Factor affecting management of change in public secondary schools in Masinga District

Abstract

Managing school change and improvement is one of the most complex tasks of school management. School leaders need to understand the change processes and also possess the necessary skills for them to be able to lead and manage change effectively. They must learn to overcome barriers and cope with the chaos that naturally exists during the complex process of change. School principals in particular should help teachers build effective teams by developing new organizational structures and creating a shared vision that focuses on authentic learning. Such inspired and informed leadership is critical to the success of schools. In the last ten years, a majority of students sitting for KCSE get below average. In the year 2010 for example 60% of the KCSE candidates scored a grade C- (minus) and below and only 27% percent scored a mean grade of C+ (Plus) and above. The objectives were to determine the impact of organizational culture, communication, incentives and human resource on the management of change in the secondary schools in the said district. It was guided by the questions; how do communication, organizational culture, human resources and incentives affect change management in public secondary schools? The study adopted a descriptive research design in which all the 131 public secondary schools in the district are targeted. It used simple random sampling to select 23 secondary schools in the district. Simple random sampling was also used to select two teachers from each of the sampled schools. All the headteachers from the selected schools participated in the study. The outcome of this study is useful to education stakeholders to help improve the management of change in public secondary schools.