Teachers’ Perception Towards the Implementation of Competency Based Approach in Secondary Schools in Yaoundé Vi Sub Division.

Teachers’ Perception Towards the Implementation of Competency Based Approach in Secondary Schools in Yaoundé Vi Sub Division.

BAFON Richard MKONG¹, LOH YAI Emmanuel²

¹PhD in Curriculum and Evaluation University of Yaoundé 1,

Lecturer LAHIBATS University Institute Yaoundé

²PhD Student Faculty of Education, University of Yaoundé 1

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803196

Received: 26 December 2023; Revised: 19 January 2024; Accepted: 23 January 2024; Published: 24 April 2024

ABSTRACT

The general objective of this study is to teacher’s perception towards the implementation of Competency Based Approach (CBA) in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI Sub Division. Specifically, the study sets out to assess teacher’s views, teacher’s readiness, factors influencing teacher’s decision to adopt CBA and challenges faced by teachers in implementing CBA in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI Sub Division. It should be noted that despite the numerous workshop, seminars and pedagogic days exposed to teachers, teachers still find it very difficult to accept and implement competency based Approach. This is backed by the fact that some teachers some teachers still perceive CBA as a threat to their usual practices; others think that the introduction of CBA was hasty and abrupt; while some teachers do not completely understand what CBA is all about. This is seen in the planning and dispensation of lessons which are still very traditional (objective based approach) with little mastery of the problem situation and competences that are required to solve problems. This situation is further complicated by the fact that material and infrastructural and material resources needed to accompany the implementation of CBA are in most cases rudimentary and insufficient rudimentary. To put this study within its proper perspective, the   following theories were used three theories and two models of evaluation, social constructivism, adult learning theory, and the quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed in data collection and data analysis. This was realized through the construction of a questionnaire (open and closed ended questions). The study data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. For the descriptive statistic percentages and frequencies alongside measures of central tendency like the mean and mode were used. For inferential statistics the Pearson correlation analysis was used. The empirical analysis of the study was done using regression. The student test was used for testing the study hypothesis at 5% level of significance while the fisher test was used for testing the reliability of the overall model. From the regression results it was discovered that teacher’s view toward CBA and challenges faced by teacher have significant negative effects on the implementation of CBA in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI Sub Division. The adjusted coefficient of determination of the regression model reveals 0.736 implying that 73.6% of changes in CBA implementation in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI subdivision are explained by changes in teachers’ perception.

Keywords: perception, implementation, competence based approach

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The education of a child remains very important; because it is the only inheritance that can never be taken away from the child after the demise of the parents. To this effect, education has always been considered worldwide as a key that opens all doors. There are many ways through which knowledge can be transferred from one person to another. Teaching in all its forms remains a fundamental approach, and over the past years, different approaches have been adopted worldwide to ensure the efficiency and the effectiveness with which knowledge is being imparted. Competence Based Approach is not new in the educational system of Cameroon, it should be noted that CBA has been implemented in Cameroon schools for the past seven years. The Competency Based Approach to learning is not new in the educational system of Cameroon. According to Ministry of secondary education (2014). Cameroon adopted the Competency Based Approach in the year 2012.The Republic of Cameroon adopted the competency based approach in order train citizens to acquire a good mastery of the two official languages (English and French), and who deeply rooted in their cultures but open to a world in search for sustainable development(that is economic development that is conducted without the depletion of natural resources; meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs) and dominated by information and communication technologies. The objectives were not only to develop intellectual, civic and moral skills in these children but also competences and fundamental knowledge which will either enable them to foster their education, or to prepare them for a smooth insertion into the job market (MINESEC, 2014). The idea of changing the education system from a colonial objective driven, cognitive focused approach to a more competency oriented system was introduced to the Cameroonian public by education stakeholders, on the 17thSeptember 2012. This approach, which was to be progressively introduced into the education system, was tailored to address urgent socio-economic realities. While content remains essentially the same with slight modifications to reduce bulk and irrelevance, the teaching approach is a total paradigm shift from earlier practices. This paradigm shifts calls for continuous teacher professional development and retraining to meet up with the new challenges especially the enhancement of learner centeredness. New syllabuses for the competency based approach were introduced in secondary general schools in the 2013 / 2014 academic year (MINESEC, 2014). The syllabuses contained expected competences which learners are to acquire at the end of the learning process.

The strong need to the training received in secondary general schools in Cameroon from its traditional content-based approach to the adoption of a pedagogic paradigm relating to the more pragmatic and functional Competency-Based Teaching Approaches (CBTAs). This paradigm shift is in line with the provisions of the general purpose of education in Cameroon prescribed in section 4 of Law No. 98/004 of April 14, 1998 to laydown guidelines for education in Cameroon whose orientations, within the framework of an emerging Cameroon in the year 2035, are geared towards the training of citizens for their intellectual, physical, civic and moral development and their smooth integration into society. Kerka et al (2007) argue that Competency-Based Approach (CBA) measures each individual’s achievement against a set of competency standards rather than against the performance of another individual. In the same vein, Erridge et al (1994), Harris et al. (1995) and Gervais (2016 corroborate this stance when they reported that it is seen to give individuals opportunities to gain competencies that are relevant to the workplace, since CBA promotes a link between education and workplace requirements. Education through the Competency-Based Approach (CBA) will therefore provide the nation’s human resources with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for building an emerging Cameroon by the year 2035 (Belibi (2018).

