing the Pre-Primary II teachers" resource development and utilization skills for CBC implementation in language activities in Nambale Sub-County, Kenya.

Study Objective
Assess PPII teachers" ability to develop and utilize leaning resources for implementation of CBC in language activities in Nambale Sub-County.

Research Hypothesis
Ho: There is no significant relationship between PPII teachers" ability to develop and utilize resources and the implementation of CBC in language activities.

Theoretical Framework
This study, which examines teachers" ability to develop and utilize resources and the implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in language activities for pre-primary II in Nambale sub-county, Kenya, draws its theoretical framework from Vygotsky's socio-cultural perspective.Vygotsky"s theory underscores the significance of social interactions in learning, particularly in an educational context (Göncü & Gaskins, 2010).Within the context of teacher preparedness, Vygotsky"s theory offers valuable insights into the role of social interactions, cultural influences, and the zone of proximal development.Vygotsky, (1997).contendedthat imaginative play extends children's learning into the zone of proximal development.Imaginative play accomplishes this in two ways: firstly, by establishing play rules that support children, allowing them to operate beyond their current developmental level.Secondly, through play, children disconnect objects and actions from their typical meanings, enabling them to comprehend that one object can symbolize another, thereby extending their existing understanding.This framework has profound implications for education, particularly in understanding the concept of "scaffolding," where more knowledgeable individuals adapt their support to a learner's needs.The teacher progressively reduces support as the learner becomes more proficient, as seen in reciprocal instruction.All these cannot be realized without enough relevant, age appropriate and attractive learning resources developed and well unutilized by the teacher during facilitation of language activities now that CBC puts the leaner at the center of learning to enhance learning to learn.
Moreover, Vygotsky"s theory extends to the idea of a "community of learners," where adults and children engage in shared activities, and peers actively contribute to each other's learning through social interactions (Mitchell & Myles, 2004).This socio-cultural perspective highlights the impact of societal and cultural beliefs on individual development and learning.Vygotsky"s constructs, such as interdental to instrumental functioning, mediation of thinking by signs and tools, and the zone of proximal development, offer relevant insights into teacher preparedness and their interactions with pre-primary learners in the context of the CBC implementation which easily occurs as the facilitator uses charts, story picture books, crayons, colors, drawings, real objects and varied play materials like ropes balls skittles and the like since children learn best naturally as they play with relevant and safe props.Grant, and Osanloo (2014) argue that the social-cultural theory emphasizes that society plays a pivotal role in individual development, and this perspective aligns with the study's focus on the impact of teacher "ability to develop and utilize learning resources particularly at the pre-primary level.Vygotsky's key constructs offers valuable insights into how teachers prepare to engage with preprimary learners, particularly in the context of the CBC"s implementation.Where critical thinking and problem solving is key, a learner should not be taught to cram and reproduce content rather, they should be guided to create knowledge by interacting and manipulating resources available.

Conceptual Framework
The study was guided by the following conceptual framework; The conceptual framework posits that the teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources resource directly impacts on the implementation of CBC in language activities.This is assessed through learners' improved communication abilities both verbally and non-verbally, creativity, social appreciation, correct letter sound articulation and writing the same.However, county and national pre-school policies can influence the pace at which this can be implemented.

