Role of headteacher leadership style on KCSE performance in public secondary schools in Turkana district of Kenya

Abstract

The headteachers' role is to promote academic performance. He or she is the pivot around which many aspects of the school revolve (Ramsey, 1999). Schools can make a difference to student achievement and the headteachers' leadership is one factor determining that success (Millette, 1988). It is • therefore important that the performance of a school is appraised against the performance of the person who leads it. The study sought to investigate the impact of head teacher leadership style on performance in KCSE in Turkana district of Kenya. Specific objectives of the study were: to identify headteachers' leadership styles based on Bolman and Deal's theory of leadership frame, extent of use of the leadership styles; and how it influences KCSE performance among secondary schools in Turkana District. The data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis guide. The secondary schools were stratified into high performing, average performing and low performing schools. A total 176 respondents participated in the study. The findings of the study showed that Symbolic leadership style of the school's head teachers has a negative effect on school performance in public secondary schools in Turkana. Performance in KCSE in public secondary schools in Turkana is positively correlated to the human resource leadership style employed by school headteachers and that it is the most used style in schools. There was a strong relationship between human leadership style of head teachers leadership and KCSE performance.