Effect of Transactional Leadership on Students’ Unrest in Public Boarding Schools in Bungoma County in Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XII, December 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Effect of Transactional Leadership on Students’ Unrest in Public Boarding Schools in Bungoma County in Kenya

Moses Wakachala, Sarah Likoko, Jane Barasa
Department of Educational Planning and Management, Kibabii University

Abstract—Incidences of student indiscipline in public learning institutions in Kenya have been rising sharply over the past decade culminating into many cases of school unrests. Consequently, loses of property and lives, insecurity and compromised quality of education have taken root in the schools raising questions as to whether Principals of the institutions undertake appropriate practices that can enhance order in leadership of public Secondary Schools under their jurisdiction. The study therefore sought to determine the influence of transactional leadership on student unrest. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 76 deputy principals, 152 teachers and 3,040 form four students in public boarding secondary schools. Multistage sampling was used in this study where schools were clustered into two categories. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 12 schools and 480 form four students from the categories. Purposive sampling was then used to select 12 deputy principals in charge of administration, 24 heads of boarding sections and teachers in charge of guidance and counselling departments in the schools. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data from the respondents. Reliability of the instruments was determined through test-retest method and a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.734 was computed, which was considered sufficient for use of the questionnaires in the actual study. Research instruments were availed to supervisors who ascertained the relevance of items hence the validity of the instruments. Data was analysed using frequencies, means and the independent samples t-test statistics were conducted to compare differences between the two independent groups of schools. The study however did not establish a significant effects of transactional leadership style on student unrest.

Keywords— Boarding Schools, Transactional Leadership, Student Unrest

1. INTRODUCTION

According to Bass (2000) transactional approach in management is based on the rewards and punishments. Rewards are given to those who achieves the target and punishment is given to those who fail to achieve the set targets. The leaders is keen on both psychological and physical behaviour through rewards and punishment. In a school situation rewards include material, financial and psychological gains. Punishment is administered through withdrawal of rewards.
Nguni, Sleegers & Denessen (2015) explored the effects and transactional leadership effects on teachers’ job satisfaction in primary school in Tanzania. They randomly sampled 700 teachers from 70 schools. The study used multiple regressions to establish the influence of transactional and transformational leadership styles on teacher job satisfaction and organizational commitment whereby the findings indicated that the leadership styles positively affected the outcome variables. Transactional leadership style was found to have no significant and weak aggregate effect on value commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour. In turn teacher job satisfaction is expected to impact positively on student achievement and behaviour. While the study focussed on teacher job satisfaction, it did not consider the effectiveness that may result due to organizational commitment in relation to student behaviour or achievement. The current study assessed transactional leadership focussing on its impact on student behaviour which may manifest through unrest.
Iyaya (2017) explored the relationship between principal leadership style and student discipline problems in secondary schools in Bungoma and Kakamega counties of Kenya where students, parents, teachers and DQASOs were sampled for the study. Responses from questionnaires and interview schedules were analysed using a correlation analysis. The study concluded that transactional leadership approaches increases discipline problems in secondary schools. The study focused on general discipline problems in schools under study, such problems may not be disruptive to the teaching and learning process and may have no cost implications. Hence this study dealt with student unrest which is more manifest in disruptive activity, arson and even loss of student lives which therefore has been of national concern.

Read More