The Effect Of Principals’ Leadership Styles On The Academic Achievement Of Students

The principal as the chief executive is responsible for the quality of the school. He/she bears the ultimate responsibility for the overall performance, proficiency and effectiveness of the school. His role is to promote high academic performance in a school. The success of what is done in the school is attributed to the principal. He or she is the pivot around which many aspects of the school revolve, being the person in charge of every detail of running the school, be it academic or administrative. Schools can make a difference to student achievement and the headteachers leadership style is one factor determining that success. It is therefore important that the performance of a school is appraised against the performance of the person who leads it. 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of principal’s leadership style on the academic achievement of students in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations in public schools in Lurambi division, Kakamega County. The study attempted to find out the main leadership styles used, the relationship between principals personal characteristics and situational factors and leadership styles and the relationship between principal’s leadership style and students academic achievement in public secondary schools in Lurambi Division. The study used a descriptive survey design. 

The target population was 18 public secondary schools with a population of 200 teachers. Ten schools which had presented students for KCSE exams from 2008 to 2011 were sampled using stratified and purposive sampling design and thus a total of 10 principals, 40 teachers were sampled. Three types of research tools were used in the study to collect data: two self administered questionnaires and a document analysis checklist. These helped get information on background, teaching experience, situational factors, headteachers leadership style, students academic achievement and headteachers’ relations with staff. 

The validity and reliability of these instruments were pre-tested and enhanced and a co-efficient of 0.8 worked with. Data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS).The results of the data analysis were presented using frequency tables, bar graphs and percentages.