Principal’s leadership practices in the management of discipline in public secondary schools in Kenya in the post-caning era

Abstract

The principal plays a very important role in maintaining discipline in the school. He/she sets the tone and morale of the school by which he/she influences the teachers and pupils. Even at the classroom level, what the teacher does on matters of discipline is influenced by “the standards and expectations of the principal”. This study investigated the extent to which teachers, students and parents agreed or disagreed that the principal management and leadership skills played a key role in the management of discipline in schools. The research design adopted was survey and the study was conducted in Rongai Sub-county in Nakuru County. All the teachers, learners and parents of all the public secondary schools in Rongai Sub-county formed the population of the study. The study employed stratified random sampling, simple random sampling and convenient sampling techniques. Data was collected by use of questionnaires and were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively.