Secondary Schools’ Academic Performance in Kisii Central District in Kenya at Crossroads of Decentralization and Human Resources

Abstract

The purpose of his study was to find out whether there exists a relationship between the use of decentralized principals and teachers and secondary schools’ academic performance in Kisii Central district in Kenya. To test this relationship, three variables that is, decentralized human resources management; locally availed principals, and utilization of decentralized teachers as independent variables were compared with secondary school’s academic performance variable. Survey research design and purposeful sampling were used with the help of questionnaires as a tool for data collection. The target population of the study comprised of 73 secondary schools out of which one principal and one deputy principal were selected from each school making a total of 146 respondents as accessible population in this study. The questionnaire items were based on the three said major phenomena against the academic performance of secondary schools in Kisii central district. Reliability of items was tested using Chronbach’s alpha index and was found to be .838. Collected data were analyzed using Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient analysis with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Interpretation of results were based on α (.05), 142 degree of freedom (df), probability level (p), observed r-values and r-critical. Results from the r-tests were presented using tables. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship among decentralized human resources management; locally availed principals; and utilization of decentralized teachers and performance of secondary schools in Kisii central district. Out of this study, recommendations were made to the National government, Kisii county government and Kisii central district secondary schools’ board of managers.