| dc.description.abstract | The role of teachers' unions is to work closely with schools’ management to ensure good performance of their members working institutions. Several interventions including industrial actions have been done by the trade unions to put pressure on the employer to look into teachers welfare, however Embu County has consistently registered poor performance in KCSE examination. The study purpose was to find out the influence of teachers’ trade unions on management of public secondary schools in Embu County,Kenya. The study therefore investigated the role of trade unions in addressing teachers’ working conditions; examined the effect of negotiations for better terms of service; determined the trade unions influence on resolving disputes among stakeholders and found out the influence of teachers’ trade unions on teachers’ motivational strategies in public secondary schools of Embu County, Kenya. Two theories guided the study: Herzberg's two-factor –Theory of motivation and job characteristic model. The study used qualitative and quantitative approaches which were relevant to this study. Descriptive survey research designs responded to research questions such as what, where, when and how. The scope of the study was all the 205 public secondary schools targeting 2400, 205 principals, one director of education and16KNUT officials, 13 KNUT officials. 10-30% criteria was used to sample 240 teachers, 21 principals and census method on 16 officials of Kenya National Union of teachers (KNUT), 13 Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers officials (KUPPET), and one Director of Education. Schools for the study were randomly selected. Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey using questionnaires and interview schedules as the study instruments. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software while quantitative and qualitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage, means, standard deviation and standard error) and inferential statistics (simple linear regression). Simple linear regression assessed the relationships between union membership and teachers’ responses towards management of working conditions, motivation strategies, dispute resolutions, and negotiations in public secondary schhols. Using Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficient, the reliability of the instruments obtained was above 0.7. The findings revealed teachers trade unions were addressing teachers working conditions with obtained p value less than 0.05 The obtained p value of 0.000 on negotiations for better terms of service for teachers revealed that the trade unions positively influenced management of schools. Objective three a p value of less than 0.05 obtained suggests that trade unions influenced management of schools. The last objective on motivational strategies showed that teachers trade unions influenced management of school as revealed by the obtained p value of 0.000. The study recommended that Teachers’ trade unions continue enhancing teachers working conditions, put more effort into negotiating for teachers’ general welfare, and champion resolving teachers’ disputes with their employer for improved performance in their duties. In conclusion, more campaign be made to encourage teachers’ to register with their membership with trade unions to increase on bargaining power and solidarity. Further studies could be conducted to assess the role of trade unions on teachers' performance in Embu County, Kenya. | en_US |
