Influence of Teacher Participation in Management on Distributed Leadership Style in Secondary Schools in Uasin Ngishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Distributed leadership in schools has been highlighted as an important factor in motivating teachers. In Kenya, on the other hand, the education system allows school management to make all the important decisions with little influence from the teachers. Existing studies show that distributed leadership is still low in terms of involvement in the management of school activities. Massive teacher absenteeism, administrative tasks, significant staff turnover, a lack of dedication, poor time management, subpar performance on national exams, strikes, and property damage exacerbate the situation. Increasing teacher involvement in school decision-making is one of the most promising techniques for education reform, but empirical data on the circumstances of teachers' actual participation when given the chance is fairly scant. Therefore, against this background, this investigation looked into the influence of teacher participation in management on distributed leadership style in secondary schools in Uasin Ngishu County, Kenya. It was specific to the influence of teacher involvement in curriculum management on distributed leadership style in secondary schools in Uasin Ngishu County, Kenya, management of physical resources on distributed leadership style in secondary schools in Uasin Ngishu County, Kenya, management of students’ activities on distributed leadership style in secondary schools in Uasin Ngishu County, Kenya, management of community partnership on distributed leadership style in secondary schools in Uasin Ngishu County, Kenya and financial management on distributed leadership style in secondary schools in Uasin Ngishu County, Kenya. Given the nature of the study, a descriptive research design that was supported by the participatory leadership theory, the distributed leadership model, and the change management model as well as the shared decision-making theory as its primary theory was used. 375 teachers made up the study's population. Based on the Yamane algorithm, a representative sample of 193 respondents was chosen and identified using stratified random selection. To confirm the validity and reliability of the data gathering instrument, a pilot study was conducted. Personal interviews and questionnaires were used to collect the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the data analysis. Descriptive statistics included percentages, frequencies, and averages, while inferential statistics used a multivariate linear regression model. The study findings indicated that teachers’ involvement in: curriculum management (β = 0.212, p<.05), physical resources management (β = 0.126, p<.05), students’ activities management (β = 0.142, p<.05), community partnership management (β = 0.178, p<.05), and financial management (β = 0.132, p<.05) had a positive and significant effect on distributed leadership style. According to the study's findings, Kenya's public secondary schools' teacher participation in management is highly influenced by distributed leadership style. The study recommended that public secondary schools’ management should involve teachers in school leadership. The ministry of education should develop policies aimed at strengthening teachers’ participation in school management. Determining the influence of distributed leadership on teacher participation in school management provides valuable information that is beneficial to the government, the ministry of education, school managers, teachers, researchers and the general population. The study has highlighted the contribution of teachers’ involvement in school management. This study has provided valuable information for designing appropriate mechanisms for enhancing teacher participation in school management