LEVELS OF TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SIAYA, KISUMU AND KAJIADO COUNTIES, KENYA

Teachers’ job satisfaction is one of the fundamental factors that determine the success of any school. A satisfied teacher would most likely put in more effort towards the success of a school while a dissatisfied teacher would lazy around and students would not reap the full benefits of education. This study examined the levels of teachers’ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Siaya, Kisumu and Kjiado counties, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey paradigm. The study was guided by the Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory. The target population comprised of 379 deputy principals, 1010 heads of departments, and 2208 teachers in public secondary schools in Siaya, Kisumu and Kajiado counties, Kenya who had served for more than two years in the same school. Stratified and simple random sampling was used to sample 38 deputy principals, 101 heads of departments and 221 teachers giving a total of 360 respondents. The data for this study was collected using Teacher Job Satisfaction Survey Questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found out that most (56.7%) teachers were dissatisfied and that most (63.9%) of them would not choose teaching as a profession if they were to start over again in a new career. The study concluded that a dissatisfied teaching force is disastrous for the education sector in Kenya as this will prevent learners from reaping the full benefits of education. The study recommends that education stakeholders and policy makers should put in place appropriate mechanisms that will address the challenges around the attainment of teachers’ job satisfaction in Kenya.  Article visualizations

LEADERSHIP STYLES PRACTICED BY PRINCIPALS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SIAYA, KISUMU AND KAJIADO COUNTIES, KENYA

The leadership style practiced by a principal is one fundamental factor that determines the success of any school. A principal with appropriate leadership competencies can positively impact on the way teachers undertake their duties which in turn will determine the students’ performance. This study examined the predominant leadership style practiced by principals in public secondary schools in Siaya, Kisumu and Kjiado counties. The study adopted a descriptive survey paradigm. The study was guided by the Full Range Leadership Theory. The target population comprised of 397 principals, 379 deputy principals, 1010 heads of departments, and 2208 teachers in public secondary schools in Siaya, Kisumu and Kajiado counties, Kenya who had served for more than two years in the same school. Stratified and simple random sampling was used to sample 40 secondary school principals, 38 deputy principals, 101 heads of departments and 221 teachers giving a total of 400 respondents. The data for this study was collected using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 5X which classified, the leadership style of principals as transformational, transactional and laissez-faire. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found out that transformational leadership style was the predominant leadership style practiced by principals in Siaya, Kisumu and Kajiado counties. The study however established overlapping scores between transactional contingent reward and transformational intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. The study concluded that even though teachers perceived their principals as more transformational than transactional, one’s leadership style cannot be explicitly categorized as both styles complement each other. The study recommends that teacher development programs should provide training on leadership styles to help school leaders understand when and how apply the various leadership styles depending on the situation at hand.  Article visualizations

PERCEPTIONS OF PRINCIPALS, HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS AND TEACHERS REGARDING EFFECTIVENESS OF PRINCIPALS’ INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION IN ASSISTING TEACHERS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CURRICULUM

The purpose of this study was to examine the Perceptions of Principals, Heads of Departments and Teachers Regarding Effectiveness of Principals’ Instructional Supervision in Assisting Teachers in the Implementation of the Curriculum.This study adopted Developmental Supervision Theory by Glickman et al. Descriptive survey design which embraces both quantitative and qualitative approaches, was used. The study was carried out in public secondary schools in Nairobi and Kajiado counties in Kenya. The sample comprised of the following: 38 principals, 151 heads of departments and 289 teachers. This gave a sample size of 478 respondents. Stratified random sampling was used in selecting schools according to the following strata: boys’ public secondary schools, girls’ public secondary schools and mixed public secondary schools. Simple random sampling was used to select principals, heads of departments and teachers for the study. The instruments used to collect data were: Interview guide for principals, Questionnaire for principals, heads of departments and teachers. The validity of the content was determined by seeking expert judgment from specialists in the department of educational management, policy and curriculum studies; while the reliability of the instruments were ascertained by using Cronbach’s alpha technique. The key finding of this study was that : principals did not have adequate skills and knowledge on how to implement the curriculum.majority of principals’ either performed diligently but did not use appropriate skills or they lacked knowledge and skills on how to conduct instructional supervision. It also established that principals faced issues and challenges mainly due to lack of funds and overloaded curriculum; which also interfered with the strategies they put in place to improve instructional supervision. Based on the findings, the researcher recommends that the TSC in connection with the MoE through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and Educational Management Institute should frequently organize in-service courses, seminars and workshops to train principals of secondary schools on curriculum development. This would allow them to perform their tasks effectively, and also guarantee effective instructional supervision in curriculum implementation in public secondary schools. The education policy makers need to re-examine the contents of the policy and guide on how instructional supervision could be improved. Secondly, training of principals on instructional supervision should be introduced.  Article visualizations