Principals' Decision-making Styles and their Influence on Teachers' Professional Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Embu county, Kenya
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Date
2023-08
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Decision-making styles are key influential factors in regard to professional performance of employees in any organisation. The present study sought to examine the influence of decision-making styles used by principals on teacher professional performance in Mbeere South sub-county Embu county. The study was guided by five objectives which included establishing the prevalent decision making style applied by principals in the management of public secondary schools in the selected study locale, assessing the influence of directive decision making style on teacher professional performance, finding out the influence of participative decision making style on teacher professional performance, establishing the influence of conceptual decision making style on teacher professional performance and establishing how analytical decision making style influences teacher professional performance in the selected study locale. The study was steered by contingency theory of Management by Fred Fiedler (1958). To actualise this study, the researcher sampled 247 teaching professionals from various secondary schools in Mbeere south from a target population of 629. Included in the sample were 11 principals sampled randomly from the 54 targetted principals and 236 teachers sampled using Taro Yamane formula from a target of 575 teachers. The researcher conducted the study using self-administered questionnaires for the teachers and interview schedules for the principals. Half of the questionnaires were administered physically while the other half was administered digitally via e-mail through the respective principals and received back in the same way. Piloting of the study was carried out in two day-public secondary schools which were later exempted from the study. The researcher ensured content validity by checking through the questionnaires and the interview guide to certify that the questions correlated with the objectives and, expert judgement of experienced supervisors. Questionnaire reliability was ensured using the internal consistency method which involved distributing the questionnaires only once and estimation of the consistency index. The researcher obtained introductory letters and letters of authority from relevant authorities to show the legality of the data collection exercise. The data collection instruments were scrutinized for any errors and inadequacies before administration to the respondents. The SPSS software was used to help in the analysis of the data collected. The study found a strong positive linear association between decision-making styles and teacher professional performance. The analysis also revealed a statistically stronger positive association between the conceptual decision-making approach and teacher professional performance as compared to analytical, participative, and directive. The study thus concluded that in the Kenyan education sector, the conceptual decision-making approach has a stronger positive influence on teacher professional performance than the analytical, participative, and directive styles. These results may be key towards interpreting existing disparity in teacher performance across different public secondary schools thus seeking possible solutions to bar continuation or repeat of the existing issues affecting teachers in regard to their professional performance. The study recommended that education management training institutes such as the Kenya Education Management Institute should consider to include decision making as an independent unit and not a chapter within a unit for thorough coverage. Teachers Service Commission in conjunction with the Ministry Of Education should also organise regular capacity building forums and seminars for principals to equip them with, and, or, remind them of basic management skills such as decision making. Manuals containing basics of decision making should also be prepared by Teachers Service Commission and distributed to the principals for regular reference as they perform their duties. Additionally, princincplas should interchangeably use decision making styles for effectiveness since different situations require different approaches.
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