Authors : Thomas Odongo Ololo; Dr. Mary Anyango Onditi; Dr. Benard Mwebi

Volume/Issue : Volume 9 - 2024, Issue 4 - April

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/58ukfdta

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/ax5pm4fc

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/IJISRT24APR2118

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Effective professional development should take cognisance of the needs of teachers, learners and school context. It has been established by research studies that divergent and overlapping policies as well as dysfunctional schooling cultures have frustrated impact of professional development of teachers on good quality learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Influence of Principals’ promotion of teachers’ professional development on learners’ academic performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E.) in Public Schools in Kisii County, Kenya The objective of this study was to: explore the influence of Principals’ promotion of professional development of teachers on learners’ academic performance in K.C.S.E.in Kisii County. This study was anchored on Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy General Systems Theory. Mixed method research design of explanatory sequential type with a prioritized quantitative approach in phase one followed by qualitative approach in phase two was applied in the study. The target population was 4,691 participants which included: 340 Principals, 1360 Heads of Departments (H.O.Ds) and 2,991 teachers. A sample of 451 respondents participated in the study. The researcher used proportionate stratified random sampling technique to select 85 schools, 114 H.O.Ds and 252 teachers. Census sampling to select national and special schools while 85 Principals of the selected schools were purposefully sampled. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Content validity, Criterion validity, Construct validity and Face validity, of the research instruments were ensured through evaluation by the University supervisors and other experts while internal consistency reliability was estimated by using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient formula which yielded alpha coefficient of over 0.7 which was considered adequate. Quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 29 while qualitative data were analysed thematically and presented using word verbatim from the respondents and integrated with the findings of phase one. Descriptive statistics were presented in tables and graphs while inferential statistics were presented in terms of Pearson’s correlation coefficients, Anova and Regression coefficients. The study found out a weak positive insignificant influence between promotion of professional development of teachers (r=.011, p≤.05; 2 tailed) and learners’ academic performance in K.C.S.E. Therefore, the null hypothesis were upheld. These results were supported by Principals’ interviews which indicated that professional development programmes are not context specific. It is hoped that the findings of this study would provide information that would form a base for corrective measures towards the unexpected low academic performance in the study locale. The study recommended that further research should be done on influence of principals’ leadership skills development on academic performance in K.C.S.E.

Keywords : Principals’ Leadership Practices, Professional Development, Academic Performance, K.C.S.E, Kenya.

References :

1. Abdulaziz, A., Noman, M., and Kaur, A. (2020). Core Leadership Practices of School Principals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Educational Management Administration and Leadership. 20(10),1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220901857
2. African Union (2016). Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025. https://au.int/sites /default/ files /documents/29958-doc-cesa_-_english-v9.pdf
3. Akpem, B., Tetteh, N., and Adom, D. (2021). Influence of teachers’ professional development on teaching and learning in public technical institutes in the Upper West Region, Ghana. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 34(12), 13-31.
4. Alfaudi, S. D. A., and Fatuma, A. M. E. (2020). The role of in-service training programs in teachers’ development. International Journal of Learning and Teaching, 6(3), 191-196.
5. Borna, C. S., Oppon-Wusu, M., Bedu-Addo, P. K. A., Dabone, K. T., Kwarteng-Nantwi, E., Churcher, K. A., Aninganigu, K., Owusu-Sekyere, F., and Kissi-Abrokwah, B. (2023). Professional development of mathematics teachers: Its impact on their classroom delivery in Ghana. East African Journal of Education Studies, 6(1), 320-337. https:// doi.org /10.37284/eajes.6.1.1152.
6. Bush, T., Maringe, F., Glover, D., Jef, P., Kabanda, C. D., and Kirenzi, J. C. (2022). School leadership in Africa: A review of empirical research. Working Paper-V V O B- Education for development.
7. Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education. (7^th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
8. Creswell, J. W., and Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (5^thed.). Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications.
9. Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M.E., Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teachers’ professional development. Palo Atto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicy institute. org /product/teacher-pro-dev
10. Devos, J.V.G., and Vanderlinde, R. (2018). Exploring the relationship between professional learning community characteristics in departments, teachers’ professional development and leadership, Pedagogische studien, (95), 34-55.
11. Didion, L., Toste, J. R., and Filderman, M. J. (2020). Teacher professional development and student reading achievement: A meta-analytic review of the effects. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 13(1), 29–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345 747.2019. 1670884
12. Fetters, M. D., Curry, L. A., and Creswell, J. W. (2013). Achieving integration in mixed methods designs principles and practices. Health Services Research, 48, 2134-2156.

