THESIS TITLE– Workplace Counseling Techniques and Teachers’ Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Bungoma South Sub- County, Kenya.

STUDENT’S NAME – Wandeka Elizabeth

SUPERVISORS’ NAME

Dr. Kadian Wanyonyi Wanyama

Dr. Leonita Makutsa Makila                                                               

ABSTRACT

The general trend has been that secondary schools, under guidance of the Ministry of Education and Teachers’ Service Commission, have continuously adopted a number of Human Resource Practice standards for daily routine, in order to improve student performance. Unfortunately, in the honing process, varied life mishaps impinge on teachers’ delivery, destabilising workflow intermittently and as a result, individual wellbeing is affected and consequently, delivery to the learners.  The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of workplace counselling techniques on teachers’ performance in public secondary schools in Bungoma South Sub- County. This inquiry was guided by the following research objectives: to determine the effect of directive counselling on the teachers’ performance; to examine the effect of non-directive counselling on teachers’ performance, and to evaluate the effect of group counselling on teachers’ performance in the Bungoma South Sub-County. Workplace culture was the moderating Variable. This study was anchored on the Cognitive Behavioural Theory (CBT) and Reality Theory. The study employed descriptive survey and correlation design methods.  The target population comprised of 720 teachers (390 male and 330 female) distributed in 60 public secondary schools. Thirty percent (30%) was used to obtain 18 schools randomly sampled from a total of 60 public Secondary schools. 257 teachers who were randomly sampled from the 18 sampled schools included 18 Guidance and Counseling teachers. Simple random sampling was used to obtain respondents. Questionnaires were used as the data collection instruments. Data analysis and interpretation was based on descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics using SPSS version 22. Results illustrated that there was positive statistically significant influence of directive counselling, non-directive counselling and group counselling on the teachers’ performance. When there was an introduction of workplace culture as the (moderating variable) to the association between workplace counselling techniques and teachers’ performance in Bungoma South Sub-County, the overall teachers’ performance reduced.  Nevertheless, the study concluded that when levels/degrees of directive counseling, non-directive counseling and group counseling were enhanced in schools, then this would translate to better teachers’ performance. Based on these results, therefore, it is recommended that the Government will provide the necessary resources and policy structure on the implementation and/or enhancement of the guidance and counseling programme in schools. A guidance and counseling program must be prioritized in the school schedule and school budget. Workplace counseling (directive, non-directive and group counseling techniques) will be enhanced in schools to address teaching staff who are in need of counseling. The Ministry of Education will utilize these findings for policy purposes to ensure establishment of firm and workable Guidance and counseling departments in schools.   This study will generate findings that will be significantly beneficial to Ministry of Education, Teachers’ Service Commission, administration of public secondary schools and teachers. The study will also aid in policy making and formulating of intervention measures aimed at improving counselling services, and employee support programmes, with a view to improving teacher performance in public secondary schools.