Statement of the problem

The shift from objective based approach to competence based approach was seen as solution to a meaningful change and innovation in education. These changes necessitated the change of the teacher’s autonomy to student’s autonomy in teaching and learning processes. Competence Based Approach (CBA) is aimed at addressing limitations of instructional practices by adopting practices that are more practical and productive in education. Cameroon educational system adopted the Competency-Based Approach (CBA) in teaching as the new educational policy in the 2012/2013 academic year as part of the ongoing global reform. The approach requires teachers to strictly apply the demands of CBA such as the presentation of problem situation, teaching and learning across the curriculum, adoption and used of information and communication technologies and the application of learners centeredness and autonomy, all aimed at improving on the knowledge, know-how and attitude of learners in order to make them self-reliant, participatory and responsible in the sustainable development by doing this teachers are excepted to develop their own competencies, knowledge and professional practice. However, education stakeholders in Cameroon claim that the educational system is competency based; there is no clear evidence from research which indicates the extent of the implementation of this practice or factors that influence its smooth implementation. Despite the fact that competency based approach is seven years since its implementation in secondary schools, there is no clear evidence whether or not teachers are appropriately implementing competency base in their teaching and learning approaches. The competency based approach was adopted and believed to have enormous potential to improve secondary education.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to evaluation teachers’ perception towards the implementation of CBA in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI Subdivision.

1. To evaluate teachers views towards the implementation of CBA in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI Subdivision
2. To evaluate teachers’ readiness towards the implementation of CBA in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI Subdivision
3. To examine factors that influences teachers’ decision to adopt CBA in some selected secondary schools in Yaoundé VI Subdivision.

Specific Research Hypothesis

1. Ho_1: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ view and the implementation of Competency Based Approach in some selected secondary in Yaoundé VI sub Division.
2. Ho_2: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ readiness and the implementation of Competency Based Approach in some selected secondary in Yaoundé VI sub Division.
3. Ho_3: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ decision to adopt CBA and the implementation of Competency Based Approach in some selected secondary in Yaoundé VI sub Division.

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter consists of three key parts where by the first part deals with the conceptual review of literature, the second part brings forth the review of theories related to the present study and the last part deals with the review of various empirical studies related to the teacher’s perception towards the implementation of CBA.

Conceptual Review

The Concept of Perception

Tanyi (2016), views the term perception in psychology as a complicated phenomenon as she states that perception is psycho biological oriented than psychology of learning or educational psychology. Thus Tanyi (2016), defines perception as the identification, organization and interpretation, that is given to a sensation whereby a person may experience a sensation such as seeing a tall object and interpret it as a tree, a friend or an enemy. In the case of CBA, some teachers may experience the sensation of seeing CBA as a challenge while others will see CBA as an opportunity. Therefore, the word perception is defined as a way of understanding or thinking about something. According to Rogers (2003), perception is considered by many researchers as a critical factor in influencing attitude and adaptation to any new change or innovation. If perception and interpretation of an innovation varies on individual basis, they may be considered as contributing factors to an individual’s attitudes towards any programmed being implemented. Perception is not only the passive receipt of these signals, but it’s also shaped by the recipient’s learning, memory, expectation, and attention. According to Bernstein et al (2010) Perception can be split into two processes; Processing the sensory input, which transforms this low-level information to higher-level information (e.g., extracts shapes for object recognition); Processing which relates to a person’s concepts and expectations (or knowledge), restorative and selective mechanisms (such as attention) that influence perception. Perception depends on complex functions of the nervous system, but subjectively seems mostly effortless because this processing happens outside conscious awareness. Since the rise of experimental psychology in the 19th century, psychology’s understanding of perception has progressed by combining a variety of techniques. Psycho physics quantitatively describes the relationships between the physical qualities of the sensory input and perception. Sensory neuroscience studies the neural mechanisms underlying perception. Perceptual systems can also be studied computationally, in terms of the information they process. Perceptual issues in philosophy include the extent to which sensory qualities such as sound, smell or color exist in objective reality rather than in the mind of the perceiver. Although the senses were traditionally viewed as passive receptors, the study of illusions and ambiguous images has demonstrated that the brain’s perceptual systems actively and pre-consciously attempt to make sense of their input. There is still active debate about the extent to which perception is an active process of hypothesis testing, analogous to science, or whether realistic sensory information is rich enough to make this process unnecessary (Gregory et al (1987)

The perceptual systems of the brain enable individuals to see the world around them as stable, even though the sensory information is typically incomplete and rapidly varying. Human and animal brains are structured in a modular way, with different areas processing different kinds of sensory information. Some of these modules take the form of sensory maps, mapping some aspect of the world across part of the brain’s surface. Several factors may play a role in shaping teachers perceptions. One of the most influential factors is the teachers ‘orientation. The process of receiving stimulus between an individual with other individuals is different according to internal factor and external factor of everyone. Differences in understanding resulted in differences in perceptions between individuals with one another Taboro (2018).

