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Influence of the Availability of Instructional Resources on the Implementation of the Integrated Science Curriculum in Public Junior Secondary Schools in Western Region, Kenya
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Curriculum and Pedagogy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719850
Abstract
The Competency-Based transition has placed a practical, resource-intensive science curriculum in schools whose material base is often thin. This paper examines the influence of the availability of instructional resources on the implementation of the Integrated Science curriculum in public junior secondary schools in the Western Region of Kenya. Anchored on the social constructivist theory of Lev Vygotsky, the study adopted a descriptive survey design within a mixed methods approach. From a universe of 113,237, a sample of 1,087 respondents was drawn using stratified, simple random, systematic and purposive techniques, and 844 (77.6%) responded. Data were collected through questionnaires for students, teachers, heads of department and head teachers, and through interviews with one Regional and four County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, and were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square goodness-of-fit test at the 0.05 level of significance. Of the four preparedness dimensions examined, the availability of instructional resources returned the lowest mean (M = 1.57, SD = 0.77), falling in the low band. Every one of the seven resources tested departed significantly from an even spread of responses, and the responses clustered on scarcity: the resources most central to inquiry-based science returned the largest values, namely charts and models (χ² = 343.703), internet for research (χ² = 267.139) and information and communication technology tools (χ² = 248.163), with 196 (93.8%), 181 (86.6%) and 177 (84.7%) of teachers respectively reporting them absent. The null hypothesis was rejected, and the availability of instructional resources was found to have a statistically significant influence on implementation. The qualitative evidence attributed the shortfall to a chronic shortage of science resources and to the late delivery of the materials that were supplied. The paper concludes that resource scarcity was the most binding constraint on implementation, forcing theoretical delivery, and recommends the prioritised, timely supply of the practical and digital resources the curriculum assumes.
Keywords
Availability Of Instructional Resources, Curriculum Implementation, Integrated Science, Teacher Preparedness
How to cite this paper
@article{1719850,
author = {Wekesa Davis Namaswa, Duncan Wekesa Wasike, Kefa Osolo Nyende},
title = {Influence of the Availability of Instructional Resources on the Implementation of the Integrated Science Curriculum in Public Junior Secondary Schools in Western Region, Kenya},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {2021-2027},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719850.pdf},
abstract = {The Competency-Based transition has placed a practical, resource-intensive science curriculum in schools whose material base is often thin. This paper examines the influence of the availability of instructional resources on the implementation of the Integrated Science curriculum in public junior secondary schools in the Western Region of Kenya. Anchored on the social constructivist theory of Lev Vygotsky, the study adopted a descriptive survey design within a mixed methods approach. From a universe of 113,237, a sample of 1,087 respondents was drawn using stratified, simple random, systematic and purposive techniques, and 844 (77.6%) responded. Data were collected through questionnaires for students, teachers, heads of department and head teachers, and through interviews with one Regional and four County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, and were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square goodness-of-fit test at the 0.05 level of significance. Of the four preparedness dimensions examined, the availability of instructional resources returned the lowest mean (M = 1.57, SD = 0.77), falling in the low band. Every one of the seven resources tested departed significantly from an even spread of responses, and the responses clustered on scarcity: the resources most central to inquiry-based science returned the largest values, namely charts and models (χ² = 343.703), internet for research (χ² = 267.139) and information and communication technology tools (χ² = 248.163), with 196 (93.8%), 181 (86.6%) and 177 (84.7%) of teachers respectively reporting them absent. The null hypothesis was rejected, and the availability of instructional resources was found to have a statistically significant influence on implementation. The qualitative evidence attributed the shortfall to a chronic shortage of science resources and to the late delivery of the materials that were supplied. The paper concludes that resource scarcity was the most binding constraint on implementation, forcing theoretical delivery, and recommends the prioritised, timely supply of the practical and digital resources the curriculum assumes.},
keywords = {Availability Of Instructional Resources, Curriculum Implementation, Integrated Science, Teacher Preparedness},
month = {July},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719850}
}