Influence of principals' communication strategies on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Kisasi sub-county, kitui county, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to examine the influence of school principals' communication strategies on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Kisasi Sub-County, Kitui County. Kenya. The study objectives sought to: establish the influence of principals’ use of school assemblies, guidance and counseling, notice boards and suggestion boxes as communication strategies on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Kisasi Sub-County. The target population for this study was 20 principals, 140 teachers who consisted of 20 deputy principals, 20 heads of departments, guidance and counseling, 20 form four class teachers and 20 presidents of the students’ council from which a sample of 18 principals, 54 teachers, and 18 students were picked making a total of 90 respondents. Descriptive survey research design was used in the study. Questionnaires were used as tools for data collection. The study used test re-test technique to establish instrument reliability. Cohen’s Kappa Co-efficient was used to correlate the pre-test and post-test results in order to get the coefficient of reliability. The Cohen’s Kappa Co-efficient (K value) was 0.65. This proved that there was a substantial agreement between the two sets of the pilot results, thus the research tool was appropriate. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Both quantitative and qualitative data generated from the study was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data generated from the study was organized into themes based on common responses. Analysed data was presented using frequency distribution and cross tabulation tables. The study established from majority of the respondents who included 66.7% of the students, 59.3% of the teachers and 55.6% of the principals that their schools held assemblies twice per week. During these assemblies, it was reported by all the respondents that the principals communicated to the students mostly about discipline issues. The study also established from majority of the respondents that guidance and counseling influenced student’s discipline which was stated by 88.9% of the principals, 63% of the teachers and 50% of the students. It was also established from 100% of all the respondents from the sampled schools that they had school administration and staff room notice boards with majority of the schools according to 88.9% of the principals saying that they also had students’ notice boards and only 11.1% did not have. The study also established from majority of the principals 55.6% that they had suggestion boxes in their schools and only 44.4% of the schools did not have. The study concluded that most of the principals’ communication strategies could help in reducing most of the students’ related indiscipline issues. The study recommended that more schools should be encouraged to have adequate suggestion boxes which should be strategically placed in their premises and opened regularly, increase the frequency of holding assemblies, issues of concern by the students to be addressed immediately and each school to have more trained guidance and counseling teachers instead of having only one per school. However, the findings of this study may be significant to teachers as they could use findings to improve on communication strategies in addressing indiscipline cases in schools.