Thesis:

Board of management strategies and their influence on performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Narok county, Kenya

Strategies adopted by the school Board of Management (BoM) play an important role in ensuring that students register impressive academic grades in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). However, in public secondary schools in Trans Mara East Sub-county, performance in KCSE is low. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of board of management strategies on performance in KCSE in Trans Mara East Sub-county, Narok County, Kenya. The objectives were; assessing the influence of school BOM’s teacher recruitment, motivation, supervision of curriculum implementation and provision of curriculum support materials on performance in KCSE. The study was guided by the management systems theory and academic achievement theory. The study adopted a mixed methodology and concurrent triangulation design. Target population totaled 785 respondents comprising 32 principals, 208 teachers, 544 members of school BOM and the Sub-county QASO from which a sample of 265 respondents was obtained using Yamane’s Formula. Stratified sampling was applied to create four strata based on the number of zones in Trans Mara East Sub-county. From each zone, three principals and 30 members of school BOM were sampled using purposive sampling and the SCQASO. However, from each zone, simple random sampling was applied to select 33 teachers. This sampling procedure realized a sample size of 12 principals, 120 BoM members, the SCQASO and 132 teachers. A questionnaire was applied to gather data from teachers whereas interview guides for principals, members of school BoM and SCQASO. Piloting was conducted among 27 respondents from a sample of secondary schools in Trans Mara East sub- county to test the validity, reliability, credibility and dependability. Validity was established using expert judgement. Reliability was established using test re-test method and a reliability index, r = 0.725, was obtained using Cronbach Alpha Method, which indicated high internal reliability. Credibility was ascertained by data triangulation through multiple analyses and dependability through detailed reporting of the data collection process. Data analysis began by identifying common themes. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically based on the objectives and presented in narrative forms. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferentially using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Analysis with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 23) and presented using tables. The study found that students’ performance in KCSE in Trans Mara East Sub-county has been low for the last five years (2019-2023). This has been attributed to management strategies adopted by school BoM in terms of ineffective teacher recruitment, teacher motivation, supervision of curriculum implementation and inadequate provision of curriculum support materials. Thus, the study recommends that school BoM should ensure that staff hired are qualified with relevant educational level, pre-requisite experience and have an understanding of the nature of their work. School BoM should prioritize and facilitate continuous professional development for teachers. This may include workshops, training sessions, monetary incentives and opportunities to pursue further education. School BoM should implement a robust system to monitor and evaluate students’ performance. School BoM should partner with other stakeholders such as Public Benefits Organizations and donors to ensure that public secondary schools have adequate curriculum support materials.