INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL VALUES, BELIEFS AND PRACTICES ON

STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN COUNTY SCHOOLS IN KILIFI

COUNTY, KENYA

DENNIS ODHIAMBO NYAKADO

E55/CTY/PT/30616/2015

A RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF

EDUCATION IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION IN

EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

OCTOBER, 2019

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 DECLARATION

I declare that this research project is my original work and has not been presented in any other

university/institution for consideration of any certification. This research project has been

complemented by referenced sources duly acknowledged. Where text, data (including spoken

words), graphics, pictures or tables have been borrowed from other sources, including the

internet, these are specifically accredited and references cited using current APA system and by

anti-plagiarism regulations.

Signature Date: 2nd September 2019

NYAKADO DENNIS ODHIAMBO

E55/CTY/PT/30616 /2016

SUPERVISORS’ DECLARATION

This research project has been submitted with my approval as University Supervisor.

Signature Date:

DR. FRANCIS KIRIMI

Department of Educational Foundation

Kenyatta University

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 DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate my work to very special people in my work. First, to my parents, Mr. &

Mrs. Erick Nyakado has been working tirelessly to support me financially and morally. Secondly

to my siblings James Kajwang, Beatrice Ajwang, Ken Kajwang, Job Nyakado and Evans

Nyakado for the financial support they have offered me during my study. Finally, I would like to

dedicate this work to my lovely wife Mrs Dorine Odoyo Odhiambo for the relentless support and

encouragement she accorded me during my study.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr Francis Kirimi who has been very

instrumental in helping me to accomplish this study. I am so grateful once again for your

resilience and time which have seen me this far. I would also take this opportunity to all my

lecturers who have seen me through my course work. They have been a source of empowerment

and vast knowledge for me.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE…. .......................................................................................................................... i

DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................ ii
DEDICATION ...........................................................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................................ iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... v
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... ix
LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... x
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ................................................................................. xi
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. xii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1

1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Background to the Study .................................................................................................. 1
1.3 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................. 8
1.3.1 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................. 8
1.3.2 Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................ 9
1.3.3 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 9
1.4 Significance of the Study................................................................................................ 10
1.5 Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................................ 11
1.5.1 Limitations of the Study ..................................................................................... 11
1.5.2 Delimitations of the Study .................................................................................. 11
1.6 Assumptions of the Study ............................................................................................... 12
1.7 Theoretical Framework of the Study .............................................................................. 13
1.7.1 Conceptual framework of the Study ................................................................... 15
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms .................................................................................... 16

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ............................................ 18

2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 18
2.2 School Value Statements and Students’ Academic Performance .................................. 18

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2.3 School Routine Practices (Norms) and Students’ Academic Performance .................... 21
2.4 Schools Beliefs and Students’ Academic Performance .................................................. 24
2.5 Participatory School Leadership and Students’ Academic Performance ....................... 26
2.6 Strategies for Promoting Positive School Culture .......................................................... 30
2.7 Summary of Gaps of Knowledge that the Study Intends to Fill..................................... 34

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ............................. 36

3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 36
3.2 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 36
3.2.1 Variables ............................................................................................................. 37
3.2.2 Study Locale ....................................................................................................... 37
3.3 Target Population ........................................................................................................... 38
3.4 Sampling techniques and sample size ............................................................................ 38
3.4.1 Sampling Techniques ......................................................................................... 38
3.4.2 Sample Size ........................................................................................................ 39
3.5 Research Instruments...................................................................................................... 40
3.5.1 Questionnaires for Teachers and Students ......................................................... 40
3.5.2 Interview Schedules for Principals ..................................................................... 40
3.6 Pre-testing/Piloting Study ............................................................................................... 41
3.6.1 Validity of the Research Instruments ................................................................. 41
3.6.2 Reliability of the Research Instruments ............................................................. 42
3.7 Data Collection Procedure .............................................................................................. 42
3.8 Data Analysis.................................................................................................................. 43
3.9 Logistical and Ethical Considerations ............................................................................ 43
3.9.1 Logistical Considerations ................................................................................... 43
3.9.2 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................ 43

CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS, INTERPRETATION AND

DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................ 45
4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 45
4.2 Instruments Return Rate ................................................................................................. 46
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4.3 Demographic Information .............................................................................................. 46
4.3.1 Gender Distribution of Principals ....................................................................... 46
4. 3.1.1 Gender Distributions of Teachers and Students .................................. 47
4.3.2 Level of Education of Principals ........................................................................ 48
4.3.2.1 Level of Education of BoM Members and Teachers ........................... 49
4.3.2.2 Grade of Students ................................................................................ 50
4.3.3 Teaching experience of Principals and Teachers ............................................... 50
4.3.3.1 Years Served as BoM Member............................................................ 51
4.4 Attendance of Training by Principal and BoM Members .............................................. 52
4.5 Schools’ Performance in KCSE for the Last Five Years ............................................... 53
4.6 School Value Statements and Students’ Performance .................................................... 54
4.7 School Routine Practices and Students’ Performance .................................................... 61
4.8 Contribution of School Beliefs on Students’ Academic Performance ........................... 66
4.9 School Leadership and Students’ Academic Performance ............................................. 72
4.10 Strategies of Promoting Positive School Culture to Improve Performance ................... 79
4.10.1 Challenges in Promoting Positive School Culture to Improve Performance ...... 83

