Effects of Recruitment and Selection and Performance of Private Secondary Schools in Nyeri County, Kenya

Abstract

Human resource management (HRM) practices entail policies, systems, and methods that govern workplace employees. They are the processes or functions applied to manage workers and direct them in an organization towards development. Some of the HRM practices include recruitment, screening, selection, development, training, and rewarding of staff. A number of studies to investigate the interaction between HRM practices and organizational performance have been conducted. Many of these studies have been done in the manufacturing or health sectors, with very few having been carried out in private secondary schools. This background is what has necessitated this study in order to investigate the effect of human resource management practices on the performance of private secondary schools in Nyeri County, in Kenya. The objectives of the study were to determine the effect of recruitment, staff development and reward practices on organizational productivity and performance. The study used four theories i.e. ResourceBased View, the Social Exchange Theories, McGregor’s theory X and Y, and the Human Capital to support it. The study targeted a population of 440 subjects. This included principals and their deputies, departmental heads, and classroom teachers of the private secondary schools in Nyeri County. The study adopted descriptive research design. The study applied stratified random sampling technique to pick schools for the research. Interview schedule was used for collecting data from principals, while data from the teachers was obtained through the utilization of questionnaires. The reliability of instruments in this study was established through Cronbach’s alpha, while they were validated through content, construct, and discussion with the supervisor. Descriptive statistics were utilized in the analysis quantitative data with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 to generate them. Qualitative data was analysed by thematic analysis, content analysis and discussion. The findings of the study were presented in frequency distribution tables.