Life skills education as used by head teachers in managing students discipline in Kenya: a case of public secondary school in Machakos sub-county

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze life skills education as used by head teachers in managing students discipline in Kenya; specifically, within public secondary schools in Machakos Sub-County. The objective of this study was; To determine the use of Life Skills Education on management of discipline in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study was guided by situational theory of leadership which is characterized leadership in terms of task behavior and relationship behavior. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population comprised of head teachers, teachers and students. The study sample was 421. Data was collected using 3 sets of questionnaires. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences software programme version 22. Inferential analysis was done using chi square statistics at the .05 level of significance. The study established that head teachers need to use a variety of administrative practices to manage students’ discipline. The study found that the use of life skills education influenced the management of school discipline significantly (XA2(d/(3)) = 28.846; p < .05). The study recommends that the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) should start examining LSE since it is an important subject in managing discipline and molding social emotional skills of learners. These study findings are beneficial to head teachers and other stakeholders in education regarding how they manage discipline related issues in schools.