Student Leadership Influence on the Management of Student Discipline in Public Day and Boarding Secondary Schools in Kaloleni, Kilifi County, Kenya
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Date
2023-10
Authors
Mwangudza, Rose Mkonza James
Mbirithi, Daniel Mange
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
IAJSSE
Abstract
The creation of student councils in
secondary schools in Kenya was expected
to help teachers improve efficiency in
school management. However, despite
adopting student councils, student unrest
and other forms of indiscipline were still
experienced in secondary schools in
Kaloleni Sub-County. This project research
sought to first; determine the influence of
student leadership in the boarding section
on the management of discipline. Secondly,
establish the influence of student leadership
in classrooms on the management of
discipline. Thirdly, assess the influence of
student leadership in clubs and on the
management of discipline, and finally,
assess the available student leadership
training and how effective it was in the
management of discipline in public
secondary schools in Kaloleni Sub County.
House Path-Goal Theory was adopted to
guide the study. The study employed a
descriptive research design. A multistage
sampling technique was used for sampling.
In stage one; cluster sampling was used to
identify the sampled schools. The study
targeted 22 public secondary schools. A
sample size of 8 schools representing 30%
of the target population. In stage two,
individuals were sampled. The study
sampled 8 principals and 8 deputy
principals. For student leadership, the study
sampled 61 classroom leaders, 17
dormitory leaders, 24 leaders from clubs,
and 32 leaders from faith-based societies,
giving a total of 150 participants. The study
employed the use of questionnaires in
collecting data. The reliability of the data
collection tool was determined by the pilot
study which revealed a high internal
consistency and reliability with a
Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.889. Data were
collected from the sampled student leaders,
Principals, and Deputy Principals and were
classified according to attributes and crossfrequency tables. The data were analyzed
using descriptive statistics aided by the
SPSS version 26 database and presented by
the use of charts, graphs, and distribution
tables. The study revealed most aspects of
student leadership such as peer mediation,
hinting appropriate behavior, and religious
teachings had influence on management of
students’ discipline. However, the study
revealed that the school administration's
engagement of student leaders in making
decisions affecting students' ratings was
moderate. Dormitory or classroom
meetings with students to discuss and
establish dormitory rules and corrective
actions were rated relatively low in the
study and students in dormitories and
classrooms had a low attitude when
punished by student leaders. The rating for
whether student leaders have sufficient
training to carry out their leadership
responsibilities was low. Regarding the
ability to manage difficult or stubborn
students and exposure to frequent
leadership training seminars, the study
observed relatively low ratings. The study
concluded that student leadership domains
(in classrooms, dormitories, clubs, and
faith-based societies) positively and
significantly influenced the management of
discipline in secondary schools. The study
further concluded that the student
leadership training in discipline
management was insufficient. The study
recommended that four domains of student
leadership; student leadership in the
classrooms, dormitories, clubs, and faithbased societies ought to be integrated and
the training should seek to address the gaps
identified in the leadership abilities and
competencies.
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Citation
Mwangudza, R. M. J., & Mbirithi, D. M. (2023). Student leadership influence on the management of student discipline in public day and boarding secondary schools in Kaloleni, Kilifi County, Kenya. International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education (IAJSSE), 2(3), 204-225.