Teacher’s perception is the response of a professional educator about what is experienced in educating, teaching, guiding, directing, training, assessing and evaluating students in the educational pathway that is influenced by the beliefs and feelings of the educator. This difference in understanding will cause different judgments of each teacher. The different of the teachers’ understanding influence the way of the curriculum implementation. Different perceptions may affect the teacher’s behavior on the judgments they made. Teacher’ perceptions can be divided into two categories namely positive perceptions and negative perceptions. Positive or good teacher perception will become a good foundation in responding to all matters relating to the curriculum, including on the readiness of teachers to implementation of the curriculum. Meanwhile, a negative perception of teacher will become a barrier of the conduction of rules relating to the curriculum implementation Taboro (2018).

Perception and Behavior

Perception may influence the way a person behaves. When a teacher interprets sensation CBA to be a difficult tendency, he or she will see it as an opportunity or a challenge and will know how to resolve it. It should be noted that learning or experience influence our perception and perception in turn influences one’s behavior (Tanyi 2016). Thus, a teacher behaves towards the implementation of CBA.

Factors Affecting Perception

• The strength and quality of a stimulus: For perception to occur, strength and quality of a stimulus must be influential enough. For instance, if a teacher is very bold on when he or she is writing on the board, this will be a strong stimulus for a learner.
• The experience of the teacher/ learner: When a teacher or learner brings a relevant experience to a new situation, he/ she will be able to perceive more easily.
• Needs and Values: This has to do with what a person perceives which may be determining what the person needs and personal values.
• Anticipation of result: It greatly determines what a person perceives. People often perceive what they think is probable. For instance, teachers should alert his/ her leaners of certain expectation in the subject being taught and let them arrive at the outcome.

Importance of perception

Perception is very important in the educational process. As we must perceive if we are to learn. It should be noted that what we learn and how we learn is a function of our perception, thus the following are importance of perception in the educational process

• Perception furnishes a person with experiences that can enhance thinking and understanding
• Perception equally helps in problem solving
• Perception also helps in building a person’s emotions
• Perception also helps in the development of memory and imagination

The Concept of Competency Based Approach

De Ketele (1996) defines competence as a set of organized capacities (activities), which act on contents in each category of situations to solve a problem. In this definition a competence is described as an ability to carry out a specified task or activity to predetermined standards of attainment. According to Brousseau, (1997) competence refers to a state of being well-qualified to perform an activity, task or job function. Competency may be defined as the ability to do an activity to a prescribed standard, emphasizing what people can do rather than what they know (Cohen, 2005). When a person is competent to do something, he or she has achieved a state of competence that is recognizable and verifiable to a community of practitioners.

Tabe (2019) holds that competency is not only the mastery of knowledge and methods, or the ability to manage them, but also the ability to integrate different kinds of knowledge, and to use them synergic ally. To be competent in an area implies the ability to mobilize one’s own knowledge and to transform it into concrete doing. Competency is an individual characteristic and is built (through self-experience and formation) in each field and in a given area.. It involves the ability to meet complex demands, by drawing upon and mobilizing psycho social resources (including skills and attitudes) in a context.

A competency has been defined by its pioneers as: The generic knowledge, motive, trait, social role or a skill of a person linked to superior performance on the job. A capacity that exists in a person that leads to behavior that meets the job demands within parameters of organizational environment, and that, in turn brings about desired results.

A competency is a set (a combination) of applied knowledge, manifested skills, relevant personal attributes and underlying observable behaviors (values, judgments, attitude, motives, beliefs, ethics) that describes acceptable (or excellent) performance in a work or job context. Competencies can be described in a competency profile, which can be included in a competency catalogue or competency database.

According to Lucy (2019) Competency based approach is a sequence of learning experiences that seek to ensure that students attain specific skills, knowledge, and abilities considered important with respect to whatever they are studying or the transitions for which they are preparing. The responsibility for learning is entrusted to students who must build their own knowledge through means made available by the teacher (Foaleng (2014).). The teacher assumes the role of a facilitator. He(she) has the task of advising, motivating and encouraging students to be creative, ensuring the planning and organization of activities, and suggesting ideas without imposing them. In a competency-based learning system, students are not allowed to continue until they have demonstrated mastery of the identified competencies. What it means to have mastered a competency depends on the learning domain (subject matter) or the employer.

Previous in Cameroon educational reforms introduced Competency Based Approach (CBA) in secondary schools. This reform is prompted by the need to produce school leavers with capabilities in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes useful for solving social and economic challenges of present society. Competence-Based Approach is perceived to be desirable for aligning education provided to the dynamic social and economic demands of the society. It appears to be a panacea to the concerns raised about the capability and employ ability of the secondary school graduates as it emphasizes on the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors essential for effective performance of real world tasks (Maodzwa-taruvinga  et al (2012).

