APPLICATION OF CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING THEORY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETENCY-BASED CURRICULUM: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW

Abstract

The competency-based education (CBE) trend is one of the biggest changes that have taken place in the education systems across the world, where developing hands-on skills, critical thinking, and life problem-solving abilities are the focuses. Constructivist learning theory offers a good theoretical basis of this change as it encourages active and learner-focused methods of knowledge-building. In this paper, the author of this paper explores the idea of the constructivist learning theory on the implementation of CBE, with specific reference to the empirical findings that have been conducted in Nigeria and other developing nations. The study presents theoretical background, pedagogical practice, conceptual correlations, and implementation issues using a systematic review. Results show that constructivist practices have a great impact on developing competency, academic success and involvement of learners. Nevertheless, the implementation is hampered by issues like the lack of training of teachers, the lack of instructional materials and the complexity of assessments. The paper suggests a conceptual model of association between constructivist practices and competency development and provides policy, research, and practice recommendations.