THESIS TITLE: Principals’ Leadership Styles and Students’ Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Teso North Sub-County, Kenya

STUDENT’S NAME: Atitwa Domitila

SUPERVISORS

1. Dr. Jane Barasa
2. Dr. Sarah Likoko

ABSTRACT

The principal of a school plays a very important role in shaping and maintaining the students’ discipline in the school. He/she determines the behavioral pattern of the school community. The principal influences the teachers, members of the support staff, parents and students. How teachers handle issues of students’ discipline in any given school is believed to be influenced by the principles and anticipations of the principal of the school. The purpose of the study was to investigate the principals’ leadership styles and their influence on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Teso North Sub- County. The objectives of the study were: to establish the influence of the autocratic leadership style on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Teso North Sub-County, Kenya; to determine the influence of the democratic leadership style on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Teso North Sub-County, Kenya and to determine the relationship between the laissez- faire leadership style and students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Teso North Sub-County, Kenya. This study was modeled on the path-goal theory which is based on specifying a leader’s style or behavior that best fits the employee and work environment in order to achieve a goal.The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population consisted of 31 deputy principals (administration) and 216 teachers from the 31 public secondary schools in Teso North Sub County, Kenya. Stratified random sampling technique was used for the schools. Purposive sampling technique was employed for the deputy principals (administration) while simple random sampling was used to select the teachers. The total sample size was 139 respondents comprising 16 deputy principals (administration) and 123 teachers. The data was collected using interview schedules for deputy principals (administration) and questionnaires for the class teachers. These were administered by assistant researchers. The instruments were validated by the supervisors.  Reliability of the instruments was determined via a pilot study of three schools in Teso South Sub-County. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (measures of central tendencies) and inferential statistics (t-test) and presented in frequency counts, means and percentages. Qualitative data was transcribed and coded in thematic clusters. The study showed that schools in which the principals practiced autocratic leadership styles registered a low level of discipline while those whose principals practiced democratic leadership style registered a high level of discipline. The study indicated that hardly do principals in public secondary schools in Teso North sub-County employ the laissez-faire leadership style. The study concluded that principals’ use of democratic leadership styles has the effect of significantly minimizing chances of students’ misbehaviour.  It also indicated that the exercise of Laissez faire Leadership style by the principals has a negative effect on students’ discipline. The researcher recommends that; The principals of secondary schools should be encouraged to adopt democratic style of leadership in management to minimize student indiscipline; The principals of secondary schools should avoid the use of laissez faire leadership style in management in order to cultivate positive student behaviour. The study suggests that a study focusing on other causes of student misbehaviour such as community, family backgrounds and peer influence needs to be undertaken.