Management strategies head teachers use to improve Kenya Certificate of Primary Education performance in Imenti North District - Kenya.

Abstract

This study investigated the strategies head teachers use in the management of the schools’ performance in KCPE in Imenti North District of Meru County. The objectives of the study were to find out if teacher motivation; school leadership, teaching resources and education policies are a strategy used in management of schools performance in KCPE. Performance in national examinations in Imenti North District has been poor despite the Primary School Curriculum being most effective in bringing out the uniqueness of every child, as it is expressed in each child’s personality, intelligence and potential for development. The Accessible population was teachers and head teachers from the 80 schools in the District. The respondents included head teachers and teachers. A sample size of teachers and head teachers from 24 schools was selected and it represented 30 percent of the target population. Stratified random sampling was adopted to give the appropriate and representative sample for each section. The three sections were used as strata’s for sampling. The researcher used a questionnaire to collect the data from all the respondents in the sample size. The questionnaire had structured and unstructured questions which enabled the respondents to give their open views concerning the actors required in the study. The piloted questionnaire was scrutinized to identify items that seemed unclear or ambiguous to the respondents. The researcher established the reliability of the instrument by using of Cronbach’s alpha method. The researcher then contacted the District Education Officer to be allowed to carry out the research in the district. The sampled schools were visited and the head teachers informed about the study. After the collection of data, the researcher scrutinized the instrument for completeness, accuracy and uniformity. Coding was done to classify the answer to a question into meaningful categories so as to bring out their essential pattern. Data collected by use of a questionnaire was analysed and categorized in order to simplify it for presentation. Data was analyzed and presented using frequency tables, bar graphs and pie-charts. The study found that school leadership does not influence pupil’s performance in K.C.P.E. Motivation used to improve pupil’s performance in the K.C.P.E was effective. Lack of adequate facilities in schools contributes to the low pupil’s evolvement. Primary education policies influence the pupil’s performance in K.C.P.E the study concluded on the consistence among the findings different studies is as a result of the challenges encountered in operating pupil’s performance and the environment or circumstance of the environment or circumstance of the individual cases. From the findings of the study, it is now recommended that head teachers should not be blamed for poor performance in the K.C.P.E as they have no influence on the performance individually. For the issue of motivation, it is recommended that, it is essential for pupil’s improvement in performance in the K.C.P.E or any other national examination in the District County or nation. It is recommended that learning and teaching resources should be adequate in the learning institutions to improve learner’s performances in the K.C.P.E or other national examinations. On primary education policies the government should be keen when planning education policies for some policies like F.P.E. if poorly managed can lead to poor pupil’s performance in the schools (primary) hence weaken the foundations for higher levels of education. This study recommend further study on other strategies head teachers use to improve Kenya certificate of Primary Education (K.C.P.E.) performance. A further study on the challenges faced by the head teachers in implementing management strategies they use to improve Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (K.C.P.E.) performance