Student ownership of learning and competency-based curriculum: A conceptual framework for CBC implementation in Kenya

Abstract

The implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development [KICD], 2017) has stimulated growing interest in learner-centred education, competency development and authentic learning. While the principles and intended outcomes of CBC have been widely discussed, less attention has been paid to how learners actually experience this educational transformation. This article addresses that gap by developing a conceptual framework that relates Competency-Based Curriculum, Educational Culture and Student Ownership of Learning. The article is theoretical in nature and introduces Educational Culture, including the SOL taxonomy, as a framework for understanding and supporting the implementation of CBC. The article argues that Student Ownership of Learning represents a central qualitative dimension of the learner's learning experience through which the intentions of Competency-Based Curriculum become educational reality. Educational Culture is positioned as the school-level framework that connects curriculum implementation with students' learning experiences. Within the Kenyan context, it is proposed that the implementation of CBC is associated with the development of Educational Culture and that schools characterised by more developed Educational Cultures are expected to create conditions that increasingly support students' experienced Student Ownership of Learning. The framework is further grounded in the relational and humanistic philosophy of Ubuntu, which provides a coherent philosophical foundation for Competency-Based Curriculum, Educational Culture and Student Ownership of Learning. The article concludes by presenting a theoretical hypothesis that will be examined in an ongoing mixed-methods study conducted by the Foundation for Student Ownership of Learning (SOL) and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST). The proposed framework contributes to the theoretical understanding of Competency-Based Curriculum implementation and provides a foundation for future empirical research on the relationship between Educational Culture and Student Ownership of Learning in Kenya.