13. Greatbatch, D., and Tate, S. (2018). Evidence on school leadership in an international context. Government Social Research, Department of Education, U. K. ISBN:  978-1-78105-903-6.
14. Grissom, J. A., Anna J. E., and Constance A. L. (2021). How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research. New York: The Wallace Foundation.  http://www.wallacefoundation.org/principalsynthesis.
15. Guetterman, T. C., Fetters, M. D., and Creswell, J. W. (2015). Integrating quantitative and qualitative results in health science mixed methods research through joint displays. Annals of Family Medicine, 13, 554-561.
16. Habler, B., Bennet, G., and Damani, K. (2020). Teacher Professional development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Equity and Scale. Doi:10.5281/zenodo.3924551.
17. Hallinger, P. (2011). Leadership for learning: Lessons from 40 years of empirical research. Journal of Educational Administration, 49, 125–142.
18. Hanushek, E. A. (2011). The economic value of higher teacher quality: Economics of Education Review, doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.12.006
19. Hervie, D.M, and Winful, E.C. (2018). Enhancing teachers’ performance through training and development in Ghana Education Service: A case study of Ebenezer Senior High School. Journal of Human Resource Management, 6(1), 1-8.
20. Irungu, C. M., Kagema, J. N. Gachahi, M. W. (2019). Principals’ role in promoting teachers’ professional development and learners’ performance in Secondary schools in Muranga and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 7(4), 35-45.
21. Khalid, M., Hashmi, A., Javed, Z., and Javed, I. (2021). Effects of teachers’ advance knowledge and pedagogical skills on students’ academic performance. Elementary Education Online, 20(4), 2009-201.
22. Leithwood, K. A., Harris, A., and Hopins, D. (2019). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership and Management, 1- 18 doi. 10.1080/ 13632434, 2019.1596077
23. Manchishi, P. C., Kakana, F., Simui, F., and Simui, S. R., (2020). Deconstructing quality education in public secondary schools through the lenses of teachers in Lesotho District, Zambia. International Journal of Academic Research and Development, 5(3), 103-112.
24. Manduku, J., Boiyon, E., and Cheruiyot, A. (2017). In-service teacher training programs: Implications on teachers’ effectiveness in secondary schools in Kenya. European Journal of Education Studies, 3(7), doi:10.5281/zenodo.810529.
25. Michelmore, K., and Dynarski, S. (2016). The gap within the gap: Using longitudinal data to understand income differences in student achievement, NBER Working Paper No.22474.
26. Mugarura, P., Ssempala, F., and Nachuha, S. (2022). Role of in-service teacher training as a tool for the students’ performance in selected public secondary schools in Kisoro District. International Journal of Educational Policy, Research and Review, 9(1), 1-13.
27. Mugenda, O., and Mugenda, A. (2008). Research methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Nairobi, African centre for technology studies (Acts) Press.
28. Muli, M. A., and Wamitu, S. N, (2019). Influence of team-teaching on the performance of Mathematics in public secondary schools in Makueni sub-county, Kenya. European Journal of Business and Strategic Management, 4(3), 1-22. https://www.iprjb.org
29. Murphy, J., Elliot, S., Goldring, E., Porter, A., (2007). Leadership for learning: A research-based model taxonomy of behaviours. School leadership and Management, 27(2), 179-201.
30. Olson, K. (2010). An examination of questionnaire evaluation by experts. Field methods, 22(4), 503-529.
31. Osei-Owusu, B. (2022). Impact of professional development programmes on teachers’ knowledge and academic performance of senior high school students in Ghana. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 3(2), 60-69.
32. Ozdemir, N. (2020). How to improve teachers’ instructional practices: The role of professional learning activities, classroom observation and leadership content knowledge in Turkey. Journal of school Administration. 0957-8234, doi.10.1108/JEA. 10-2019-0189
33. Phiri, N. (2020). Explaining the effectiveness of continuous professional development (CPD) the lesson study for secondary school teachers of English in Lusaka, Zambia. Multidisciplinary Journal of Languages and Social Sciences Education, 3(1), 68-97. https://www .resourcesgate .net/publication/338613314
34. Republic of Kenya (2015). Teachers Service Commission Code of Regulation for teachers, Nairobi, Kenya.
35. Republic of Kenya (2019). National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2018-2022: Kenya Vision 2030, Nairobi.
36. Republic of Kenya (2018). Teachers Service Commission Career Progression Guideline, Nairobi, Kenya.
37. Roth, S. (2019). The open theory and its enemy: Implicit moralization as epistemological obstacles for general systems theory. Systems Research and Behavioural Science, 2019(3), 1-8. Doi.10. 1002/sres.2590.
38. Sancar, R., Atal, D., and Deryakulu, D. (2021). A new framework for teachers’ professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 101(103305). https://doi.org/10.1016 /j.tate.2021.103305.
39. Sangoseni, O., Hellman, M., and Hill, C. (2012). Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess the effect of online learning on behaviours, attitudes and clinical practices of physical therapists in United States regarding evidence based practice. Journal of Allied Health Science Practice, 11, 1-12.
40. Silva, R. D., and Oliveira, J. (2020). Support for teachers in challenging situations as a factor of change: Reflections from a CPD program in Guinea- Bissau. Forum for International Research in Education, 6(2), 71-88.
41. Taherdoost, H. (2016). Validity and reliability of the research instruments. How to test the validation of a questionnaire or survey in a research. International Journal of Academic Research in Management, 5(3), 28-36.
42. Takahiro, S., and Haegele, J.A. (2017). In-service physical educators’ experiences of an online adapted Physical Education endorsement courses. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 2017(34), 162-178. Doi:10.1123/apaq.2016.0002.
43. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization- International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa- UNESCO-IIBCA (2017). Teacher support and motivation framework in Africa: Emerging patterns. UNESCO-IIBA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
44. Vanblaere, B., and Devos, G. (2017). The role of departmental leadership for professional learning communities. Educational Administration Quarterly, 54(1), pp 85-114.
45. Yonghong, C., Wang, L., Yan, B., and Tang, R. (2022). How can the professional community influence teachers work engagement? The mediating role of teacher self-efficacy. Sustainability 2022(14), 1-16.