An Investigation of students involvement in enhancing public secondary school discipline in Mosocho division, Kisii central district, Kenya

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to investigate and establish the extent and areas of involving public secondary school students in enhancing public secondary school discipline in Mosocho Division in Kisii Central District. Literature review, focused on the causes of indiscipline in public secondary school, students' involvement in decision making, punishment and school discipline. Leadership and school discipline, participatory leadership in promoting school democracy and discipline were also discussed in detail. The study was descriptive in design and used Questionnaires, interviews and observation instruments to collect data from 13 principals, 32 teachers and 60 prefects. Schools in Mosocho division were involved in discipline problems which included general problems to serious problems. The causes of discipline problem were lack of seriousness on the part of the students, poor family background, peer pressure, digression, lack of guidance and counselling, poor academic performance, adolescence crisis, drug abuse, truancy and poverty. It was also revealed that students were involved in discipline matters of the schools. The study also revealed that students were not involved in decision making process. Based on the findings, it was concluded that students in Mosocho Division were actually involved in discipline problem. This calls for the need to involved students in discipline matters. It was also concluded that students should be involved in various aspects of school discipline. In the light of the research findings, it was recommended that schools should come up with clear policies on how students should be involved in the running of the school especially in matters pertaining to discipline, that there is need to empower the school prefects so that they can feel a p~rt of the school community and hence be part of the school management. Lastly that The Ministry of Education should have policies on the duties of prefects in the school which would be uniform to al1 schools. Taking the limitations and delimitations of the study, the researcher suggested that there is need to conduct a research on students involvement in curriculum and instruction. Another study to establish whether there is any relationship between student involvement in school administration and their academic performances should be conducted. This study was conducted in one administrative division. There is need to conduct a similar study in other areas.