METHODS
The study was carried out in Nambale Sub County in Busia County.Busia is one of the counties in the former Western Province of Kenya.This study used mixed convergent research design where both quantitative and qualitative methods of collecting data were adopted (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007).The target population for the study was all 57 pre-schools in public primary schools and 4 standalone public pre-primary schools in Nambale Sub-County.The study targeted 57 primary school Head Teachers and 4 teachers in charge of standalone schools, 57 teachers in charge of ECDE sections, other teachers in ECDE section.The 20 public primary schools were selected using stratified random sampling.The stratification was based on the wards as well as learner enrollment in schools.Twenty (20) head teachers" were included in the study as key informants.Twenty (20) teachers in charge were sampled purposively, while two (2) ECD teachers from each were selected using stratified random sampling.The stratification was based on gender.The Busia County Director ECDE and SCQASO were purposively sampled.The study used questionnaire, interview guide, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and lesson observation guide to collect data.A pilot study was conducted in two (2) public primary schools in Teso South Sub County, to improve the quality of research instruments.Reliability was ensured through test-retest while validity was ensured through content validity.The quantitative data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics that used tables and charts to meaningfully describe the distribution of measurements of the phenomena under study.Inferential statistics was also used in form of regression.Qualitative data from interviews and FGDs was analyzed using thematic narrations and presented through descriptions.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Teacher's Ability to develop and Utilize Resources in the Implementation of CBC in Language Activities in PP II
These objective sought to establish teacher"s ability to develop and utilize resources in implementation of CBC in language activities for pp II in Nambale Sub County.On a Likert scale ranging from 1-5, 1 indicating strongly disagree as 5 indicates strongly agree, respondents were asked to state their opinions on teacher"s ability to develop and utilize resources in implementation of CBC Language activities in PP II.Findings for these results were presented as shown in Table 1.
From the findings in Table 1, statements recorded different mean and standard deviations.On statement one; I have the curriculum design, teachers, handbook and textbooks for language activities for learners had a mean of 4.1 with standard deviation 0.87119.Statement number two; I am able to use the above-mentioned learning resources in facilitating language activities had a mean 4.0750 and standard deviation 0.82858.Statement number three; I am able to develop and utilize teaching aids during teaching to enable the learner to listen, speak, read and write had a mean of 4.5 with standard deviation of 0.50637.Statement number four; I encourage learners to interact with digital devices in and out of class to enhance their language acquisition had a mean 4.1750 and standard deviation 0.90263.Statement number five; The learning resources that I use are attractive, legible, artistic and well displayed in learning centers to arouse learners" interest and self-learning in language activities for PPII had a mean 3.8750 with standard mean 0.6841.Statement number seven; I encourage learners to collect, develop and use simple learning resources from local environment to enhance learning had a mean 4.1 with standard deviation 0.92819.The findings show all the statements except statement number six had mean ranging between 4 and 5 which in summary implied they were in agreement with statements regarding teacher"s ability to utilize resources in implementation of CBC Language activities in PP II.This was confirmed by findings obtained in the interview guides as reported: "We normally permit teachers to attend cluster material development meetings monthly to revamp the learning aids like charts for letters, sounds, and words.Schools are also allowed to collect some levies in the ECDE section which they use to buy materials.However, they must inform the administration to avoid unwarranted expenses to learners.Besides, teachers are facilitated to develop and purchase learning resources from time to time.School administration and the office of the ECDE Coordinator reminds teachers to ensure that they develop and use learning aids every time they go to class.There is a plan for acquiring digital devices for both teachers and learners for it is a requirement in implementing CBC in all activity areas to enhance digital literacy."County ECDE Director.
"It is impossible to instruct young learners in PPI and PPII without tangible learning resources, children learn by observing, touching and manipulating things in the environment and therefore there is need for every teacher to ensure that they provide the same in order to implement the curriculum well.This should also apply to the lower primary teachers".Nambale Sub County Director of Education.
