INFLUENCE OF STUDENT COUNCILS’ INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNICATION ON MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KISII COUNTY

Abstract

In the recent past, there has been a large number of secondary school unrests and other forms of indiscipline not forgetting that Kisii County in Kenya also got its share. This happens despite the inclusion of student councils in secondary school management. The specific objectives of the study were to; establish the influence of student councils’ involvement in communication between students and the administration and management of public secondary schools in Kisii County. The study was anchored on functional leadership theory. The study adopted a mixedmethod design. The target population was 140948 respondents comprising of 104 principals, 2080 teachers, 1040 student leaders, 137713 students, and 11 Sub County Directors of Education. The sample size was 1066 respondents comprising of 31 Principals, 336 teachers, 289 Student leaders, 399 students, and 11 Sub-County Directors of Education. Stratified, simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select respondents. Data collection was done through the administration of questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis. Validity was established using expert judgment, while reliability was determined using Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient. Data analysis was done by using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Correlation analysis and multiple regression with the aid of SPSS V26. From the linear regression model, (R2 = .525 shows that student councils’ involvement in communication accounts for 52.5% variation in the management of public schools. The study findings depicted that there was a positive significant effect of student councils’ involvement in communication on the management of public schools (β1=0.780 and p-value <0.05). Therefore, an increase in student councils’ involvement in communication led to an increase in the quality management of public secondary schools. It was concluded that creating networks and involving student councils in school administration reduces conflicts. School administration should put in place good communication systems in schools to ensure a smooth two-way flow of information to all students’ council/(prefects,) students, teachers, and support staff. It is recommended that the sustainable communication link between the students’ council and school administration be developed.