Assessment of the relationship between head-teachers’ leadership styles and students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kericho County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between Head-teachers‘ leadership styles and students‘ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kericho County Kenya. The study used the Likert and Likert theory of management and styles of leadership used in public organizations. The survey research design was used as a framework for data collection. The study sought to determine the relationship between leadership styles of the Head teachers and students‘ performance at K.C.S.E in public secondary schools in Kericho County. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select fifty three secondary schools in the County targeted population was two thousand four hundred and ninety nine teachers posted and working in one hundred and nineteen public secondary schools in Kericho County. Out of this target population, one hundred and nineteen were head teachers. Simple random sampling was used to select one thousand and sixty teachers, while stratified sampling was used to select the head teachers from the targeted schools to participate in the study. Validity of the instruments was established by consulting with the supervisors and subject experts in the Department of Education management and policy studies in Moi University. The reliability of the instruments was established by computing a test re-test reliability coefficient. This was done by administering the test twice, but allowing an interval of one month between them. The pre-testing of the instrument was done in ten non-participating schools in Kipkeli on Sub-county. Questionnaires were administered to 10 head-teachers and 100 teachers. Two sets of questionnaires known as the profile of leadership behavior (form LB) and profile of own behavior (form OB) for head teachers and teachers respectively and Interview Schedule were used as the primary tools for data collection. The tools centered on issues of the administrator‘s tolerances, motivation of staff, allowing for creativity and teamwork, the data was analyzed thematically with regard to school strata. This research embraced an eclecticism paradigm. The findings revealed that the head teachers‘ leadership styles had a strong relationship with the schools‘ K.C.S.E results. This study revealed that schools managed by head-teachers who allow maximum consultation performed better in KCSE than schools that were autocratic and more restrictive. Consultation made the staff develop trust, confidence and team work. Better performance was also posted by schools whose heads employed a mixture of autocratic (task-oriented behaviour) and democratic (relationship behavior) leadership. The study recommends that head teachers‘ training in school management should be strengthened and supervision of the teachers should be objective. Head teachers should use a balance of autocratic and democratic leadership styles to achieve better K.C.S.E results. This research is vital in its contribution to understanding effective school management in the light of leadership styles and student academic performance