Principals’ Transformational Leadership Practices and Quality of Education in Secondary Schools in Kiambu County

Abstract

Quality education is critical in secondary schools where learners are prepared to transit to the labour market or to pursue higher education. It has been argued that secondary school principals play an important role in the provision of quality education in schools. However, with the deteriorating academic performance standards in secondary schools in Kenya, particularly in the resource endowed counties such as Kiambu County, concerns are rising on whether the principals’ leadership practices could be the key to unlocking the provision of quality education, and hence, improved academic performance. The objective of this paper, therefore, was to investigate principals’ transformational leadership practices and their effect on the quality of education in secondary schools in the area. Descriptive survey design was used targeting 240 teachers and students who were randomly selected from 120 schools using stratified random sampling technique. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the teachers and students. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis, as well as inferential statistics. The findings revealed that the principals’ leadership practices significantly influenced quality of secondary education in Kiambu County. The study concludes that the principals tend to exhibit transformational leadership styles that was instrumental in the provision of quality education, and also shaping both teachers and students perception on quality education. The study recommends that transformational leadership practices be adopted by the schools’ leadership at all levels to increase individualized attention to the learners which translates to improved learning outcomes