Influence of principals’ instructional leadership practices on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract

Instructional leadership is associated with measures that the principal undertakes, or delegates to others to enhance student’s performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of principals’ instructional leadership practices on students’ KCSE performance in public secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. The study employed mixed methods survey design. The target population included all principals and teachers of public secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. The sample size for the principals was 119 and 357 for teachers for the quantitative phase and 30 principals for qualitative phase. The study employed stratified sampling technique for schools, equal allocation sampling technique for both principals and teachers for quantitative phase and maximum variation sampling procedure for qualitative phase. The study used questionnaires for both principals and teachers and interviews for Principals during the qualitative phase. The response rate was 89.8% for principals and 96.8 for teachers. Validity of the research instruments was determined by a pilot study while reliability of research instruments was established by a test re-test technique. Means and percentages were used to determine the distribution of variables under study among the respondents. Quantitative data was presented using frequency distribution tables, pie charts bar graphs. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to test the relationships between principals’ instructional leadership practices and KCSE performance. The set level of significance was 0.05. The study established that principals in public secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya set goals that influenced student KCSE Performance as indicated by r =0.869. The study also revealed a high correlation coefficient (r) of 0.6 that implied that principals in public secondary schools in Makueni County applied effective instructional supervision practices that enhanced students’ performance in KCSE. Subsequently, the study established that principals promote staff professional development at r=0.6. Finally, the study revealed that principals in public secondary schools in Makueni County foster teaching and learning climate in their schools at r =0.64 at significance level of 0.05. The significance of this study was to evaluate how principals instructional leadership practices influenced students’ academic performance on KCSE in public Secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. The study recommended that the government through TSC and Ministry of Education provide training of school principals on instructional leadership practices which may equip them with knowledge and skills required to improve KCSE performance in their schools. Further, TSC and Ministry of Education should take effective measures to prevent continuous mean performance decline at KCSE in Makueni County, Kenya.