Thesis:

Influence of principals’ professional competency on Academic performance in public secondary Schools in Kwale county, Kenya

Principals’ professional competency contributes immensely towards performance of secondary schools. However, in Kwale County, despite principals' professional development, academic performance remains below expectations. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of principals' professional competencies on academic achievement in public high schools in Kwale County, Kenya. The objectives were; to assess the influence of principals’ human resource management, financial management, ICT, instructional supervision and time management competencies on academic performance in public secondary schools. The study was guided by the professional development theory and the theory of educational productivity. This study adopted a mixed methodology and applied a descriptive survey and phenomenological research designs. The target population was 4332 respondents, including 92 principals, 1564 members of the School Board of Management (BoM), 832 teachers, 10 Sub-county Directors of Education (SCDEs), and 1834 student leaders, from whom a sample of 365 respondents was drawn using Yamane's Formula. Stratified sampling was utilized to construct five (5) distinct strata depending on the number of sub-counties in Kwale County. Purposive sampling was used to pick three principals and four (4) members of the school board of management from each sub-county. All ten SCDEs were purposefully sampled. However, simple random selection was used to pick 40 instructors and 16 student leaders from each sub-county. This technique resulted in a sample of 15 principals, 200 teachers, 60 school board members, 10 SCDEs, and 80 student leaders. A questionnaire was utilized to collect data from teachers, as were interview guidelines for principals, members of school boards of management, and SCDEs, as well as a focus group discussion guide for student leaders. A pilot study was done with 36 respondents from Kwale County Public secondary schools to assess validity, reliability, trustworthiness, and dependability. Experts in educational administration and university supervisors used their judgment to determine validity. The split-half approach was used to determine reliability, and the Cronbach Alpha Method yielded a reliability index of r = 0.725, indicating strong internal dependability. Credibility was ascertained by data triangulation through multiple analysts whereas dependability by detailed reporting of data collection process. The data analysis begins with finding similar themes. Qualitative data were evaluated thematically according to objectives and presented in narrative style. The quantitative data were examined inferentially using Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Analysis in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25) and presented in tables. The study found that academic performance in Public secondary schools in Kwale County has been poor, which is attributable to principals' professional abilities. The report suggests that the Ministry of Education (MoE) continue to train principals in human resource management. The Ministry of Education should continue to provide principals with financial management skills. Principals should continue the process of incorporating ICT into school management to improve efficiency and classroom instruction. The MoE and other stakeholders should continue providing ICT resources to schools. Principals should ensure that they provide instructional leadership by ensuring timely syllabus coverage and effective instruction. Principals should continue ensuring that time allocated for instruction and non-academic activities is well utilized.