Thesis:

The influence of principals’ ict integration strategies on academic performance in public secondary schools in Chiakariga sub-county, Tharaka Nithi county, Kenya

In contemporary society, the integration of technologies in learning institutions is one of the hotly debated topics across the globe. Many institutions of learning have embraced the utilication of ICT and institutional heads’ roles as far as their application and incorporation in instruction and administration have not been pinpointed clearly. Therefore, this research project concentrated on evaluating the influence of principals’ ICT integration strategies on school performance in Chiakariga Sub-County, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The research was grounded on four objectives, which included: To determine the influence of principals' provision of technology materials on academic performance in public secondary schools in Chiakariga sub-county Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya.To ascertain the effect of principals' advocacy for ICT integration on academic performance in public secondary schools in Chiakariga sub-county Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. To investigate how principals’ overall supervision of ICT integration on academic affect performance in public secondary schools in Chiakariga Sub-County Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. To assess the impact of principals' support on teachers ICT capacity building on academic performance in public secondary schools in Chiakariga Sub-County Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The research project is significant in the sense that findings from this study shed light to school managers about their roles, resulting in the promotion of efficiency and effectiveness in the instructional process, resulting in improved academic performance. Besides, the results can be useful to policy developers at the Ministry of Education since it will deepen their understanding of the responsibilities of school administrators in ICT incorporation and how this is likely to improve academic performance. The researcher used a mixed methodology approach and descriptive design. The target population was 2555 respondents and comprised of 9 school heads, 155 teachers, 2390 students from public secondary schools. Yamane’s Formula was utilized by the researcher to determine the sample size. The investigator used purposive sampling and simple random sampling to get the sample. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings indicate that principals have a significant role in shaping ICT infusion within schools. Availability of ICT resources, such as computers and projectors, was found to significantly enhance student engagement and personalized learning, though obstacles such as limited access to certain materials and misuse of ICT were identified. Recommendations include, but not limited to the presence of ICT materials and strengthening advocacy strategies. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies of ICT integration, comparative regional analyses, and the role of non-academic ICT use in schools.