Influence of Teachers’ Professional Development on Performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Public Secondary Schools in Nyandarua County, Kenya

Abstract

Gaps in teacher’s professional development is a worldwide problem. Professional development covers a wide range of activities, including, conferences training courses, tertiary study, study groups and observed practices. This implies that not all professional developments take place in a course. Shallow coverage of INSET teacher professional development content is a major challenge facing in-service education programs, particularly those that use the cascade model. When teachers achieve deeper knowledge of the content of various subjects, this does not only improve their confidence in teaching but also ensures students get quality knowledge that translates to improved performance in KCSE. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of teacher professional development on academic performance of public secondary schools in Nyandarua County in Kenya. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study was anchored on Leadership Practices and Classroom Instruction Theory. Questionnaires were used to collect data from principals, teachers, and students. The study targeted all public secondary schools in Nyandarua County. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select individual respondents. The study sample was a total of 384 principals, teachers, and students, equally drawn from the 167 public secondary schools in the county. Descriptive analysis was used in conducting data analysis. This study found that there exists an association between the academic performance of a school and teachers’ professional development. Keywords: Strategic leadership, motivation, performance