The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya emphasizes the development of practical skills, critical

thinking, and creativity, shifting away from traditional content-based education. Despite this focus, the

relationship between pupils’ creativity and their achievement goals under the CBC remains underexplored. This

study examined the relationship between pupils’ creativity and their achievement goals in public primary schools

pupils with higher creativity levels tend to set lower achievement goals. This result challenges conventional

assumptions about the role of creativity in achievement goals and suggests that creative pupils may prioritize

skill mastery and intrinsic motivation over external performance metrics. The study recommends that educators

and policymakers revise assessment frameworks to better capture and reward creativity, ensuring that creative

pupils are supported in balancing their innovative approaches with measurable academic outcomes.

Keywords: Creativity, Achievement Goals, Competency-Based Curriculum, Public Primary Schools, Kisii-

Central Sub-County, Kenya

Education reforms globally have increasingly emphasized the need for learners to acquire skills, competencies,

and attitudes necessary for thriving in a rapidly changing world. In Kenya, the shift from the 8-4-4 system to the

achievement goals remain underexplored.

Creativity has been widely recognized as a fundamental cognitive ability that enhances problem-solving,

adaptability, and engagement in learning (Runco & Jaeger, 2012). Studies have shown that creativity fosters

innovative thinking and supports the development of skills that are vital for achievement goals. However, the

relationship between creativity and achievement goals is complex and not always straightforward. For instance,

Gajda et al. (2017) found that while creativity can predict achievement goals, it is not always a strong determinant

of achievement goals. This inconsistency highlights the need for further empirical investigation, particularly in

the context of competency-based education systems like the CBC.

Achievement goals refer to the aspirations pupils set for themselves in their academic pursuits, reflecting their

commitment to accomplishing specific outcomes (Lee et al., 2018). Understanding how creativity influences

a positive relationship between core competencies and creativity, underscoring the importance of nurturing

creativity to enhance achievement goals. However, there remains a gap in understanding how creativity

specifically influences achievement goals under the CBC.

Statement of the Problem

While the CBC emphasizes holistic and skills-based development, noticeable variations in achievement goals

exist among pupils in public primary schools in Kisii-Central Sub-County. According to a report from the Kisii

County Director of Education (2023), only 20% of pupils in public primary schools exceeded expectations in

the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), while the majority fell below expectations. This

disparity raises concerns about the effectiveness of the CBC in addressing pupils’ achievement goals, particularly

regarding its educational outcomes as perceived by both parents and teachers.

To examine the relationship between pupils’ creativity and their achievement goals under the Competency-Based

Curriculum in public primary schools in Kisii-Central Sub-County, Kisii County, Kenya.

Hypothesis

H01: There is no statistically significant relationship between pupils’ creativity and their achievement goals

within the Competency-Based Curriculum in public primary schools in Kisii-Central Sub-County, Kisii County,

Kenya.

Creativity is widely recognized as a fundamental cognitive ability that fosters innovative thinking, problem-

solving, and adaptability (Runco & Jaeger, 2012). In the context of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC),

Some research indicates a positive correlation between creativity and achievement goals. For instance, Du et al.

(2020) conducted a study in China to investigate the effect of achievement goals on creativity and the mediating

role of self-efficacy among senior high school students. The findings revealed that students with both mastery

and performance-approach goals scored higher on creative tasks than those with performance-avoidance goals.

malleable skill are more likely to set and pursue challenging academic goals, leading to improved performance

outcomes.

In contrast, other studies have reported conflicting results. Gajda et al. (2017) found that while creativity can

predict achievement goals, it is not always a strong determinant of achievement goals. This inconsistency

highlights the need for further empirical investigation, particularly in the context of competency-based education

systems like the CBC. The relationship between creativity and achievement goals may be influenced by various

factors, including the educational environment, assessment frameworks, and the specific competencies

emphasized by the curriculum.

In Kenya, studies on the CBC have primarily focused on curriculum implementation, teacher preparation, and

challenges facing its adoption, with limited attention to the psychological factors influencing achievement goals

(Mulenga & Kadombwe, 2019). Kituu et al. (2022) investigated the influence of core competencies nurtured in

achievement goals within the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The Divergent Theory of Creativity,

developed by J.P. Guilford in the 1950s, emphasizes cognitive processes such as fluency, originality, flexibility,

and elaboration, which enable individuals to generate multiple, innovative ideas or solutions to problems

(Guilford, 1950).

In the context of the CBC, the Divergent Theory of Creativity is particularly relevant because it aligns with the

curriculum’s emphasis on developing competencies such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

The CBC encourages pupils to explore multiple pathways to knowledge, engage in open-ended tasks, and apply

acquired skills to real-life situations. This approach supports the curriculum’s objectives by enabling pupils to

generate diverse solutions, adopt various perspectives, and devise original approaches to academic tasks.

The Divergent Theory of Creativity also plays a central role in shaping pupils' achievement goals under the CBC.

