PRINCIPALS’ COMMUNICATION AND DECISION-MAKING PRACTICES’ INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TURKANA COUNTY, KENYA
PRINCIPALS’ COMMUNICATION AND DECISION-MAKING PRACTICES’ INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TURKANA COUNTY, KENYA
Christine Samal Ekal - Department of Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Joseph G. Mungai (PhD) - Department of Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Exam results have been used to determine a student's aptitude as well as to choose them for further education and career opportunities. Across the course, Turkana County has been experiencing disparities in Kenya Certificate of Secondary School examination results and has remained poor over the recent five years as shown by the following mean scores: 2016 (3.8531); 2017 (3.5488); 2018 (3.2222); 2019 (2.9078); and 2020 (3.0121). This provides proof that the KCSE scores have been fluctuating in a declining trend. For the past five years, Turkana County's academic performance has been appalling, which begs numerous questions, especially in regard to principals’ management practices and how they influence students’ academic achievement. Principals’ management practices always have devastating effects on students’ academic performance when they are not properly practiced. This study, therefore, endeavored to establish the influence of selected principals’ management practices on students’ academic performance in Turkana County. The research objectives were; to establish the influence of principals’ communication and decision-making practices on students’ academic performance in Turkana Central Sub-County. Fielders' contingency theory served as the foundation for this research. Descriptive survey research design was used in this study. The target population of the research comprised of 16 principals, 200 teachers, and 784 students. A total of 300 respondents were chosen using random for sampling. Principals were chosen using census sampling, teachers through simple random selection, and students through stratified random sampling. Questionnaires with structured and unstructured items were used to gather data. Ten percent of participant questionnaires were examined in order to verify their validity for its intended purpose. In particular, 22 students, 6 teachers, and 2 principals took part in the pilot study. The researcher also requested the supervisor to validate the instruments' accuracy. The study adopted a method of rational equivalence by Kuder-Richardson Reliability. The data was grouped, entered, coded, cleaned, stored, and analyzed with the aid of SPSS v. 26 software. Descriptive statistics in the form of percentages, frequencies, and means were utilized to assess the quantitative information from the structured questions. Narratives and direct quotes were utilized to examine thematically the qualitative data from unstructured questions. Frequency bar graphs, tables and charts were utilized to display the analyzed data. The study findings include: effective communication by principals, characterized by clear articulation of academic goals, expectations, and feedback, positively correlates with student academic performance; and principals who employ evidence-based solutions and involve stakeholders in decision-making demonstrate a more proactive approach to addressing academic challenges. The study concludes that i) effective communication between principals, teachers, students, and parents is foundational to fostering a supportive and engaged school community, and ii) principals’' decision-making practices play a pivotal role in influencing school effectiveness and student outcomes. The study makes the following recommendations: i) principals should prioritize open and effective communication with teachers, students, and parents by regularly sharing school goals and expectations; and ii) principals should adopt evidence-based decision-making processes, considering input from teachers and students and encourage participatory decision-making which enhances commitment and ownership of decisions by stakeholders.
