Thesis:

Influence of board of management practices on students’ Discipline in public day secondary school in Dadaab sub-county, Garissa county, Kenya

The Influence of Board of Management Practices on Students’ Discipline in Public Day Secondary Schools in Dadaab Sub-County, Garissa County, Kenya, investigates the ways in which specific Board of Management (BOM) practices impact student discipline in public day secondary schools. Given that discipline is essential for maintaining a conducive learning environment and ensuring academic success, examining the BOM's role in managing discipline is particularly significant in resource-constrained settings like Dadaab Sub-County. This study, employing a descriptive survey research design, aims to capture the prevailing practices and their effects on discipline to provide practical, evidence-based insights. The research targets six public day secondary schools, carefully chosen from a pool of twelve schools within Dadaab Sub-County to represent the region varied educational settings. This selection enhances the study generalizability to similar contexts, allowing for findings that inform broader policy and practice improvements across schools in similar settings. Key stakeholders, such as principals, BOM chairpersons and student leaders, form the sample, yielding a total sample size of 102(50%Female) participants from an overall population of 204. By employing purposive sampling, the study ensures that the perspectives of individuals directly engaged in school governance and student leadership are thoroughly represented. Specifically, the study involves 12(30%Female) principals and teachers, 42(50%Female) BOM members, and 48 student leaders, each offering unique insights into the role of BOM in managing discipline within their schools. Data collection was focused on core BOM practices hypothesized to impact student discipline, including reward systems for good behavior, motivational forums to encourage positive conduct, facilitation of guidance and counseling services, and involvement in decision making processes. The findings revealed that reward systems positively impacted student behavior, but their effectiveness was hindered by inconsistent implementation and perceptions of unfairness. Motivational forums also had a substantial influence, improving student behavior and encouraging goal setting, though their impact was limited by irregular scheduling and lack of interactive elements. Guidance and counseling services played a crucial role in addressing behavioral issues, but accessibility was hindered by resource constraints. Additionally, active BoM involvement in decision-making fostered fair and predictable disciplinary environments, though student input in these decisions was insufficient. The study concluded that reward systems could be more effective with clearer and more consistent application. Motivational forums would benefit from greater frequency and interactivity, and counseling services required enhanced infrastructure and professional support. BoM's decision-making involvement contributed significantly to discipline, but student participation in governance needed to be improved to increase ownership and engagement. Based on these findings, the study recommends establishing standardized criteria for rewards, increasing the frequency and diversity of motivational forums, improving counseling resources, and enhancing student representation in decision-making processes. These steps would enhance the overall effectiveness of BoM practices in promoting positive student discipline.