Divergent Theory of Creativity provides a targeted explanation of the creative cognitive processes that drive

pupils' academic behavior. It explains how pupils generate and apply novel ideas in academic settings, which is

particularly relevant in a curriculum designed to foster learner autonomy, innovation, and real-world application.

This theory is instrumental in understanding how creativity predicts pupils’ achievement goals in the

implementation of the CBC in public primary schools in Kisii-Central Sub-County, Kenya.

The reviewed literature highlights the importance of creativity as a psychological determinant of achievement

goals in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). Studies have shown that creativity fosters innovative

thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability, which are critical for achievement goals (Runco & Jaeger, 2012;

Du et al., 2020). However, the relationship between creativity and achievement goals is complex and not always

straightforward. While some studies indicate a positive correlation between creativity and achievement goals,

This study seeks to address this gap by examining the relationship between pupils’ creativity and their

achievement goals in public primary schools in Kisii-Central Sub-County, Kenya. By focusing on this objective,

the study aims to provide empirical evidence on how creativity, as a psychological determinant, shapes pupils’

academic aspirations and performance under the CBC. The findings are expected to inform educational practices

and policies, particularly in the context of the CBC, where fostering creativity is a key priority.

This study employed a correlational research design, which is particularly useful for describing the relationship

between variables and testing hypotheses (Best & Kahn, 2006). In this design, the researcher does not manipulate

the variables nor influence the occurrence of events (Cooper & Schindler, 2003). The correlational design is

infrastructure and learning resources across schools may hinder the development of creativity and negatively

affect learners’ attitudes, limiting their goal-setting capabilities.

The finding indicated that all the sub-scales yielded reliability coefficients above the recommended threshold of

0.70. The creativity scale (α = 0.808). This value demonstrate that the items within each sub-scale were internally

An introductory letter was obtained from the Directorate of Postgraduate Studies, Maasai Mara University,

which was presented to the National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI) to seek

The researcher proceeded to the selected public primary schools in the sub-county and explained the purpose of

the study to the headteachers and headmistresses before administering the questionnaire to the pupils. The pupils

were required to fill out the questionnaire, which was then collected by the researcher. Informed consent was

obtained before the administration of the questionnaire to the pupils, as they were presumed to be minors.

To ensure ethical considerations, informed consent was obtained from the headteachers, detailing the purpose

and benefits of the study for collecting data from the pupils. Pupils were also given an age-appropriate

explanation to ensure their willingness to participate in the study. The pupils were assured of the confidentiality

of the data collected and the purpose of the data collection to ensure the integrity of the data. To prevent harm

Figure 4.1 illustrates the distribution of respondents by gender, achievement goals, and creativity levels,

highlighting how creativity influences academic performance under the CBC. The findings reveal a strong

association between pupils’ creativity levels and their achievement goals.

The results demonstrate that girls with high creativity exhibited the highest achievement goals, with 13.1%

exceeding expectations, compared to 6.3% of boys with high creativity. This suggests that higher levels of

creativity are positively associated with better achievement outcomes, particularly among female learners.

Conversely, boys with low creativity recorded the lowest proportion of those exceeding expectations (4.9%),

and 25.7% of girls with high creativity met expectations, while pupils with low creativity were less likely to

achieve similar results. This trend suggests that creativity plays a critical role in helping pupils adapt to learning

challenges and employ innovative strategies to meet academic standards.

The most striking differences were observed in the category of pupils performing below expectations. Boys and

girls with low creativity recorded the highest percentages of poor performance (12.6% and 12.9%, respectively),

while girls with high creativity recorded the lowest rate of underperformance (2.3%). This reinforces the idea

that creativity is a key determinant of achievement goals, particularly for girls, who tend to perform better overall

when engaged in creative tasks.

The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to promote creativity, especially among boys with low

creativity, who tend to perform worse academically. Providing more opportunities for creative activities,

a slight inclination toward higher creativity scores, implying that most pupils possess strong creative potential,

though some variability exists.

The histogram for creativity scores (Figure 4.2.1) reveals a relatively normal distribution, with a slight positive

skew. This indicates that while the majority of pupils exhibit moderate levels of creativity, a notable number

demonstrate higher creativity levels, reflecting the diversity in pupils' creative abilities. The peak of the

distribution around the mean score of 77.44 suggests that most pupils fall within the average to above-average

range for creativity. However, the spread of scores (from a minimum of 45.30 to a maximum of 100.00) reflects

variability in how pupils approach creative tasks, which could be influenced by external factors such as access

to resources, exposure to creative learning opportunities, and teaching methods.

The slight positive skew indicates that there are fewer pupils with very low creativity scores, likely due to the

the sample. The histogram reveals a normal distribution with a slight positive skew, indicating that while most

pupils exhibit moderate levels of creativity, a significant number demonstrate higher creativity levels. This

diversity in creative abilities suggests that pupils have varying capacities to generate novel ideas and solutions,

which is a key component of the CBC.