CHAPTER FIVE ...................................................................................................................... 86

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................... 86
5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 86
5.2 Summary of the Study .................................................................................................... 86
5.2.1 The first objective was to investigate how school value statements namely vision,
mission and motto affect students’ performance ................................................ 87
5.2.2 The second objective was to examine how school routine practices which are
embedded in school curriculum, instruction and organizational characteristics
influence the students’ academic achievements. ................................................ 87
5.2.3 The third was to determine the contributions of school beliefs such as high
expectation for students’ success, believes in every students’ potential and
assessment of success and feedbacks on students' academic performance. ....... 88
5.2.4 The fourth objective was to establish contributions of participatory school
leadership in promoting positive school culture. ................................................ 88
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 5.2.5 The fifth objective was to determine the most effective strategies that could be
used to develop a strong school culture of high academic excellence in schools90
5.3 Conclusions of the Study ................................................................................................ 91
5.4 Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 92
5.4.1 Policy Recommendations ................................................................................... 92
5.4.1.1 The Ministry of Education................................................................... 92
5.4.1.2 The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) .......................................... 92
5.4.1.3 School Principals ................................................................................. 93
5.4.1.4 The Board of Management .................................................................. 94
5.4.1.5 The Parents .......................................................................................... 94
5.4.1.6 The Teachers ....................................................................................... 94
5.4.1.7 The students ......................................................................................... 95
5.4.2 Suggestions for Further Research ...................................................................... 95

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 96

APPENDICES......................................................................................................................... 103
Appendix I: Questionnaire For Teachers ........................................................................ 103
Appendix II: Questionnaire For Students ........................................................................ 109
Appendix III: Interview Guide For Principals .................................................................. 116
Appendix IV: Questionaire Or Members Of Bom ............................................................ 121
Appendix V: Work Plan ................................................................................................... 125
Appendix VI: Map Of Kilifi County ................................................................................. 126
Appendix VII: Research Authorization Etter ..................................................................... 127
Appendix VIII: Approval Letter .......................................................................................... 128
Appendix X: Nacosti Research Permit............................................................................. 129
Appendix XI: Research Permit .......................................................................................... 130

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: Influence of school culture on KCSE performance ........................................... 15

Figure 4.1: Years Served as BoM Member .......................................................................... 51
Figure 4.2: Attendance of Training by Principal and BoM Members ................................. 52
Figure 4.3 Principals’ and BoM Members’ Responses on Mission and Vision 59
Figure 4.4: Principals’ and BoM members’ Responses on Aspects of School Culture which
affects Performance in Academics .................................................................... 60
Figure 4.5: Students’ Responses on Ceremonies ................................................................. 78
Figure 4.6: Principals’ and BoM Members Response Challenges in Promoting Positive
School Culture ................................................................................................... 83

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 LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1 Sample size ........................................................................................................ 39
Table 4.1: Genders distributions of the Principals and BoM Members respectively ......... 47
Table 4.2: Gender distributions of Teachers and Students respectively ............................. 47
Table 4.3: Level of Education of Principals ....................................................................... 48
Table 4.4: Level of Education of BoM Members and Teachers ......................................... 49
Table 4.5: Grade of Students .............................................................................................. 50
Table 4.6: Teaching Experience of and Teachers ............................................................... 50
Table 4.7: Responses by the Principals on Performance .................................................... 53
Table 4.8: Responses of Students on Effects of School Value Statements of Performance in
KCSE ................................................................................................................. 55
Table 4.9: Responses of teachers on effects of values statements on students’ Academic
Performances ..................................................................................................... 57
Table 4.10: Students’ Responses on School Routine Practices ............................................ 62
Table 4.11: Responses of Teachers on Effects of School Routine Practices on Academic
Performance ....................................................................................................... 65
Table 4.12: Students Responses on Values as Expressed in School Beliefs 67
Table 4.13: Teachers responses on effects of school believes on performance 70
Table 4.14: Students responses on school leadership 72
Table 4.15: Teachers responses on school leadership and performance 75
Table 4.16: Strategies of Promoting Positive Culture to Enhance Performance 79

