| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of head teachers' communication strategies on academic performance of students. The objectives were to determine the effect of written communication strategies on academic performance, examine the effect of non- verbal communication strategies on academic performance and investigate the effect of oral communication strategies on academic performance in pubic secondary schools in Trans Nzoia East District.
Reliability of the instruments in the neighboring district Tran-Nzoia west and validity was enhanced by requesting experts in the area of research methods to examine content validity. Qualitative and quantitative data was analyzed and presented in tables of frequencies, percentages and figures.
A sample of 10 head teachers 50 teachers and 100 students was selected using stratified random sampling technique. Questionnaires were used to collect the data and rates of 100 percent. The filled questionnaires were coded; cleaned and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and data presented using tables.
The following were findings of the study:
1. The fmdings show that most of the schools adopted written
communication strategies more especially (memos) as a way of communication as confirmed by 62 percent of the teachers. Interestingly, 59 percent of the students disagreed that memos were frequently used in the school. Which attributed that the students were mostly addressed in the assemblies and therefore the need of writing memos to students was rare. School magazines were rarely used as a means of communication strategy by head-teachers in the district as confirmed by 82 percent of the teachers. In support of this, 86 percent of the students agreed that school magazines were rarely used in the district. This could be attributed to the fact that publishing costs for school magazines were quite prohibitive.
2. There was a significant that notice board was common method of communication strategy by most of the head teacher across the districts as confirmed by 72 percent of the teachers. In support of this, 62 percent of the students indicated that notice board was a common strategy of communication in their schools using head teachers.
3. Oral communication strategy more especially morning assemblies are frequently used by head teachers in most of the schools within the district which when not properly used it causes some impacts to the students and even teachers. But it was observed that when properly used it causes a positive impact towards academic performance more especially KCSE. Open forums with the students, the results confirmed that it opens students minds to express their problems and expectations in the managements in their respective schools.
4. Verbal communication strategy, the results show that face to face was very frequent in the district. The school administration adopted it on teachers, students and non-subordinate staff.
5. Nonverbal communication strategy were also rated by teachers as the frequent communication strategy in schools used by head teachers, they use gestures and body movement to communicate to the school community, which was rated very frequent by 65 percent of the teachers, walking with a cane to discourage bad behavior was rated occasional by 36 percent of teachers, mode of dressing rated seldom by 42 percent, administration of physical punishment to students to discourage bad behavior rated very frequent by 59 percent of the teachers. | en_US |
