Effects of headteachers' leadership styles on motivation of secondary school teachers in Kirinyaga District

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate how the headteachers' leadership styles affect motivation of teachers in secondary schools in Kirinyaga District. This was important because teachers' transfer rate is very high which affects academic performance. Previous studies have indicated that secondary school teachers in the country have low levels of motivation. It is, however, not clear which leadership styles lead to motivation of teachers in Kenya, particularly those who work in rural areas. Data for the study was collected from 116 teachers and 30 headteachers from 30 secondary schools in Kirinyaga District. Stratified random sampling was used to

ensure that schools of all categories were represented. Data was collected using two sets of questionnaires, one for teachers and another for headteachers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. The statistics used include frequency counts, means and percentages. The results of data analysis were presented using frequency distribution tables, bar graphs and pie charts. The study established that 37.9% ofthc teachers were demotivated, 50.9% were motivated, while 11.2!}-iwl ere

motivated. This is an indication that majority (62.1%) of the secondary school teachers in Kirinyaga District were motivated. Majority (86.7%) of the headteachers practiced democratic leadership styles while only 13.3% practiced autocratic leadership styles. This shows that most of the headteachers in secondary schools in Kirinyaga District practiced democratic leadership styles. Thirty five percent of the teachers under democratic headteachers were demotivated, 54% were motivated, while 11% were highly motivated. On the other hand, 56.3% of the 16 teachers working under autocratic headteachers were demotivated, 31.3% were motivated, while only 12.5% were highly motivated. The study concludes that democratic leadership style is associated with high levels of teachers' job motivation, while autocratic leadership style is associated with low levels of teachers' job motivation.