Abstract:
Discipline in schools is about positive behavior change in order to create conducive environment for learning.
When discipline is achieved in secondary schools, it becomes instrumental in students academic performance.
This study focused on assessment of the influence of teachers’ discipline management strategies on KCSE
performance in public secondary schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The objective of this study was to
establish the influence of school rules on KCSE performance. The county has had a trend of grade wastage from
KCPE to KCSE. The study adopted descriptive survey research design which used mixed method approach. The
study targeted 104 public secondary schools in Tharaka Nithi County, with 10 boys schools, 17 girls schools and
77 mixed schools. Stratified random, purposive sampling method and Krejcie & Morgan population sample table
was used to determine the sample size. Principals and teachers were the respondents in this study. Interview
schedule for 21 principals and 346 questionnaires for teachers were used as tools for data collection. The study
sampled 42 schools, which constituted 40% of the total population size. The researcher prepared the instruments
with expert judgment by supervisors. Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient (α) was employed in determining the
reliability of the instruments. A pilot study of 10% of the sample schools and respondents was carried out from
each of school category. Alpha index of 0.869 was obtained for the teachers’ questionnaires. The reliability of
the interview schedule was ensured by the consistency of the questions and the order in which they were
administered. The study used descriptive statistics which included frequencies, measures of central tendencies
(mean) and measures of dispersion (standard deviation). Inferential statistics Pearson r was used to test the
relationships of the hypotheses with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) in analyzing the
data. The data from the interview guide was arranged thematically, transcribed and then presented verbatim in
order to triangulate the results. The results revealed that school rules did not influence KCSE performance
positively. The findings of this study are expected to be of benefit to different stake holders, who are sensitized
with new information on alternative disciplinary strategies to be used on students’ discipline in schools, the
policy makers are assisted to come up with a new policy on use of alternative disciplinary methods in schools.
KEYWORDS: Management strategies,academic performance, secondary schools, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya
