Thesis title: Principal’s Role in Teachers’Job Satisfaction in Public Secondary Schools in Bungoma South sub-county, Kenya.

Student’s Name: Clare Nasambu Wanyama

Supervisors Names:                     

1. Manasi Echaune
2. Florence Wanjala

ABSTRACT :As part of their managerial assignments, Principals are expected to play a central role in enhancing teacher job satisfaction so as to achieve the desired results.  The study sought to establish the principal’s role in teachers’ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Bungoma South Sub-County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were, to examine the relationship between the principal’s  recognition of teachers performance and  teachers’ job satisfaction  in public secondary schools in Bungoma South Sub- county, to establish the relationship between the principal’s  support of  teachers  welfare and  teachers’ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Bungoma South Sub-County and to determine the relationship between the principal’s   support for curriculum implementation and teachers’ job satisfaction  in public secondary schools in Bungoma South Sub-County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population was 969 respondents and 61 public secondary schools in Bungoma South sub-county. Simple random and stratified sampling techniques were used to draw a sample of 272 teachers and 19 principals.  Self-administered questionnaires for principals and teachers were used to collect data. Supervisors, lecturers and Experts in the Department of Educational Planning and Management at Kibabii University ascertained content validity of the research instruments. Piloting of the instruments was conducted in two schools in the   sub-county that did not participate in the actual study. Test retest was used to ascertain the reliability of study instruments. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics which included mean, t-tests, range and standard deviation and inferential statistics which included person regression coefficient. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was used for data analysis. The findings were presented in tables, figures and thematic discussions. The study revealed a positive correlation between the principal recognizing teachers’ performance and teachers’ job satisfaction. Overall, principal’s recognition of teachers’ performance accounted for 71.1% [Adjusted R²=0.711] of the variation in teacher’s job satisfaction.  Hence the principal’s recognition of teacher performance had a statistically significant effect on teachers’ job satisfaction. Principal support of teacher’s welfare had a positive relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction. Overall, principal’s support of teachers’ welfare accounted for 17.0% [Adjusted R²=0.170] of the variation in teacher’s job satisfaction, hence principal’s support of teachers welfare had statistically significant effect on teachers job satisfaction. Similarly, the findings of the study showed a positive correlation between the principal’s support for curriculum implementation and teachers’ job satisfaction. Overall, principal’s support for curriculum implementation accounted for of 25.3% [Adjusted R²=0.253] of the variation in teachers job satisfaction, hence the principal’s support for curriculum implementation had statistically significant effect on teachers job satisfaction. From the findings of the study, it was concluded that the principal’s role predicted teacher’s job satisfaction.  Based on the findings and conclusions thereof, the study recommended that principals need to play an active role in enhancing teachers job satisfaction by for example recognizing teachers’ performance, support of teachers welfare and support for curriculum implementation.