Influence of Curriculum Reforms on Students' Academic Performance in International Schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate influence of curriculum reforms on students’ academicperformance in international schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya. It was guided by oneresearch question: To what extent have curriculum reforms in international schools influencedstudents’ academic performance in Nairobi City County? The study was anchored on EducationalProduction Function Theory. Mixed Methods approach was used. Convergent design of mixedmethods approach was applied. In the quantitative aspect, cross-sectional survey was usedwhereas under the qualitative aspect, phenomenology design was used. The study targeted 50international schools, 50 Principals, 50 executive heads, 690 teachers and 8,850 students.Stratified and simple random sampling were used to select 10 schools, systematic sampling toselect 383 students, criterion purposive to include 10 principals and 10 executive heads, andsimple random sampling to select 87 teachers. The study employed questionnaires for teachers,interviews for principals, and executive heads, focus group discussions for students, documentanalysis guide, and observation guide to gather data. Reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’sAlpha coefficient of 0.83. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferentialstatistics while qualitative data was subjected to thematic content analysis. Ethical considerationswere observed. The study found that curriculum reforms influence students’ academicperformance in international schools through improved teaching approaches, assessmentstrategies, and learner engagement. It concluded that successful curriculum implementationrequires adequate teacher preparation, resources, and stakeholder support. The studyrecommends continuous teacher training, effective curriculum monitoring, and collaborationamong stakeholders to ensure that curriculum reforms enhance students’ academic outcomes inNairobi