Influence of Management Strategies Applied by Head Teachers on Pupils’ Performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examinations in Public Schools in Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

The goal of this study was to ascertain how head teachers' management practices affected their students' performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Examinations in Meru County public schools. The study's goals are to ascertain how the working relationship between head teachers and teachers affects students' performance in KCPE examinations, to ascertain the impact of head teachers' oversight of curriculum implementation on students' performance in KCPE examinations, to ascertain the impact of head teachers' provision of teaching and learning resources on students' performance in KCPE examinations, and to ascertain the impact of The systems theory of the input-output model created by Ludwig Van Bertalanffy in 1956 served as the study's main framework. This theory contends that a structured firm does not initially begin in a vacuum; rather, it reserves inputs from the outside environment and uses those inputs to create outputs. The primary inputs are teachers, administrators, supplies, and facilities, whereas the primary outputs are the knowledge and skill gains of the students. A sample of 65 head teachers, 778 instructors, and 2873 students selected from 65 public primary schools in Meru County participated in the study, which used a descriptive survey research design. While focus group discussion guides were utilized to gather information from students, questionnaires were employed to gather information from head teachers and teachers. The data analysis employed descriptive statistics. Frequency distributions, means, standard deviations, and percentages were used to present the results. The content validity of the measures was examined by qualified academics from the University of Nairobi's Department of Educational Management Policy and Curriculum Studies. To determine the reliability, the researcher used the test-and-retest methodology. With a significance level of 0.0018, the Pearson correlation coefficient between head teachers' and teachers' working relationships and students' achievement in KCPE exams was 0.341. The Pearson correlation coefficient between head teachers' oversight of the curriculum's implementation and students' achievement on the KCPE exam was 0.333, with a significance level of 0.0011. The Pearson correlation coefficient between head teachers' provision of instructional materials and students' performance on the KCPE exam was 0.491 with a significance level of 0.0019, while the Pearson correlation coefficient between head teachers' support of teachers' professional development and students' performance on the KCPE exam was 0.298 with a significance level of 0.0024. The study came to the conclusion that head teachers' oversight of the curriculum's implementation had a significant impact on students' performance in KCPE examinations, while their failure to secure adequate teaching and learning materials led to students' consistently average performance in KCPE examinations in public schools in Meru County. In order to provide head teachers with the managerial skills required for schools to achieve academic excellence, it is advised that the Directorate of Quality Assurance need to organize additional capacity development workshops. In order for instructors to manage and deliver lessons effectively with a sufficient number of students in the class, the instructors Service Commission must make sure that there is adequate staffing in all Kenyan public schools.