Teachers’ Sensemaking, Agency and the Implementation of Core Competencies: Lessons from Ghana’s Competency-based Mathematics Curriculum Reform

Core competencies, understood as the essential capabilities learners must develop to participate effectively in contemporary society, lie at the centre of competency-based reforms worldwide, yet many education systems struggle to realise this vision in classroom practice. This study examines how junior high mathematics teachers and curriculum developers in Ghana make sense of, and work with, these competencies. A qualitative multiple case study was conducted through interviews with six teachers and three curriculum developers and classroom observations of three teachers. Drawing on sensemaking, teacher agency, and implementation realism, the analysis explores how actors respectively interpret policy messages, exercise instructional choice, and judge what is feasible in context. Our analysis shows that while critical thinking is widely regarded as integral to mathematics, competencies such as digital literacy and cultural identity remain marginal or are viewed as difficult to embed in lessons. Teachers report using learner-centred strategies, including group work and contextual tasks, but these are constrained by perceived curriculum overload, high-stakes examination pressures, and limited resources and professional learning. The study provides an in-depth qualitative account of how core competencies are prioritised, adapted, and constrained in practice, extending existing work on teacher sensemaking in competency-based reforms in low- and middle-income contexts. Bridging curriculum aspirations and classroom realities requires sustained subject-specific professional learning, better alignment of assessment with competency goals, and stronger teacher participation in curriculum design and review.