Teachers' attitude towards quality assurance and standards officers in primary schools in Evurore, Mbeere north sub-county, Embu county, Kenya

Introduction: Since the inception of school inspection in Kenya, the function of Educational Inspectors was hampered by the way inspectors executed their duties thus influencing the attitude of teachers negatively. To reduce the negative perception of teachers new practices and innovative ideas have been established through the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards (DQAS). Purpose: This study aimed at finding out if teachers' attitudes have changed towards Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASO) since of new name and mandate Methodology: The study used a descriptive survey research design as it was able to obtain persistent and precise information concerning the current phenomena. The sample consisted of 228 statistically sampled using the Yamen formula. A structured and open questionnaire measuring the attitude of teachers was used. To check validity, expert opinion was sought while reliability was ensured at 0.70 using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. ANOVA and t-test method of analysis was the main statistical methods used to test the three hypotheses. Results: The study established that female teachers had a more positive attitude towards QASO compared to their male counter parts although the difference was not significant. Further, the results revealed that a significant difference exists between more experienced teachers and less experienced teachers with less experienced teachers having a less favourable attitude towards QASO than less experienced teachers. Finally, the study found that teachers who were visited regularly had a positive attitude towards QASO compared to teachers who are not regularly visited or visited few times. In conclusion, teachers have appreciated the role of QASOs in quality education. Recommendations/Classroom Implications: It is recommended that more frequent supervision may improve teachers’ attitude for better teacher classroom performance

Task-oriented leadership style on students’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Nyeri county, Kenya

Introduction: The concept of school leadership has attracted the attention of many stakeholders in education sector. Students’ academic achievement is greatly determined by the decisions made by the school governance. The leadership style used by leaders influences the decision making process, communication process and implementation of decisions made. Purpose: The study sought to find out the extent to which task-oriented leadership style used by school heads in public secondary schools in Nyeri Central Sub-County affects students’ academic achievement. Methodology: The study used descriptive research design to obtain accurate information concerning the current existing phenomena. The sample consisted 590 statistically sampled using Krejcie’s and Morgan’s table of sampling. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and interview schedules. After pilot study, the researcher checked validity and reliability of the tools. The reliability value of the tool was 0.8. To enhance consistency of the tool, test-retest reliability technique was used and yielded a coefficient of 0.76. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationship between task-oriented leadership style and students’ academic achievement. Results: The study found that principals who practiced task-oriented leadership style posted high mean mark in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). The study also revealed that majority of principals practiced relationship-oriented leadership style hence, it was the most prevalent leadership style in Nyeri Central Sub-County. The study found a strong positive correlation between task-oriented leadership style and students’ achievement. Recommendations: It is recommended that principals’ should incorporate different leadership styles depending on the situation at hand to promote high students achievement

Principals’ leadership styles: Critical components to the security management in selected secondary schools in Mandera county, Kenya.

Introduction: Leadership styles of school principals plays a significant role in making the school a safe haven for students. This is because principals interact with the school community more often, and hence understand the school environment better. Purpose: Determine the critical leadership style in the security management in Mandera County, Kenya Methodology: The correlational study design was used as the framework that anchored the study. The survey targeted a population of 424 teachers, 46 principals, 460 BOM members and 13,387 students in Mandera County which makes a total population of 14,317. The sample size was 201 teachers, 40 principals, 210 BOM members and 373 students and thus narrowing the sample size to 824 respondents. The respondents were stratified, proportionately and randomly sampled. Questionnaires for teachers, semi- structured interview guides for principals and BOM members, and focus groups were adopted as instruments of collecting information. Before the main study, the researcher conducted a pilot study in schools that had characteristics similar to those of the sampled schools. Content validity was determined using expert judgment from specialist in the education management. Instrument reliability was established using the Cronbach alpha technique. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data, while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in terms of frequencies, means, and inferential statistics in terms of regression analysis. Results: The results of this research show a prediction that for each increase in the leadership styles of secondary school principals, there was a 29.7% increase in security management. Recommendation: Major recommendation is that school leadership need to adopt the correct management strategies to ensure security. Furthermore, the community where the school is located should be involved in matters of student security and safety

