Effects of principals' decision making styles on teachers' performance in public secondary schools in Naivasha district, Nakuru county, Kenya
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Date
2014-08-27
Authors
Kihungi, Grace Wanjiku
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Abstract
Principals are leaders and managers. With these two roles, principals must plan, implement and evaluate daily activities in order to fulfill organizational goals and objectives. The success or failure of the school may be directly linked to its principal's decision making style. Therefore school principal's use a number of possible decision making styles some of which have resulted into too many problems in educational administration. As such school administrators have been blamed for their failure to listen to teachers' and students' needs when making decisions. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of principals' decision making styles on teachers' performance. The objectives of the study were be to identify decision making styles used by the principals, to indentify the factors that determine principals' decision making styles, to examine teachers' perception on principals' decision making styles and to establish the effects of principals' decision making styles on teachers' performance. The study employed descriptive survey. It also focused on public secondary schools in Naivasha District. The target population constituted of 45 schools, 45 principals and 495 teachers. Stratified sampling was used to arrive at 9 schools (20%), 9•principals (20%) and 90 teachers (18%). The data was collected using principal's interview schedule and teacher's questionnaire. These instruments were tested for reliability and validity. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics namely mean, mode, median, standard deviation and percentiles. Presentation of the data was in form of tables, pie charts, percentages and graphs. The study established that consultative and group decision making styles were commonly used by the principals. However, delegative and autocratic decision making styles were also practiced in used in some cases. The study also established that insights of the decision and perceptions were a major factor affecting principals' decision making styles. Further the study revealed that teachers perceived principals' decision making styles as group and autocratic in nature decision making. The study concluded that where principals used group and consultative decision making teachers' performance was good. The study recommends that principals should engage teachers in decision making. Further the study recommended that Kenya Education Staff Institute through the ministry of education should organize regular seminars and courses to train principals on managerial decision making styles and that regular assessing of teachers' performance by Quality Assurance and Standards Officers in relation to principals' decision making styles.
Description
Department of Educational Management Policy & Curriculum Studies, 74p. The LB 2822.3 .K4K5 2012
Keywords
School management and organization --Kenya --Naivasha --Deciaion making, School principals --Kenya --Naivasha