Influence of Head Teachers’ managerial skills on pupils’ academic performance in public primary schools in Kakamega East district, Kenya

Abstract

This research report is about the influence of head teachers’ managerial skills on pupils’ academic performance in primary schools. The study analyzed five managerial skills. The study establishes how technical skills of head teachers influence academic performance of pupils in Kakamega East District, asses how the human relation skills of head teachers influence academic performance of pupils in Kakamega East District, investigate how the conceptual skills of head teachers influence academic performance of pupils in Kakamega East District, establish how time management skills of head teachers influence academic performance of pupils in Kakamega East District, and examine how infrastructure management skills of head teachers influence academic performance of pupils in Kakamega East District. Academic performance was measured in terms of the school mean scores and the transition rates to secondary school. The conceptual framework illustrates the relationship between the managerial skills of the head teachers and performance of pupils in K.C.P.E.

The area of study is Kakamega East District in Kakamega County. The district has seventy-eight (78) public primary schools that presented candidates for the Kenya certificate of primary education in 2011. The research adopted a descriptive survey design. A census of the seventy- eight (78) public primary school head teachers was used with four (4) education officers and eight (8) KNUT officials at the district level. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the head teachers while an interview schedule was used to collect data from the education officers and the KNUT officials. The data collected was analysed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to make a descriptive analysis to give percentages and frequency distribution which displayed data systematically for reporting. Inferential statistics including Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Chi-Square were used to test relationships between the study variables.

The research found out that the four managerial skills if acquired and enhanced by head teachers, would greatly improve academic performance of pupils in primary schools. Head teachers who had both higher academic qualifications and higher professional qualifications had better performance in terms of pupil’s marks in K.C.P.E.

The findings of the study helped in filling the identified knowledge gap. The results are also expected to enable the government in generating policies which can lead to enhanced performance in academics in primary schools.