Students participation in school governance at the secondary school level: a Kenyan principals’ perception

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of Kenyan secondary school Principals on student participation in school governance. The objectives of the study related to the leadership literacies that influence student participation in school governance, the existing modes of student leadership in school governance, the correlation between student participation and enhanced school governance, and the strategies for enhancing student participation in school governance. The study adopted a mixed methods research design and targeted public secondary school Principals and their Deputy Principals from the Central Rift region of Kenya. 202 secondary school Principals, 202 Deputy Principals, and 2 Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KSSHA) officials were sampled for the study; giving a total sample size of 406 respondents. The sample for the study was chosen using cluster, simple random and purposive sampling techniques. Two different semi – structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the principals and Deputy Principals. Data from the 2 KSSHA officials was collected through interviews. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics presented in the form of frequency tables and descriptive reports; and the hypothesis for the study was tested using Pearson‟s Correlation Coefficient (r). The findings of the study showed that in most schools, there is a low level of political literacy, which is one of the key literacies necessary for students‟ participation in school governance. The findings also determined that majority of secondary schools (78.3%) have not adopted the Student Leaders Councils (SLCs) as a mode of student leadership, and that majority of school principals (62.6%) still prefer the prefect mode of student leadership over the SLC. The findings further showed that students‟ representation in key governance bodies in the school was still very low (11.35%) and that Principals‟ approval of student representation in these governance bodies was equally low. The testing of the hypothesis indicated that there is a high positive correlation between student participation and enhanced school governance (r = .768; p ≤ .05). The findings of this study will be useful to policy makers, development partners and capacity building agencies in education in coming up with policy directives for student participation and content for leadership and governance training for both students and school principals. The information will also enable school principals to come up with an enabling environment for student participation in school governance in their schools.