Principals’ Conceptual Managerial Skills and Teachers’ Instructional Effectiveness in Secondary Schools, Central Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

The purpose of the study was establishing the relationship between conceptual skills of the school principals and instructional effectiveness of the teachers in secondary schools, Central Gondar region, Ethiopia. The study proposed to use a correlational research design. The population of the study were 50 principals, 50 vice principals and 1,500 teachers, totaling 1,588 personnel. Due to their small number and importance to the research, all school principals and vice principals were selected using the census technique. 307 teachers were chosen using simple random sampling techniques by Cochran formula. The closed-ended questionnaire was used as the primary method for both principal and teacher data collection instruments. The expert-judgment methodology was used to verify the validity of the instruments and the reliability of the instruments tested using Cronbach's alpha test score. The data was analyzed by using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. The study revealed that there was no statistically significant relationship between the principals’ conceptual managerial skills with teachers ‘instructional effectiveness. The study concludes that principals’ conceptual managerial skills have no significant relationship with teachers’ instructional effectiveness. In light of the findings, recommendations for school principals, teachers, Ministry of Education and suggestions for further research were discussed

Influence of Head Teachers’ Performance Monitoring on Participation of Female Students with Physical Disabilities in Primary Schooling in Mandera County, Kenya

Monitoring of performance is measured by the examination outcome from the mock results which helps head teachers using empirical facts, make educated choices about program operations, service delivery, and program efficacy. The researcher worked towards addressing the influence of head teachers’ monitoring of performance on participation of female students with physical disabilities in primary school education. This study, which included 68 head teachers and 990 pupils from special schools in Mandera County, used a descriptive sample polling design with a total population of 1058 respondents. Students were picked at random, with the exception of the head teachers, who were purposively chosen. After utilizing the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula to assist pick sample size for this study, both principals and students were proportionately selected. According to Krejcie and Morgan (1970) statistics, a population of 990 children forced a sample size of 277 children, and a population of 68 head teachers necessitated a sample size of 58 head teachers resulting to a total sample size of 335 respondents. Questionnaires, content analysis guides, and focus group discussion guides were created as part of the study process. This study used a variety of research instruments, such as questionnaires, content analysis guides, and focus group discussion guides, to map out the data needed from a variety of sources. To verify authenticity, data collecting instruments were triangulated. The data collecting instruments were created in consultation with university supervisors to assure authenticity. This study employed a split-half reliability test to determine the questionnaire's reliability. As stated in the aims, quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, and standard deviation, while qualitative data was analyzed for common themes related to specific research parameters.  The findings revealed that there was a 17.5 percent increase in participation of female pupils with physical disabilities for every unit increase in head teachers' performance monitoring. Keywords: Head teachers, Performance, Monitoring, Female Students, Disabilities, Primary Schools, Kenya. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-4-02 Publication date: February 28th 202

Personal Characteristics and Career Progression of Tutors in Primary Teacher Colleges in Kenya

Abstract This study investigated the effect of tutors ' personal characteristics (age, qualification, gender, caree

Principals’ Conceptual Managerial Skills and Teachers’ Instructional Effectiveness in Secondary Schools, Central Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

The purpose of the study was establishing the relationship between conceptual skills of the school principals and instructional effectiveness of the teachers in secondary schools, Central Gondar region, Ethiopia. The study proposed to use a correlational research design. The population of the study were 50 principals, 50 vice principals and 1,500 teachers, totaling 1,588 personnel. Due to their small number and importance to the research, all school principals and vice principals were selected using the census technique. 307 teachers were chosen using simple random sampling techniques by Cochran formula. The closed-ended questionnaire was used as the primary method for both principal and teacher data collection instruments. The expert-judgment methodology was used to verify the validity of the instruments and the reliability of the instruments tested using Cronbach's alpha test score. The data was analyzed by using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. The study revealed that there was no statistically significant relationship between the principals’ conceptual managerial skills with teachers ‘instructional effectiveness. The study concludes that principals’ conceptual managerial skills have no significant relationship with teachers’ instructional effectiveness. In light of the findings, recommendations for school principals, teachers, Ministry of Education and suggestions for further research were discussed