| dc.description.abstract | This research study aimed at investigating the influence of principals’ leadership
styles on students’ performance in KCSE in Gatundu North Sub-County, Kenya.
Specifically, the study sought to establish the extent to which principals’
democratic leadership styles influence students’ performance, principals’
autocratic leadership styles on students’ performance, principals’ laissez faire
leadership styles and principals’ transformational leadership styles on students’
performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Gatundu North sub
County, Kenya and to recommend areas for improvement in future. This study
was anchored on the Contingency Theory of Leadership, developed by Fiedler
(1964) cited in (Cole, 2002). The study was conducted using the descriptive
survey design. The target population consisted of the20 public secondary schools,
500 teachers and 4583 students who had information on the influence of
principals’ leadership styles on students’ KCSE performance. Principals (6),
teachers (45) and students (412) were the sample size of the target respondents for
this study. Research instruments used to collect data were questionnaires for
teachers and students and an interview schedule for principals. The researcher
used the test retest method to enhance instrument reliability. The study yielded
data that required both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Quantitative data was
analysed using SPSS computer programme version 17.0 and qualitative data
manually. Presentation was done using frequency distribution tables with values
and percentages. From the findings of the study, it was established that
democratic leadership style has a great influence on students’ performance in
public secondary schools. Hence, need for principals to use a democratic style
besides transformational where performance should be positively guided and
constructive and not punitive. Principals should allow students to conduct their
own group discussions (55.0%). In addition, students should not be denied to hold
frequent barazas with the principal (56.7%). Besides, most principals (89.3%)
were noted not involving teachers, parents and students when making key
decisions. Never the less, some principals were not open to criticism by staff
members (45.0%). Others rarely accepted that they can make errors just like
anybody else (52.5%). The study concludes that principals’ democratic leadership
styles had a high response which is a good indicator that if applied well could
have quality results than autocratic leadership styles. The researcher recommends
that principals and teachers should avoid autocratic leadership style when
implementing performance and even disciplinary procedures and policies which
have to be primarily preventive, secondarily corrective and never retributive.
Basing on areas for further research, the study recommends a replica of the study
to be performed in other public secondary schools in other sub counties in Kenya
to provide comparison in findings and that an assessment be done on the relationship
between students’ performance and discipline in public secondary schools in
Kenya in order to establish whether there was any kind of relationship between
students’ discipline and performance. | en_US |
