Bridging the Policy–Practice Gap: Manipulative Materials and Science Curriculum Delivery in Kenyan Junior Schools

Abstract

This study examined the influence of manipulative materials on the implementation of the science curriculum in junior schools in Nyeri County, Kenya. Despite the Competency-Based Curriculum's (CBC) emphasis on hands-on, inquiry-based science instruction, significant gaps persist between policy intentions and classroom realities. Grounded in Fullan's Educational Change Theory, the study employed a convergent mixed-methods design involving 72 science teachers, 36 school administrators, and 210 junior school learners drawn from 36 public junior schools. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and structured classroom observations. Descriptive findings revealed a striking contrast between perceived importance and actual availability: teachers strongly endorsed the pedagogical value of manipulatives (agreement ranging from 88.9% to 94.4%; M = 4.18–4.45), yet only 16.7% agreed that their schools possessed adequate materials, with overall availability averaging 14.5% across sub-counties. Inferential analyses confirmed a statistically significant positive relationship between manipulative-material availability and teachers' self-reported curriculum-delivery effectiveness (Pearson's r = .62, p < .001). Multiple regression further indicated that availability of manipulative materials was the strongest unique predictor of effective science curriculum delivery (β = .47, p < .001), explaining 31% of the variance after controlling for teaching experience and school location. Qualitative data corroborated these patterns: 94.4% of teachers reported chronic shortages compelling theory-dominated instruction, improvisation was observed in 67% of lessons, and 89.4% of learners indicated they had never experimented. The study concludes that severe shortages of manipulative materials fundamentally undermine CBC's competency-based aspirations. Recommendations include substantial capital investment in laboratory infrastructure, systematic teacher professional development in pedagogical integration and safe improvisation, and the establishment of equitable distribution and maintenance systems, with priority given to rural and marginalised sub-counties.