With the CBA, the teacher is supposed to switch from the role of an expert who transfers knowledge to a coaching role, facilitating and guiding learning process (Biemans et al., 2004). Adjibi et al (2017) hold that in competency based approach, skills are not taught but are built. The learner is necessarily the first actor in the construction of his skills. They equally advocate that learners are to participate in the evaluation of their learning so that the learner monitors the development of expected competences. Learner-centered teaching strategies advocated for the implementation of competence-based approach in secondary schools include: role plays, problem solving, projects, case study, simulation, discussion, and outdoor activities. The advocated pedagogy for the implementation of the CBA is time consuming. Thus, teachers complain that there is too much to teach within a short time (Tilya et al (2010).

CBA emphasizes on use of formative assessment, focused on the prescribed competences. CBA expects teachers to assess students frequently using true assessment methods (Makunja, 2015). Teachers are expected to use correct assessment methods such as portfolios, classroom or field observation, projects, oral presentations, self-assessment, interviews and peer-assessment (Kitta et al 2010). Correct assessment methods are more beneficial for competence based approach than other methods of assessment because they offer opportunity for students to demonstrate the competencies they have learned in real life or similar situation. In addition, a more formative assessment process done formally and informally before, during and after the learning process is usually advocated in competence-based approach (Mulder, 2004). It is focused on both subject specific competences and key competences using authentic assessment methods and not conventional paper and pencil tests usually implored in content-based curriculum assessment. Authentic assessments engage students in tasks similar in form to the tasks in which students will engage in their life outside the classroom and probes for students’ higher-order skills such as critical thinking and problem solving (Kouwenhoven, 2013). Further, assessment practice emphasizes on the provision of feedback which continuously, timely and constructively inform learners about the strength and weakness of their performance. Feedback is normally descriptive, directly linked to learning goals and pin point what is well done, what needs improvement and how to improve (Kitta et al 2010). Another important feature of assessment is that it should align with the curriculum which, in turn, is aligned to the standards, and that they measure learning in terms of how students perform, using as much as possible, a real-world situation as cited in (Ambei 2017).

Another characteristic of competency-based approach is that it measures learning rather than time. Students ‘progress by demonstrating their competence, which means they prove that they have mastered the knowledge and skills (competences) required for a particular course, regardless of how long it takes. Competency-based approach allows us to hold learning constant and let time vary. This concurs with mastery learning theory (O’Sullivan et al 2014). The psychology of individual differences is recognized in CBA. Different individuals have different learning styles and strategies; they take different amount of time to learn the same content. The main objective of the competency approach to education is not ranking the students, but teaching them to achieve their goals. This approach implements an attempt to increase the student’s probability of success by providing various instructional routes, with focus on the one that suits learners’ personal learning style (Butova, 2015). The implementation of CBA in secondary schools is carried out sequentially. Sequential evaluation is generally formative, reason being that learners who do not demonstrate mastery of expected competences are given remedial lessons to enable them to attain the expected competences while those who have developed the competences required are assigned enrichment activities. Formative evaluation and remediation is expected to be conducted repeatedly to permit learners develop competences. The same instruction is given at different times until learners acquire competences associated with the particular unit as cited in (Ambei, 2018).

The introduction of competence-based approach in secondary schools calls for comprehensive change in instructional approach in terms of teaching, learning and as well as resources used (Paulo et al 2014). The revision process involves shift in paradigm from content-based to competence-based. The emphasis on Competence-Based Approach is due to the growing recognition of the need for development of capabilities and not just certification. This means that teaching and learning process must change its orientation from rote memorization of content knowledge to acquisition of skills and competencies useful for solving real life problems (World Bank, 2011). CBA defenses the application of knowledge in real life context as opposed to the content-based emphasizing students to memorize their lesson notes which was deemed crucial for passing examination, which often tests ability to recall memorized facts, knowledge and principles (Osaki, 2004).

Competency-based approach and training is an approach to teaching and learning more often used in learning concrete skills than abstract learning. Competency-based learning is learner‑focused and works naturally with independent study and with the instructor acting as a facilitator. Learners often find different individual skills more difficult than others. This learning method allows a student to learn those individual skills they find challenging at their own pace, practicing and refining as much as they like. Then move rapidly to other skills to which they are more adept. It differs from other non-related approaches in that the unit of learning is extremely fine-grained. Rather than a course or a module, every individual skill or learning outcome (known as a competency) is one single unit. Learners work on one competency at a time, which is likely a small component of a larger learning goal. The student is evaluated on the individual competency and can only move on to other competencies after they have mastered the current skill being learned. After that, higher or more complex competencies are learned to a degree of mastery and are isolated from other topics. Another common component of competency-based learning is the ability to skip learning modules entirely if the learner can demonstrate mastery. This can be determined through prior learning assessment or formative testing (Gervais 2016)

Academic Arguments for using CBA

Apart from the other reasons mentioned above, the primary reasons for teachers, schools, and ministries of education to adopt the use of CBA, is due to its Cognitive and psychological benefits on learners. The term cognitive refers to mental processes, such as remembering or solving problems, while psychological encompasses cognition but also includes the study of emotions, motivation, and interpersonal relationships (Vavrus, Thomas, & Bartlett, 2011). CBA, it is believed has the potential to develop in students, higher-order thinking and critical engagement with the world around them, skills deemed necessary for success in a complex global society. Higher-order thinking skills, such as the abilities to analyze, evaluate, and create knowledge (Anderson et al (2001), enable students to examine and process the wealth of information that is available in the modern era. Secondly, specific competencies help students as well as other stakeholders such as employers and policymakers, to have a common understanding about the specific skills and knowledge that students should master because of their learning experiences. Some other academic benefits that are believed to result from CBA may include;

• Development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Students having the ability to link new information with existing knowledge in meaningful ways.

