Publication: The influence of head teachers’ communication practices on school management performance in public primary schools in Thika west sub-county, Kiambu county, Kenya
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2023-05
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
Communication is critical in any organizations’ operations with hitches encountered
reflecting poorly on the organization. The administrators are usually taken into account
to report to relevant stakeholders. Primary schools, like organizations, encounter
challenges mostly bordering on school management such as unhealthy staff relations, late
decision making and unclear flow of information to which the head teachers as the
schools’ administrators are usually held accountable. This study sought to assess the
influence of head teachers’ communication practices on public primary schools’
management performance specifically in Thika West Sub-county, Kiambu County,
Kenya. Specific objectives were; to assess the influence of communication planning,
bureaucratic communication practices, using different forms of communication and
communication feedback practices on management performance in primary schools. It
was guided by communication and school management theories applying a concurrent
triangulation model with descriptive survey designs. The target population totaled 1446
respondents comprising of 36 head teachers, 744 teachers, 180 support staff and 486
members of the school Board of Management (BOM) where a sample of 300 respondents
was selected using Central Limit Theorem. A questionnaire was used to collect data from teachers and interview guides to gather information from head teachers, support staff and
members of school BOM. To establish validity, reliability, credibility and dependability,
piloting was conducted amongst 30 respondents (10% of the study sample) from primary
schools in the neighboring Thika East Sub-county. Expert judgment was used to establish
validity whereas reliability was established using a split-half technique and a reliability
coefficient, r = 0.86, obtained using Cronbach Alpha Method indicative of high internal
reliability. Qualitative data were evaluated thematically along the objectives and
displayed in narrative forms, quantitative data were investigated descriptively using
frequencies and percentages and inferentially using Statistical Packages for Social
Science (SPSS Version 23) and presented in tabular format. Among the respondents,
majority (71%) were of the opinion that head teachers rarely practice communication
planning through identifying recipients and message content to be relayed. A fair
percentage of the teachers, 60%, maintained that head teachers usually communicate
directly to recipients; a view not shared by the MSBOM and the support staff who said
that communication from the head teachers is usually relayed through a third party. Use
of varied forms of delivery were preferred, 88.7% of the teachers rather than one form of
communication – supported by head teachers, support staff and MSBOM. Feedback in
communication is usually practiced with 79% of the teachers of the opinion that head
teachers usually adopt immediate feedback. In conclusion, the findings show that head
teachers’ communication practices influence the management performance of primary
schools. The study recommends that head teachers should ensure they design the content
of the message to be relayed and also identify the specific recipients of their information
to be communicated. They should adopt layers of communication that are efficient and
provide immediate and objective feedback; adopting forms of communication to suit
every occasion to avoid interruptions. Head teachers should adopt a feedback mechanism
that guarantees efficiency and prudence in school management.
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Keywords
Communication, performance, Board of Management, Expert judgment