Influence of Principals’ Leadership Behaviour Practices on Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools Gilgil Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Principals in schools give their learning institutions images of their potentialities through support to improve the mission and vision to its accomplishment. In Kenya some schools have maintained good academic performance while others have always lagged behind. These differences are brought about by many factors and one major factor is the principals’ influence. The main purpose of this study is therefore to establish the influence of principals’ leadership behaviour practices on student’s academic performance at K.C.S.E in Gilgil secondary schools Nakuru County, Kenya. The study was guided by four objectives, that is: To establish the influence of principals’ leadership behaviour of initiating practices on students’ academic performance at K.C.S.E in Gilgil, Nakuru County. To determine the influence of principals’ leadership behaviour of consideration practices on students’ academic performance at K.C.S.E in Gilgil, Nakuru County. To establish principal’ leadership of participatory practices on students’ academic performance at K.C.S.E in Gilgil, Nakuru County and lastly determine the influence of principals’ leadership behaviour of achievement oriented practices on students’ academic performance at K.CS.E in Gilgil, Nakuru County. The research design used was descriptive survey design. The study targeted a population of 300 teachers and 30 principals from 30 public secondary schools in Gilgil, Nakuru County. A sample of 28 schools was randomly sampled constituting of 28 principals and 169 teachers were selected through simple random sampling technique. The data was collected using questionnaires for the principals and teachers. Piloting was done in one school which was not included in the final sample. The researcher used test re-tests method to determine reliability of the research instruments. Data was then analyzed by the use of inferential and descriptive statistics. The research revealed that majority of teachers rated leadership behaviour practices of their principals as good and on examining the principals perception in comparison to teachers, principals’ rated themselves high in consideration behaviour while teachers rated them moderately high .In initiating behaviour and participatory behaviour practices principals and teachers were in agreement as they rated the behaviour moderately high. Achievement oriented behaviour practices were rated low by principals and teachers and the researcher found that it was dominant in schools. Initiating behaviour had a higher proportion of directive behaviour characteristic, as it is task oriented. Consideration behaviour had a higher proportion of supportive behaviour characteristics as it is people oriented. Since participative leadership involves teachers in decisions it gives teachers ownership of decisions made in the school. The study also found that principal leadership behaviour practices are strongly and positively correlated with students’ academic performance. The findings were displayed by use of tables and pie charts. The study recommended that the principals endeavor to adopt leadership behaviour that will create an enabling environment for teachers and students to improve academic performance and also use the most appropriate leadership behaviour that facilitates collective responsibility and consultative decision making with all stakeholders in schools.