Professional Growth Opportunities and Its Influence on Job Performance of Deputy Principals of Public Secondary Schools in Lugari Sub-County, Kenya
Abstract
This study sought to explore the influence of professional growth opportunities on the job performance of deputy principals of public secondary schools in Lugari Sub-County, Kenya. Adopting the descriptive research design, the study utilised mixed methods approach engaging both questionnaires and interview guide. The focus population for the study included 28 principals, 28 deputy principals and 420 teachers of public secondary schools within Lugari Sub- County. All the 28 principals and 28 deputy principals were purposively sampled for study whereas, 200 teachers were identified for study by simple random sampling technique. A pilot test-retest study was conducted in three public secondary schools from nearby Uasin Gishu County and a reliable Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.79 and 0.81 was obtained for the deputy principal response questionnaire and teacher response questionnaire, respectively. Supervisors and researchers from Mount Kenya University School of education were engaged to ascertain the validity of the research instruments and necessary adjustments effected on the tools before use. The questionnaires gathered quantitative data from teachers and deputy principals whilst the interview guide assembled qualitative data from the principals. The statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.0 was used for the analysis of quantitative data yielding frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviation. Qualitative data were analysed thematically based on the objectives and presented along with the quantitative data. The findings established that schools in Lugari Sub County hardly support deputy principals for in-service training, the majority of deputy principals perceived unfairness in promotion procedures and that the position of deputy principal did not adequately prepare deputy principals for principal-ship. The study recommends that deputy principals need to be supported by the school management to collaborate and improve their requisite skills to discharge their duties effectively.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Nancy Maino, Stephen Tomno Cheboi, PhD
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