DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2021.v09i02.004

Pages: 53-62

The purpose of this study was to assess influence of planning on curriculum implementation in public secondary schools in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. The study was guided by Lewin change theory. A pragmatic research paradigm was utilised in this study. The methodology used was mixed method research. This study utilised concurrent triangulation mixed research design. The target population for the research involved principals, deputy principals and heads of departments in 123 public secondary schools. A sample size of 37 secondary schools was selected to participate in the study. The respondents for the study were selected using stratified random sampling technique. The study utilised questionnaire as instruments for data collection. The research instruments were validated and tested for reliability prior to being administered to the field. Data collected was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. It is expected that the study findings will bring out specific and workable strategies that can be used by school managers in managing change. The study concludes that planning should include costing the process in terms of resources and time. The school should also take into consideration the staff’s readiness and capacity to implement the change. The school should negotiate and ensure that energies are maximized since this will reduce conflict, and the direction of implementing education change is clear when planning is done and encourage more efficient working by setting deadlines by which certain education change tasks would have been completed. The study recommends that a good starting point on implementations of the curriculum is crucial. It was helpful if schools were already heading in the right direction, particularly if the implementation of the new curriculum could be linked to some form of existing practice or recent professional learning.