Thesis:

Assessment of effectiveness of transformational leadership on Academic achievement in Secondary Schools. A case of Tigania West Constituency, Meru County

This study analyzed the effectiveness of transformational leadership on student academic achievement in Tigania west Sub County, Meru County. The objectives of the study were : to identify school leadership methods that contribute to motivation of staff, to establish whether there is a relationship between transformational leadership and academic achievement, investigate the effect of fostering participative decision making on students. The purpose of this study was to expose the existing leadership issues and relationship to performance of students. The literature review was discussed under the following themes; theoritical literature, transformative leadership, individualised considerate, gender considerate, teacher satisfaction, environment and teamwork. The research methodology for the study involved both qualitative and quantitative approach. The research design for the study was descriptive survey and the target population was 2069 with 1560 students, 210 teachers, 260 parents and 39 principals. The sample population of the study consisted of 10 selected schools out of 39 registered schools within the Tigania West Sub County. Before the data was collected piloting was done and to ensure validity of research instruments the instruments were developed under close guidance of the supervisors while reliability was ensured when the collected information produced same results and similar themes. Participants were the teachers, students and parents. Quantitative data was collected from two instruments, the Principal Leadership Questionnaire School performance survey and focus group for parents. Data analysis was done using both quantitative and qualitative approach. Data from questionnaires was analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages while qualitative data was analysed themaically. The findings of the study indicated that some principals use some aspects of transformational leadership and they apply it in their style of leadership. Some teachers also stated that the principal helps them in achieving academically rather than in achieving their own personal goals. In conclusion, the research found out that the principal needs to be educated on transformational leadership so that they can apply it fully in their style of leadership. I would like to recommend other researchers to do a research in other counties and compare academic achievement of leaders using transformational leadership and transactional leadership.