"Every good teacher is defined by the ability that they have in developing and utilizing play and learning resources, as we visit ECDE classrooms, we encourage teachers to improvise and have safe, adequate, attractive and durable materials for learners for it makes learning to be hands on".Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (SQASO).
"ECDE teachers in my school have demonstrated ability to develop and utilize learning aids for their learners, their lessons end at noon and they remain in the school preparing learning resources for the next day, this has made learning to be very interesting.My office has been supportive in providing a few raw materials for the same, I wish the County government should facilitate them to acquire and develop more learning resources".Head teacher 1.This finding is in line with Amunga, Were & Ashioya (2020) who established that using instructional materials encourages better and more frequent contact between teachers and students.Thus, instructional materials provide instructors engaging ways to communicate knowledge that inspires students, supports the teacher in overcoming physical challenges, creates realism and supplies events, and promotes students' active engagement.This is further supported by Jonyo & Jonyo (2019) who found that curriculum implementation calls for qualified instructors who are able to provide content using suitable and relevant teaching resources.The use of learning by doing as one of the greatest teaching strategies in instructional materials helps students in this respect.Students quickly forget what they are told but quickly recall what they do.Using instructional materials when teaching engages the student on several levels.As a result, learning is more relevant when the learner uses many senses.Saidu and Saidu (2014) note that effective utilization of instructional materials is necessary in every class to increase student retention.
The ECDE teachers were also asked to rate their abilities in the interpretation of the CBC curriculum design for P II, their responses were presented as shown in Table 2. Results in Table 2 show how respondents scored regarding teacher"s ability to plan and structure learning experiences and implementation of CBC in Language Activities in PP II.In statement number one; I am able to interpret the PP II curriculum design the mean of the response was 4.1 while the standard deviation was 0.7887.In statement two; I have the ability to prepare schemes of work in line with for CBC language activities for PP II had the mean 4.2 with standard deviation 0.8335.
Statement number three; I have the ability to extract and add more key inquiry questions from the design to the scheme of work for language activities, the mean was 4.15 while the standard deviation was 0.81273.Statement number four; I have the ability to prepare a lesson plan for language activities for PP II in line with CBC, the mean was 4.15 with standard deviation 0.58714.Statement number five; I have the ability to appropriately facilitate learning using a Lesson plan for language activity for PP II in line with CBC had mean 4.25 with standard deviation 0.63867.
In statement number six; I am able to extract relevant learning experiences from outcomes as outlined in the scheme of work, the mean was 4.35 while the standard deviation was 0.67082.The composite mean of the statements was 4.2 with overall standard deviation of 0.7128.The descriptive results imply respondents were in agreement with statements regarding teachers" ability to interpret the curriculum design and other literature for the implementation of CBC Language activities.
"The curriculum design which is a key resource, was not easy to interpret at first but after training I was able to interpret it and plan for experiences aligned to the specific learning outcomes".Teacher 1 "We were taught that learning experiences are suggested.I am able to add more relevant ones that are not recorded in the curriculum design as I scheme and write a lesson plan".Teacher 2 These results, however, are different from those published by Waweru (2018), who undertook research to determine how well-prepared teachers in lower primary schools in Kenya"s Nyandarua North Sub-County were to implement CBC.According to Chijioke (2014) 98.8% of the teachers in Nyandarua County were not trained and therefore not well prepared to implement the CBC.He also established that 50% of the teachers" experienced challenges in designing and using the assessment rubrics unlike the teachers in Nambale Sub County who stated that they had necessary competencies to grade learners by use of rubric in language tasks.The study objective second was guided by the following null hypothesis; H o : There is no significant relationship between PPII teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources and the implementation of CBC in language.To test this hypothesis both correlation and regression analysis were used.

