Quantitative Evaluation of the Performance of Primary School Curricula in the Afghan Education System from the Perspectives of Teachers and Experts

Abstract

This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the performance of primary school curricula in Afghanistan and compare teachers’, administrators’, experts’, and specialists’ assessments of curriculum design and development, production, implementation, evaluation, and proposed reforms. This applied study employed a descriptive survey with a correlational-comparative approach among primary education personnel in Kabul, Bamyan, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, Farah, and Herat provinces. Using stratified random sampling, data were collected from 572 teachers and administrators and 153 experts and educational specialists, yielding a total sample of 725 participants. Two researcher-developed questionnaires containing 50 and 30 items were used. Their content and convergent validity, composite reliability, and factorial structure were confirmed. Data were analyzed using one-sample t tests, independent-samples t tests, Friedman tests, and one-way analysis of variance in SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 3. One-sample t tests indicated that overall curriculum performance was significantly above the theoretical midpoint among experts, t(152)=25.82, and teachers and administrators, t(418)=56.20, both p<.01; all individual curriculum components also differed significantly from the criterion value. Friedman tests demonstrated significant differences in component rankings among experts (χ²=114.18, p<.001) and teachers and administrators (χ²(4)=311.81, p<.001). Between-group comparisons showed no significant difference in curriculum design and development, t(570)=−0.95, p=.34, but significant differences emerged for production, t(570)=−3.54, p<.01, and proposed reforms, t(570)=−2.95, p<.01. Age, work experience, and province significantly affected assessments of selected components, whereas gender and educational level did not. Although the overall performance of Afghanistan’s primary school curriculum was evaluated above the moderate level, significant variation across curriculum components and stakeholder groups indicates uneven effectiveness across the curriculum cycle. Reform initiatives should therefore prioritize textbook production, curriculum implementation, evaluation mechanisms, and the systematic translation of stakeholder recommendations into actionable educational policies.