Leads to creativity as students can start thinking out of the box to solve the challenges of a rapidly changing world. The competency based approach is believed can help teachers not only to identify the academic strengths and weakness of students but also to track specific concepts and skills students have not yet mastered. The transition to a competency-based system may require significant changes in how a school operates and how it teaches students. This may be in how report cards are structured, the grading system, methods of instruction and assessment and even the school culture (Lucy, 2019).

Cameroon Context OF CBA Implementation

According to Tabe (2019).   In line with the vision of making Cameroon an emergent economy by 2035, the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) adopted reforms in August 2012 which consisted in aligning educational goals with the demands of a more skilled workforce. And that was the main thrust of the CBA. MINESEC explained that this new pedagogical innovation was aimed at “making sure that the learners [could] apply what they learn in class in real-life situations outside the classroom” (Pedagogic Guide: English to Francophone 2014: 5). In fact, the previous paradigm, the Skills-Based Approach, was more focused on learners’ acquisition of knowledge instead of enabling them to use that knowledge in order to solve real-life problems. The new approach went through a trial period for two academic years (2012-2013 and 2013-2014) before its effective implementation began in Form I and Form II of the 2014-2015 academic year. Therefore, by the end of the 2018/2019 academic year, CBA would have been effective throughout the first cycle of secondary schools in Cameroon.

A major challenge to this approach has been the lack of preparation of the main stakeholders who were tasked to implement it. In fact, studies including Foaleng (2014), Nforbi et al (2015), and Belibi (2018) have concluded that ad hoc measures were not taken a priori to mitigate the effects of context-related hurdles such as large classrooms, insufficient funding, training and professional development of teachers, and the lack of teaching and learning materials. It was only obvious that classroom teachers would face difficulties in the course of implementing the new approach (Daniel et al, 2019).

Theoretical Framework

 Theory refers to a set of systematically tested and logically interpreted propositions that have been developed through research and that explain social phenomena.  Kerlinger (1973) defines theory as set of interrelated constructs, definitions and propositions that presents a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relations among variables with the purpose of explaining and predicting the phenomena.

The Adult Learning Theory or And ragogy by Malcolm Knowel (1984)

Corley (2011) defines andragogy as the art and science of helping adults to learn. The term was popularized by Malcolm Knowel in the 1980s in contrast to pedagogy which is the art and science of teaching children. Merriam and Brocket, as cited principles and theories of adult education, a document produced by the University of South Africa (UNISA, 2015, p.8), corroborated the above definition by explaining that “andragogy is based on the humanistic values of placing the individual at the heart of the learning transaction, believing in the goodness of human nature and potential for growth and fulfillment and valuing autonomy and self-direction”. Therefore, teachers should not expect to be told to learn by anybody as they are supposed to take charge of their own learning. Andragogy, thus, transforms the educator from a sole possessor of knowledge to be deposited into empty minds to a facilitator of learning hence, andragogy is strictly learner centered (UNISA, 2015). As a theory of adult learning therefore, andragogy centers on the motivation to learn, in order to learn perform particular confronted in real life situation (UNISA, 2015).

Knowles (1984) developed four crucial assumptions of and ragogy (a fifth was added later on) that differentiated adults’ learners from younger ones. Firstly, adults have self-concept, which has developed over time from dependency to being self-directed by human beings. Secondly, they have a reservoir of experience which has accumulated over the years throughout their growth. Thirdly, they are ready and willing to learn indoor to adapt to their existing social role. Fourthly their orientation of learning immediacy; learning to solve immediate problems faced. The fifth is that of motivation to learn, which has gone from extrinsic in their youth to intrinsic as they gain maturity. Looking at teachers as adult learners it is noticed that they fit squarely into the assumptions raised by Knowles (1984). They do not only have professional training so as to effectively implement CBA, but they also depend on the need to fine tune their experiences in order to solve immediate problems. Therefore, adults are motivated to learn when the subject to be learned is needful, realistic and important to them. Also, they need to have immediate feedback on the impact of their training and practice. Through the principals of adult learning, teachers are identified as a group of adults’ learners who have specialized needs and experiences.

Terch off (2002) proposed four aspects be considered by teachers as adult learners; mastery of teaching and learning skills and practices; reflective practice for careful consideration that results in the enhancement of profession; explorative and investigative research for new ways to improve practice and collaboration with fellow teachers to exchange ideas and assistance. These principles of adult learning are essential to enhancing the teachers experience, skills and methods to suit systemic and curricula changes. As far as the characteristics of andragogy is concern, teachers as adult learners are identified as capable of learning by themselves, so they should be empowered to develop skills necessary for them to take responsibilities for their own growth and development. This can be achieved through the development of higher order thinking and reflection skills in teachers to effectively respond to the complex needs of the students, teachers can identify the changes necessary to promote learning.

