Influence of head teachers’ leadership behaviour on pupils’ performance at Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in Rarieda Sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of head teachers’ leadership behaviour on pupils’ performance at Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in Rarieda sub county, Kenya. The study was guided by the four objectives; to establish the extent to which head teachers’ directive leadership behaviour, supportive leadership behaviour, participative leadership behaviour and achievement-oriented leadership behaviour influence performance of pupils at KCPE. Robert House’s Path- Goal theory was used to explain the study. The study adopted ex-post facto design. The study targeted 940 respondents which included 115 head teachers and 825 teachers. The sample size comprised of 36 head teachers and 288 teachers. The study used questionnaires to collect data from head teachers and teachers which had a reliability coefficient of 0.83. The questionnaires were then sorted, edited, coded hence data therein was analysed by the help of SPSS and manually. Various descriptive statistic like frequencies, percentages and tables were used to arrive at conclusions. The key findings were that the majority of head teachers believed that they always practised both directive and supportive leadership behaviour which was however contradicted by the teachers. Both head teachers and teachers were in concurrence that participative and achievement-oriented leadership behaviour skills were not always practised by the head teachers in their schools. Based on the findings the researcher concluded that head teachers’ directive leadership behaviour influenced high performance of pupils at KCPE in schools where head teachers embraced it and low performance where it was not. It was concluded that head teachers’ supportive leadership behaviour influenced high performance of pupils at KCPE in schools where the head teachers always practised it and low performance where it was not. The study concluded that participative leadership behaviour was not always practised by head teachers in Rarieda Sub County leading to low performance of pupils at KCPE in several schools. It was concluded that achievement-oriented leadership behaviour was not embraced by most head teachers thus influencing low performance in public primary schools in Rarieda Sub County. The study recommends that the head teachers be sensitized through seminars on the importance of embracing leadership behaviour skills in their administrative and managerial duties.