Influence of Student Council Decision-Making Skills on the Management of Discipline in Secondary Schools in Mbeere South Sub-County, Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the influence of student council’s decision-making skills on discipline management in secondary schools in Kenya. The study adopted correlational research design. The number of the study’s target population was 848 comprising deputy principals and student council leaders from 53 public secondary schools. Stratified and purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 272 respondents. Data were collected using questionnaires, which were piloted in four secondary schools selected purposively in Mbeere North Sub-County. The study establishes that: most schools train their student council leaders to acquire decision-making skills and also involve them in the decision-making process in their schools; involving leaders of student council in the decision-making process in their schools influences discipline management; the frequency at which school administration involves the leaders of student council in the decision-making process is low; majority of the student council leaders lack decision-making skills; and the decision-making skills of the leaders of student council significantly influence discipline management. The study recommends that: The Ministry of Education (MoE) should instruct all school boards of management to allocate some portion of their annual budget for the training and welfare of student council leaders, and school administrations should develop performance appraisal system for student council leaders, which would give them an opportunity to undertake self-evaluation and identify their gaps in leadership. The findings will be significant to school principals, teachers, student council leaders and educational policy makers to formulate strategies for managing students’ discipline. The findings also provide literature on the management of students’ discipline in secondary schools in Kenya. Keywords: leadership skills, management of discipline, decision-making skills, student discipline, student council, discipline