Actually, this portrays teachers as capable of taking responsibilities for developing themselves.  Another researcher proposed several factors that come into play in assisting teachers to successfully implement CBA to improve students learning and outcome. The first is teacher believe in the necessity of change. Second teacher must be willing and able to modify their practice, third teacher should see models that utilize alternative strategies, and lastly, the school administration should support the change by providing instructional materials, offering staff development and ensuring that teachers use appropriate methods that correspond the current trend of learning CBA. It should be noted that McComb (1997) father position that it’s only the teachers  that can truly understand the need for change and pursue  the adult education  necessary to transform his or her practices.

Strength of the adult learning theory

• Adult learning theory is very self-directed and allows and allows the learner to take control of his or her learning
• Adult learning theory is very broad based, and the method can be implemented in a variety of educational situations.

Weaknesses of adult learning theory

• Although the principles behind adult learning theory are very applicable in must adult learning situations it is not necessarily limited to implementation within adult learning
• Historically, adult learning theory has been hard to classify as it has been referred to as a theory of adult education, theory of adult learning, theory of technology of adult learning, methods of adult education, techniques of adult education and a set of

Relevance of the adult learning theory to the study

Regardless of the weaknesses of the adult learning theory, the study is relevant to our study in that teachers should not be told to learn but should autonomously determine the need to develop, depending on the real-life situation they face. The introduction of Competency based Approach presents an immediate problem to the daily practices of teachers. By implication following Knowles’s (1984) assumptions, they should be very motivated to use their reservoir of experience and self-concept to learn and adapt to new roles being proposed to them by the competency based approach. Teachers should also be reflective, explorative and investigative in order to mutually assist each other (Terechoff, 2002).

EMPIRICAL REVIEW

Agendi (2018), conducted a study on teacher’s awareness towards the implementation of competency based teaching approaches in Bamenda II subdivision of the North-West Region of Cameroon. The specific objectives of the study were to examine teachers’ understanding of the objectives of CBA, teachers’ abilities in preparing competency based lesson plans, to examine whether or not teachers involved students in classroom activities. A qualitative study involved 100 teacher respondents who were selected randomly from secondary schools in Bamenda II municipality. The data were collected through interview schedules, observation schedules, and review of documents and analyzed by using thematic content analysis. The findings indicated that the majority (82%) of the interviewed teachers did not have the proper understanding of the objectives of CBA. In addition, the majority (88%) of the reviewed lesson plans did not reflect the qualities of a competency based lesson plan. Moreover, the involvement of students in classroom activities by the teachers who were observed was, in overall, very low. However, regardless of good effort of the researchers, the study has fallen short in various ways. Interview schedule and observation schedule were not the appropriate data collection instruments for a qualitative study. Furthermore, the random sampling procedure was not the appropriate technique for sampling respondents to participate in the qualitative study. Moreover, the study did not investigate on the perceived teacher’s level of knowledge in implementing CBA. Thus, the current study investigated the extent to which secondary school teachers were equipped with enough knowledge to implement CBA, challenges faced, respective solutions for effective implementation of CBA and it makes use of Questionnaire (open end and closed ended questions) as data collection instrument.

Interpretation of regression results and hypotheses testing

From the above table the model specified can be represented as

SCBA=1.636-.246TIV+.418TRA+.366TD-.263CH

The coefficient of the constant is positive 1.636 which means that even if the coefficient of other determinant of successful CBA implementation are zero, there will still be some level of CBA implementation to a magnitude of 1.636. The p-value of the constant term is significant at 5% level of significance.

The coefficient of teacher’s point of view about the CBA is -0.246.  This means that teachers view about the CBA has a negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This indicate that to witness a 1% increase in the success of the CBA implementation, teachers’ negative views on the CBA must be reduced by 24.6%.  The coefficient is significant at 5% level. This leads to the rejection of the null hypothesis 1HO1 and the conclusion that teacher’s view has a significant negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.

The coefficient of teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA is 0.418.  This means that teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA has a positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This indicates that to witness a 1% increase in the success of the CBA implementation, teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA has to be increased by 41.8%.  The coefficient is significant at 5% level. This leads to the rejection of null hypothesis 2 (HO2) and the conclusion that teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA has a significant positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.

The coefficient of factors that determines teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA is 0.366.  This means that factors that determines teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA has a positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This indicates that to witness a 1% increase in the success of the CBA implementation, factors that determines teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA has to be increased by 36.6%.  The coefficient is significant at 5% level. This leads to the rejection of null hypothesis 3 (HO3) and the conclusion that factors that determine teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA have a significant positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.

The coefficient of teacher’s attitude about the CBA is – 0.  This means that challenges encountered by teachers while implementing the CBA has a negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This indicate that to witness a unit increase in the success of the CBA implementation, challenges encountered by teachers while implementing the CBA has to be reduced by 0.263.  The coefficient is significant at 5% level. This leads to the rejection of the null hypothesis 4 (HO4) and the conclusion that challenges encountered by teachers while implementing the CBA has a significant negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.