Correlation for PP II teachers' ability to develop and utilize learning resources
Using Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient scores from PP II teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources as an independent variable and implementation of CBC language activities as dependent variables were tabulated.The scores were then converted into ratio scaled data by tabulating mean responses per respondents.The results are shown in Table 3 below.The results in Table 3 clearly showed that there was a weak positive association between influence of teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources and implementation of CBC in language activities (r=.474, n=60, p<.01).Simple regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between PPII teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources and the implementation of CBC in language activities.Table 4 shows a summary of the regression model.

Source: Field Data, 2021
The results in Table 4 show model summary of the regression between teacher"s ability to develop and utilize learning resources and implementation of CBC in language activities.The R coefficient value was 0.474 while the value of R square was 0.335 at P=0.000.Given that the value of R square was 0.225, it implied 22.5% change in implementation of CBC language activities was explained by teacher"s ability to develop and utilize learning resources.
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was also carried out and the findings were as presented in Table 5.From Analysis of variance, F-statistic value was 11.034 at p=0.000.The ANOVA results imply the independent variable was fit to explain the dependent variable.The t-statistics was summarized in Table 6.The t-test value was 1.375 at p=0.000.When teacher"s ability to plan and structure learning experiences was introduced in the equation, the t-test value was changed to 3.322 at p=0.002.From the t-test results, 1.947 units change in implementation of CBC was attributed to teacher"s ability to develop and utilize learning resources.
The study therefore rejected the null hypothesis and concluded that there is a significant relationship between PPII teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources and the implementation of CBC language.
The simple regression model was put in the form; Y= 1.181 + 0.675X + e, Where Y= Implementation of CBC in language activities, X= ability to develop and utilize learning resources and e= standard error term.Gichuki (2013) and Ameli, Ayaga & Ouda, (2024) concurs that when teachers provide a favorable classroom climate, they foster curriculum implementation through approachable and supportive social interactions.Further, where children interact among themselves, learning is more interesting, collaborative and not a competitive endeavor.Such a classroom environment enhances curriculum implementation as it allows children to learn independently through exploration and discovery with guidance as well as supervision of the teacher.Use of instructional aids makes learning easy, interesting, practical and more meaningful to the learner as opposed to rote learning (Joseph, 2015).
In Norway, (OECD, 2018) reveals that pre-school teachers are trained on the importance of creating a child friendly classroom climate for quality early childhood education and care.Their training emphasizes on creating a warm preschool learning climate through provision of appropriate resources for learners to interact freely.

Conclusion
Based on the findings presented in the study regarding the teachers' ability to develop and utilize learning resources in the implementation of CBC language activities for PP II in Nambale Sub County, the study found that teachers generally demonstrated a high ability to develop and utilize learning resources for CBC language activities.This was evidenced by high mean scores across various statements related to resource utilization and curriculum interpretation.There is a significant positive relationship between teachers' ability to develop and utilize learning resources and the effective implementation of CBC in language activities.This relationship was supported by both correlation and regression analyses, indicating that better resource utilization contributes to enhanced CBC implementation.The study also highlighted the importance of a supportive environment, including training, availability of materials, and administrative support, in enabling teachers to effectively implement CBC.Teachers' ability to interpret curriculum designs and prepare appropriate schemes of work and lesson plans was also positively acknowledged.

Recommendation
Based on the conclusions drawn from the study, the following recommendations are proposed by the study: 1. Provide continuous professional development in terms of ongoing training and workshops for ECDE teachers to enhance their skills in curriculum interpretation, lesson planning, and effective utilization of learning resources.This should include sessions on the latest methodologies and pedagogical approaches aligned with CBC principles.2. Ensure adequate resource provision including curriculum materials, textbooks, teaching aids, and digital devices necessary for CBC implementation.Schools and educational authorities should collaborate to ensure consistent availability and accessibility of these resources.3. Establish regular monitoring and supportive mechanisms at both county and sub-county levels to oversee CBC implementation in ECDE.This includes periodic assessments of teachers' resource utilization practices and providing timely feedback and support where necessary.By implementing these recommendations, stakeholders can contribute to improving the quality of CBC implementation in ECDE settings, thereby enhancing learning outcomes and educational experiences for young learners in Nambale Sub County.

Table 1 .
Teacher"s ability to develop and utilize resources in implementation of CBC in language

Table 2 .
Teacher"s ability to interpret the curriculum design and other related material

Table 3 .
Correlation for teachers" ability to develop and utilize learning resources

Table 4 .
Model Summary of Ability to develop and utilize learning resources and CBC Implementation

Table 5 ANOVA
Test of Teacher"s ability to develop and utilize learning resources and Implementation

Table 6
Coefficient values of teacher"s ability to develop and utilize learning resources.