KPLAY Implementation Research Brief: Supporting the Transition to Student-Centered Teaching in Kenya
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| Title: | KPLAY Implementation Research Brief: Supporting the Transition to Student-Centered Teaching in Kenya |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Daniel Light, Megan Silander, Nicole Breslow, Amanda Cardarelli, Hannah Girma Wedajo, Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), Three Stones International, EduKenya, O Laboratório de Estudos e Pesquisas em Educação e Economia Social (LEPES) |
| Source: | Education Development Center, Inc. 2025. |
| Availability: | Education Development Center, Inc. 43 Foundry Avenue, Waltham, MA 02453. Tel: 617-969-7100; Fax: 617-969-5979; e-mail: contact@edc.org; Web site: http://ltd.edc.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | LEGO Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Early Childhood Education Grade 3 Primary Education Grade 4 Intermediate Grades Grade 5 Middle Schools Grade 6 |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Student Centered Learning, Faculty Development, Elementary School Teachers, Program Implementation, Competency Based Education, Technology Uses in Education, Models, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Active Learning, Social Emotional Learning, Technological Literacy, Planning, Reflection, Affordances, Barriers, Play |
| Geographic Terms: | Kenya |
| Abstract: | Many Kenyan primary students struggle to acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. To improve learning outcomes, Kenya instituted a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). This transition reflects a broader global effort to improve education by shifting toward more student-centered approaches. However, several years into the reform, teachers face numerous challenges in enacting the CBC in their classrooms. This brief presents findings from research on a pilot teacher professional development program designed to support the transition to student-centered teaching in Kenyan primary schools. Specifically, the research explored IREX's Kenya Play Project (KPLAY), part of the global LEGO Foundation-funded Tech & Play initiative. Education Design Unlimited (EDU) served as the local research partner for KPLAY, with support from the Tech & Play research lead, EDC. The study investigated how teachers implemented and adapted the KPLAY intervention in their classrooms, the supports they required to do so, and the contextual factors that influenced implementation. Insights gained from this research can inform future efforts to strengthen teacher training programs by identifying effective strategies, necessary supports, and potential challenges in scaling similar interventions to transition to student-centered pedagogies in low-resource contexts. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED678872 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Many Kenyan primary students struggle to acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. To improve learning outcomes, Kenya instituted a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). This transition reflects a broader global effort to improve education by shifting toward more student-centered approaches. However, several years into the reform, teachers face numerous challenges in enacting the CBC in their classrooms. This brief presents findings from research on a pilot teacher professional development program designed to support the transition to student-centered teaching in Kenyan primary schools. Specifically, the research explored IREX's Kenya Play Project (KPLAY), part of the global LEGO Foundation-funded Tech & Play initiative. Education Design Unlimited (EDU) served as the local research partner for KPLAY, with support from the Tech & Play research lead, EDC. The study investigated how teachers implemented and adapted the KPLAY intervention in their classrooms, the supports they required to do so, and the contextual factors that influenced implementation. Insights gained from this research can inform future efforts to strengthen teacher training programs by identifying effective strategies, necessary supports, and potential challenges in scaling similar interventions to transition to student-centered pedagogies in low-resource contexts. |
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