Influence of Principal’s Resource Utilization Skills on Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Kisii South Sub County

Abstract

There is evidence of poor students’ academic performance in Kisii South Sub-County, which could be associated with the administrative skills of school principals. Several reports from the Ministry of Education (MOE) have indicated that principals’ administrative skills have a direct bearing on the overall effectiveness of the school because both the teacher and student perform under the leadership of the school principal. This was a mixed-method approach that depended upon concurrent triangulation design. Survey designs are normally used to systematically gather factual quantifiable information necessary for decision-making about the characteristics of populations. The target population for the study were 11,932 respondents composed of 33 head teachers, 33 deputy head teachers, 95 heads of departments, 320 assistant teachers and 11,451 students from 33 secondary schools in Kisii South Sub-County. The sample size for this study was 701 respondents comprised of 30 head teachers, 30 deputy head teachers, 78 heads of departments, 178 assistant teachers and 386 students from the 30 sampled public secondary schools in Kisii South Sub-County. The study employed Slovin’s formula. The main research instruments that were used in this study were a questionnaire and an interview schedule. Piloting was done in Kisii Central to test the reliability, validity, dependability, and credibility. Quantitative data was analysed by use of descriptive and inferential statistics employing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 23) and presented in tables and frequencies. Qualitative data was analysed in themes and presented in narrative form. From the findings, the majority of the respondents indicated that much needs to be done by principals to ensure that they manage discipline financial resources, be innovative and practical in the teaching approaches implemented and ensure that they overlook all areas with high levels of precision. Additionally, it was found that the government should also find ways to ensure they equip school heads with administrative skills by enrolling them on workshops, among other seminars