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 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ASAL : Arid and Semi- Arid Lands

BoM : Board of Management

CPD : Continuous Professional Development

FPE : Free Primary Education

IBM : International Business Machines

KCSE : Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education

MoEST : Ministry of Education Science and Technology

PLC : Professional Learning Communities

SDSSE: Subsidized Day Secondary School Education

SPSS : Statistical Package for Social Sciences

TMI : Total Member Involvement

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 ABSTRACT

Society is in constant change as a result of innovation in science and technology across the
world. These changes have spilt over to the education sector and other fields which demand
effective skilled labour force. The school organizations have a challenge to produce graduates
who can meet the socio-economic and political demands of the dynamic society. The schools’
ability to adjust to these changes is measured by the students’ academic output in the national
examinations. Schools have been facing the challenge of posting good academic results across
the country. Kilifi County have been posting poor results in national examinations and this
triggered the current study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of school
cultural values, beliefs and practices on students’ academic performance in county secondary
schools in Kilifi County. The objectives of this study were to; investigate how school value
statements influenced students’ academic achievement, examine how school routine practices
influence the students’ academic achievements, determine the contribution of school beliefs on
the students’ academic achievements, establish contribution of school practices in promoting the
students’ academic achievements and find out strategies that could be used to promote the
students’ academic achievements in county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya. Schein’s
Model of Organizational Culture and Edmond’s effective school theories were used to form the
theoretical frameworks of the study. This study used descriptive research design and was carried
out in county secondary schools in Kilifi County. The study targeted 31 county secondary
schools, 17 principals, 17 BoM members, 80 teachers and 3060 students. Stratified and simple
random sampling was used to sample schools, teachers and students. Krejcie and Morgan table
was used to select a sample of 10 principals, 10 BoM members, 20 teachers, and 341 students.
Interview and questionnaires were used to collect data. Two county secondary schools, two
principals, 10 teachers and 20 students from the neighbouring Tana River County were chosen
for piloting of research instruments. Validity was ensured through data triangulation and using
field test. Reliability was determined using Cronbach alpha correlation coefficient. The tools
were considered reliable if a correlation coefficient of 0.80 and above was attained. Data was
presented using charts, frequency tables, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22
programmes was used to organize data and descriptive statistics were used to analyse descriptive
data. Based on the findings of the study, it was observed that, the value statements had limited
influence on the students’ achievement contrary to the work of other scholars, school beliefs and
expectations were not often communicated to the learners and most principals did not exercise
collaborative leadership style. As a result of the study the following recommendations were
made; The findings of the study might be of significance to the Government of Kenya in that the
MoEST might use them to formulate policies at both national and county levels respectively,
these findings may be used in organizing managerial trainings to inculcate aspects of school
culture in management of educational institutions. It was also recommended that, the TSC may
periodically organize for in-service trainings for principals and teachers to keep them abreast
with the changing needs of the students in line with the continually changing global demands, the
school principals should practice a collaborative approach in decision making. The parents may
be aware of the school ethos and work collaboratively with an aim of promoting a strong positive
school culture of high academic excellence for their children. The teachers as the curriculum
implementers may play their roles effectively by ensuring they understand the school
expectations and traditions and communicating the same to the learners. The school ceremonies
should be well commemorated and heroes and heroines honoured for exemplary achievements.
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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

This chapter looked into the background of the study, statement of the problem, the

purpose of the study, objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the

study, limitations of the study, delimitations of the study, assumptions of the study,

theoretical framework, conceptual framework and operational definitions of terms.

1.2 Background to the Study

Schein, (2010) defined school culture as a communicatively, constructed, historically

based system of assumptions, values, and interpretive frameworks that guide and

constrain organizational members as they perform their organizational roles and

confront the challenges with their environment. Culture is about what people value,

either individually or collectively, whether in a school or as a community. It consists of

the deep patterns of values, beliefs, rituals, symbols and traditions that have formed

over time in the course of the school’s history. School culture contributes a lot to the

morale of the place (Peterson and Deal, 2002), the emotional content of relationships

and the tone of the school. Influence on a schools' culture like the expected behaviour,

school values, routines and traditions may be less obvious whereas others are more

obvious like the school curriculum and code of conduct (Calarco, 2014). Many social

scientists have noted that organizational culture has a major effect on the success of the

organization (Denison, 2004). This was confirmed by an examination of biographies,

speeches, and documents from giants in American business and industry which abound
1
with examples of how visionary leaders saw their role as creating an environment or

‘culture’ within their companies in which employees felt secure and dedicated, and

consequently, were motivated to put in the effort necessary to make the business a

success. Individuals such as Thomas Watson of IBM, Will Durant of General Motors,

and William Kellogg of Kellogg’s all worked obsessively to create strong cultures and

beliefs within their organizations, which they felt paid off regarding company

performance (Denison, 2004). This study therefore found it paramount to study the

place of culture in schools.

