Principals’ Management Styles Influence on Students Academic Performance in the Kenya Certficate of Secondary Education Examination in Mombasa County, Kenya
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Date
2024-11
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
This study examines the influence of principals' management styles on students' academic performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in Mombasa County, Kenya. Despite reforms and efforts by school principals to improve performance, Mombasa County has faced challenges, with university transition rates consistently below 13% over the past five years. This has been because of poor performance in national examinations. The study aimed to address this issue by investigating the influence of the three principal management styles authoritative, transformational, and transactional-and academic performances outcomes. The study employed Contingency Theory which posits that there is no single best way to lead a team. Instead, the effectiveness of leadership depends on the situation at hand and the interaction between a leader's style and the variables of the environment in which the leader operates. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design, involving a target population of 1,103 teachers registered under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), with a sample of 315 teachers. Out of this the return rate was 221 teachers. These were the study sample. Stratified random sampling was employed to ensure representation. Data were collected using questionnaires on a Likert scale, and reliability was tested through the Test-Retest technique. Data analysis included both descriptive and inferential statistics, with multiple regression and ANOVA applied to assess relationships between management styles and academic performance. The findings revealed that the authoritative management style significantly influences students' academic performance, fostering a conducive environment for academic success. In contrast, transformational and transactional management styles showed no statistically significant impact on students’ performance. These results suggest that while authoritative leadership promotes better academic outcomes, transformational and transactional approaches may not be suitable for the context of Mombasa County. Based on these findings, the study recommends that policymakers and educational institutions focus on enhancing the authoritative leadership approach among school principals. It also suggests further research into hybrid leadership styles, the role of contextual factors, and longitudinal studies to examine the long-term effects of management styles on academic performance. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on educational leadership and its critical role in shaping students' academic success.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the Department of Education Management Policy and Curriculum Studies, School of Education in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Degree of Master of Education Kenyatta University, November 2024.
Supervisor
Kiende Hellen Guantai