Influence of Head Teachers’ Adminstrative Activities on the Teachers’ Job Performance in Public Primary Schools in Bungoma East Sub- County, Kenya

Abstract

The head teacher is the main component of a school’s administration on whose ability and skills, personality and professional competence the school’s tone effectiveness and efficiency will depend. The school is as great as the head teacher is. The school becomes great not because of the magnificent buildings but because of the magnificent of the head teacher. The quality of education is the one issue that features significantly in debates concerning education. How the teacher performs under the head teacher will invariably determine the quality of education in public primary schools. This study investigated the influence of head teachers’ administrative activities on the job performance of public primary school teachers in Bungoma East Sub-County. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. It was guided by the following objectives (1) to establish the influence of school budgets in administration by head teachers on teachers’ job performance (2) to determine the extent to which delegation by head teachers influence the teachers’ job performance (3) to investigate influence of supervisory activities in administration on teachers’ job performance (4) to examine the influence of institutional communication by head teachers on teacher’s job performance. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The sample comprised of public primary schools of which: 35 head teachers and 70 classroom teachers were sampled purposively. This constituted a total of 105 respondents involved in the study. A questionnaire and interview guides were the main tools used in data collection. The instruments were refined during the pilot study. Data was coded manually and later analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using descriptive statistics mainly percentages and content analysis. The results were presented by use of frequency tables. Conclusions were made based on the findings. The results revealed that head teachers’ managerial skills influence teachers’ job satisfaction. On resources, the study established that schools where teaching and learning resources are adequate indicate high degree of job satisfaction and thus teachers appreciate supervision. The study revealed that head teachers lacked accounting basics and that delegation of duties improves quality of work of teachers by allowing them to make decisions and complete tasks in areas they have direct knowledge. It also revealed that most institutions did not have well established communication strategies. It was recommended that the head teachers should incorporate collective management approach in their teacher management scale to a greater extent. This study recommended similar studies in private schools for comparison purposes and to allow for generalization of findings on the influence of head teachers’ administrative activities on the teachers’ job performance in public primary schools in Kenya.