Teacher Professional Development and Competence-Based Pedagogy in Government-Aided Secondary Schools in Bushenyi, Uganda

Uganda’s competence-based secondary curriculum requires teachers to translate policy guidance into participatory teaching and demonstrable learner competencies. This article examined the association between professional development and competence-based pedagogy in five government-aided secondary schools in Bushenyi District. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study targeted 94 teachers and ten administrators; 84 teachers completed questionnaires, and nine administrators participated in interviews. School records and classroom observations provided contextual evidence. Reported professional-development and pedagogy scales had Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .884 and .873, respectively. Professional development averaged 3.47 (SD = .72) on a five-point scale, while pedagogy implementation averaged 3.55 (SD = .66). Regular refresher training received a lower rating (M = 2.88) than perceived improvement in learner-centred teaching (M = 3.81). Professional development was positively associated with pedagogy implementation (Spearman’s ρ = .641, p < .001, n = 84). Curriculum-orientation records were available in all five schools, but complete records of termly internal professional development were available in only two. Interview accounts described practical workshops and departmental peer learning as useful, alongside discontinuity in refresher provision. The findings identify sustained school-based professional learning as a priority, while self-report measurement, purposive school selection and cross-sectional data limit causal and population-level conclusions. The article recommends subject-focused lesson rehearsal, supported classroom application and documented follow-up, evaluated against observed teaching and learner work.