Influence of Pre-Primary Teachers’ Instructional Skills for Competency-Based Education on Learner Achievement in Mathematical Activities in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

Pre-primary teachers’ instructional skills within Competency-Based Education (CBE) may predict learners’ lifelong achievement in numerical development. The integration of game-based, task-based, and peer tutoring instructional skills boosts numeracy development. The use of traditional methods tends to put many learners at risk of getting stuck in the ‘approaching’ and ‘below’ expectation grade bands. This study sought to investigate the influence of pre-primary teachers’ instructional skills for CBE on learners’ achievement in mathematical activities in Bungoma County, Kenya. Positivism and interpretivism paradigms, entrenched in a mixed methods approach, with a Solomon Four-Group Design, across 16 purposively sampled schools (260 learners, 16 teachers). Questionnaires, observation, interview schedules, and pre/post-test tools were used to collect data that was analyzed using SPSS version 17 software. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically, anchored on three components of the study, and triangulated with quantitative data to determine the influence of pre-primary teachers’ instructional skills on learners’ achievement in mathematical activities. Verbatim discourse was also recorded. Findings indicate that, while 93.8% teachers’ self-reports show high readiness in instructional skills, only 43.75% consistently use game-based learning in the classroom. Although the experimental group, exposed to enhanced CBE training, obtained a post-test mean score of 58.82, significantly higher than the control group’s 37.32 (p = 0.001, the utilization of traditional methods, limited space and resources, and infringements on peer-tutoring and task-based instructional skills, thereby detracting from learning gains. The results imply that structural barriers hinder the translation of skills into practice. Therefore, this study recommends ongoing, contextually relevant professional development for educators in 21st-century instructional pedagogies. Policy interventions and school management support are required to provide instructional resources and reduce classroom congestion.