The adjusted coefficient of determination for the regression model is 0.736 implying that 73.6% of changes in CBA implementation in Yaoundé VI subdivision are explained by changes in teacher’s perception. This also implies that 26.4% changes in CBA implementation in Yaoundé VI subdivision are explained by other variables outside the study. This means that there is goodness of fit in in the line of best-fit. Also, the p-value of the Fisher-statistic shows that the overall model is significant at 1% level of significance. This therefore means that the results are 99% reliable. Implying the overall model is very good for forecasting.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

This study was initiated in order to evaluate the general education teacher’s perception on the CBA implementation in some selected secondary school in Yaoundé VI subdivision of the center region. By focusing on teacher’ view, teacher’s readiness, teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA determined factors and challenges faced by teachers while implementing the CBA, the following findings were revealed.

Teacher’s view about the CBA has a negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This according to the study implied that, a unit increase in teacher’s negative views about the CBA will result to a 0.246 decreases in the successful implementation of the CBA. This affirms the study conducted by Agenda A. in 2018 on teacher’s awareness towards the implementation of competency based teaching approaches in Bamenda II subdivision of the North West Region of Cameroon. Her findings revealed that majority (82%) of the interviewed teachers did not have the proper understanding of the objectives of CBA and thus had a negative view about the CBA. Equally the reviewed lesson plans did not reflect the qualities of a competency based lesson plan and the involvement of students in classroom activities by the teachers who were observed was, in overall, very low.

The study revealed a positive link between Teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA and the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This indicates that increasing teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA by 1 unit will increase the successes of implementation the CBA 0.418. This contradicts the study conducted by Paulo in 2014 on pre-service teacher’s preparedness to implement competency-based curriculum in secondary schools in Tanzania whose findings revealed that although pre-service teachers were aware of the teaching and assessment methods stipulated to be used as part of implementation of CBA, they were not adopting the envisaged methods in their classroom practices.

The results of the study was equally an indication of the fact that Factors which determines teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA has a positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This indicates that to witness a 1% increase in the success of the CBA implementation, factors that determines teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA has to be increased by 36.6%. This is in line with the study carried out by Kisamo and Byabato in 2014 on implementation of the school based continuous assessment (CA) in Tanzania ordinary secondary schools and its implications on the quality of education, whose findings revealed that the implementation of school based CBA was not properly done as it is challenged by number of serious problems such as lack of teachers’ integrity (favoritism and inflation of marks), lack of uniformity in both the assessment tools used and procedures for CA recording and reporting.

Lastly the study revealed that there exist a negative relationship between Challenges encountered by teachers while implementing the CBA and the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This indicate that to witness a unit increase in the success of the CBA implementation, challenges encountered by teachers while implementing the CBA has to be reduced by 0.263. This is in accordance with the study conducted by Rugambuka, Kafyulilo and Ikupa in 2012 on the implementation of competency based teaching approaches in Tanzania. Questionnaires and structured interviews were the instruments employed in data collection. Findings revealed that pre-service teachers had perceived their understanding and ability to implement competency based teaching approaches as high, but during interviews it was revealed that they had difficulties in explaining some competency based concepts. Specifically, in assessment, pre-service teachers had perceived their general knowledge in assessment as high although in an interview, majority of the pre-service teachers were not able to describe characteristics of competency based assessment approaches

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The aim of this study investigates teacher’s perception towards the implementation of the CBA in some secondary schools in Yaoundé VI subdivision of the center region of Cameroon. To achieve this purpose, the study then focused on how teacher’s attitude about the CBA, how teachers readiness to adopt the CBA, factors that determine teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA and on challenges faced by teachers while implementing the CBA affects the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. The finding of the study revealed that

Teacher’s view about the CBA varies inversely with the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This mean that a unit increases in Teacher’s their own view. The researcher recommends more seminars to be organized with the first focus being to change the mentality of teachers when it comes to the newly implemented pedagogic approach (CBA). This will go a long way to change their mentality and as such the CBA will be Viewed as an opportunity for them to exploit and no a challenge

Equally necessary measures should be put in place to ensure that the seminars organized come to a compromise when it comes to the understanding of the CBA. This will reduce the confusion teacher have about the CBA. The higher educational authorities should provide a better environment that will ensure that teachers can comfortably and conveniently implement the CBA More didactic material should be made available for teachers to use in the process of CBA implementation. This most especially goes to subjects that requires practical. To this extent laboratories should be well train Teacher’s point of view about the CBA has significant negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.  This is because teacher’s view the CBA as a challenge instead of an opportunity. This conclusion find a better explanation in the aphorism which goes that “ a manager can impose certain decisions on his/her subordinates but better outcomes can only be achieve with the goodwill of the subordinates”. Hence what teachers think about the CBA has a great part to play when it comes to their implementation of the CBA. This simply implies that thinking negatively about the CBA will lead to its poor implementation.

Teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA has significant positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. When teacher are more ready to adopt the CBA, they can go out of their way to implement it. This may involve organizing seminars, carrying out research, sensitizing the educational community on the importance of the CBA and learning from senior colleagues who have a better mastery or understanding of the CBA. This conclusion finds a better explanation in the saying that “failing to plan means planning to fail”. Since how ready some is depends on how he/she plans.

Factors that determine teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA have a positive significant effect on the implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. These factors are the conditions that must apply for the CBA to be implemented. The wide presence of such conditions will significantly improve the successes recorded in the implementation of the CBA.

The study found out that teachers in Yaoundé VI subdivision encounter a number of difficulties which significantly affect the successful implementation of the CBA.  These difficulties include larger classroom sizes, inadequate didactic material, inadequate in-service training for teachers in the field, inadequate time allocated for lessons and no enabling environment for the implementation for the CBA. This conclusion is supported by the validity theory which holds that a score on an achievement test by an individual reflects his or her ability in the domain from which the test was constructed. So, if teachers don’t have the necessary knowledge for the CBA implementation they will obviously poorly implement it. View about the CBA will bring about a 0.246 decrease in the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. Teacher’s view about the CBA was found to be affecting the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision in that, some teacher’s belief it is inappropriate in the Cameroonian education’s system, some are of the opinion that the CBA is more theoretical than practical and that it demands more resources that teachers in Cameroon can afford with their current incomes. Hence the findings summarize that Teacher’s point of view about the CBA negatively affects the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.

Teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA varies directly with the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. This is because teacher’s readiness plays a great role to the success of the implementation of the CBA. This is seen in the way that when teachers are more ready to adopt the CBA, they can go out of their way to work for the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. Hence to achieve a 41.8% increase in the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision, teacher’s readiness has to be increased by 100%. Hence the findings summarize that Teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA positively affects the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.

Factors that determine teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA have a positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. These factors are like the conditions that will necessitate the use of the CBA. An increase in such condition according to the study will increase the successes recorded in the implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé subdivision. To achieve a 100% increase in the successful implementation of the CBA, these conditions will need to increase by 273.22%. These conditions include the size of the classroom, the nature of the lesson, the age of the students and the skills to be gained by the students are amongst such conditions.  Hence the study summarizes that factors that determine the teacher’s decision to adopt the CBA have a significant positive impact on the successful implementation of the CBA.

The study found out that challenges faced by teachers while implementing the CBA varies inversely with the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. These challenges significantly hinder successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision of the center region of Cameroon.  Hence according to the study, to increase the successes of the CBA implementation by say 100%, such challenges has to be reduced by 380.22%.

CONCLUSION

Teacher’s point of view about the CBA has significant negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.  This is because teacher’s view the CBA as a challenge instead of an opportunity. This conclusion finds a better explanation in the aphorism which goes that “a manager can impose certain decisions on his/her subordinates but better outcomes can only be achieve with the goodwill of the subordinates”. Hence what teachers think about the CBA has a great part to play when it comes to their implementation of the CBA. This simply implies that thinking negatively about the CBA will lead to its poor implementation.

Teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA has significant positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. When teacher are more ready to adopt the CBA, they can go out of their way to implement it. This may involve organizing seminars, carrying out research, sensitizing the educational community on the importance of the CBA and learning from senior colleagues who have a better mastery or understanding of the CBA. This conclusion finds a better explanation in the saying that “failing to plan means planning to fail”. Since how ready some is depends on how he/she plans. The study found out that teachers in Yaoundé VI subdivision encounter a number of difficulties which significantly affect the successful implementation of the CBA.  These difficulties include larger classroom sizes, inadequate didactic material, inadequate in-service training for teachers in the field, inadequate time allocated for lessons and no enabling environment for the implementation for the CBA. This conclusion is supported by the validity theory which holds that a score on an achievement test by an individual reflects his or her ability in the domain from which the test was constructed. So, if teachers don’t have the necessary knowledge for the CBA implementation they will obviously poorly implement it.

RECOMMENDATION

Necessary measures should be put in place to ensure that the seminars organized come to a compromise when it comes to the understanding of the CBA. This will reduce the confusion teacher have about the CBA.

The higher educational authorities should provide a better environment that will ensure that teachers can comfortably and conveniently implement the CBA

More didactic material should be made available for teachers to use in the process of CBA implementation. This most especially goes to subjects that require practical. To this extent laboratories should be well train Teacher’s point of view about the CBA has significant negative effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision.  This is because teacher’s view the CBA as a challenge instead of an opportunity.

Hence what teachers think about the CBA has a great part to play when it comes to their implementation of the CBA. This simply implies that thinking negatively about the CBA will lead to its poor implementation.

Teacher’s readiness to adopt the CBA has significant positive effect on the successful implementation of the CBA in Yaoundé VI subdivision. When teacher are more ready to adopt the CBA, they can go out of their way to implement it. This may involve organizing seminars, carrying out research, sensitizing the educational community on the importance of the CBA and learning from senior colleagues who have a better mastery or understanding of the CBA. This conclusion finds a better explanation in the saying that “failing to plan means planning to fail”. Since how ready some is depends on how he/she plans.

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