Effects of Principals’ Provision of Teaching and Learning Materials on Students’ Perfomance in Mathematics in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Meru County

Abstract

In the past few years, Mathematics performance among secondary school learners in Meru County has been decreasing. The current study aims to evaluate various administrative strategies used by principals and their effects on learners’ grade attainment in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Educationin Meru County. The study examines ways through which principals support mathematics teachers through trainings, seminars, workshops and how the support is translated into students’ performance. The study adopted ex post facto design to collect data and analyze the information for conclusion. The researcher analyzed KCSE data over the previous 5 years in Meru County, interviewed the principals, and designed questionnaire for Mathematics teachers. A total of 836 Mathematics teachers and 299 principals across the county were targeted.Using stratified and random sampling, only 251 Mathematics teachers and 92 principals were engaged, which accounts for only 30% of the target. The researcher used split half technique to test reliability and instrument piloting to ensure validity of the data. The study concluded that principals provided little support to Mathematics teachers to attend seminars and workshops. However, principals defended this by citing low resource budget allocations and inadequate resources to support teachers’ seminars and workshops. The findings of the current study can be used by education ministry, school administrator, teachers, and other stakeholders during the decision-making.