Having an education is having a key to social change (Cleckley, 2006). School’s culture

provides a better avenue for students and staff to feel empowered and realize that they

are part of the school organization. This can only be achieved by understanding the

school's culture as it remarkably inspires and influences the students' achievement. The

future of our world, our nations; communities depends in large part, on the kind of

education with which we endow our youth and children today. School culture more

often reflects on the aspects that the school community cares about, what they celebrate

and what they talk about. The former USA President George W. Bush signed into law

the No Child Left behind Act of 2001 (2002). The basic focus of this landmark

education act, which is an amendment to the original Elementary and Secondary

Education Act of 1965, was to provide a framework by which American public school

systems could accurately determine students’ competency and school effectiveness. The

focus was to reform the schools as a result of the piling pressure on the academic

achievements and school improvement. It was in this perspective that the current study

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sought to study the place of culture in schools so as to make informed decisions on how

to reform non performing schools in Kilifi County.

In a study conducted by Barnes, (2012) titled “The Influence of School Culture on

Violence in Schools of the Eastern Cape Town; South Africa” completed by 900 grade

10-12 learners shows that better school cultures lower level of violence in schools.

Education has long been recognized as the key to addressing social and

intergenerational disadvantages across the nations and the world as a whole. Education

remains the only major path to upward social mobility (Amutabi, 2003). Unprecedented

demand has been put on school improvement and students' academic achievements in

the recent past as education is the primary avenue for a socio-economic advancement of

the society at large. Kenya as a nation has since independence put strategic measures to

reform her education system. Kenya is endowed with various cultural differences, but

this has been streamlined in the national education goals for the prosperity of the nation.

These goals have continually defined the culture of the education system that the nation

has adopted since the inception of the 8-4-4 system of education. School as a social

organization provides a platform for which the youth and children can acquire

knowledge, skills and the right attitude for social change and development. Culture, on

the other hand, is described as the shared values, norms and a system of common

orientations that holds a unit together and gives it a distinct identity. According to

Schein (2004), school culture is the deeper level of basic assumptions, values, and

beliefs that become shared and taken for granted as the organization continues to be

3
successful. Empirically, it was not yet known what schools perceived as their culture

hence the rationale for this study.

Deal and Peterson (2004) defined that school cultures as a collection of practices and

traditions that have been built up over time as teachers, students, parents, and

administrators work together and deal with crises and accomplishments. Jelagat (2014)

in her study entitled Influence of School Culture on Kenya Certificate of Secondary

Education Performance of Public Schools in Makadara District, Nairobi County refers

to school culture as the kind of the underlying set of values, norms, beliefs, practices

and traditions that make up the unwritten rules of think, feel and act in an organization

that affects performance in schools. The academic achievement of students is important

in every society as it's believed that academic performance leads to a successful life in

future. Culture is crucial to every institution as it virtually affects every aspect of the

organization; this study therefore found it worthwhile to study it in schools set up.

Hoy and Dipaola (2008) outlined three aspects of organizational culture which includes

values, assumptions and norms. Value aspect of organizational culture comprise of

commitment to the school, commitment to teaching, cooperation and teamwork, trust

and group loyalty, egalitarianism, service to students and High academic achievement.

According to Schein (2010), fundamental assumptions reflect the basic questions people

face, such as the way the organizational environment is perceived, the nature of reality

and truth, the nature of human activity and the nature of human relationships.

Organizational norms include support to colleagues, open criticism, handling one’s own

4
problems, supporting students and being available to get your students for extra help.

The indicators of culture in this study were values, norms and beliefs/assumptions.

This study divulged any determination of particular culture based on assumptions,

values, and interpretive frameworks of a school on students’ academic achievements.

School cultures are very influential as they tend to shape and re-shape what people

think, do, feel and behave within the institution. School improvement and students’

academic achievements have been positively connected to positive culture (Vislocky,

2005).

During the fabrication of school culture, school leaders have some fundamental duties,

such as setting mission, vision, goals and objectives for the school. The leaders equally

derive the desired values, norms and assumptions. These takes place at the school level

guiding the members of the school community to implement goals and targets, hence

creating and sustaining a school culture based on mutual trust. The current study

therefore sought to establish if values expressed in schools’ motto, mission, vision,

goals and objectives had influence on students’ academic achievements.

The school principals in the execution of their duties strengthen these values and

standards of the schools through their statements and discourse with others. Brown

(2004), argues that a school culture that supports hard work and high achievement needs

leadership that encourages and protects the on-the-job learning, flexibility, risk-taking,

innovation and adaptation to change. Deal and Peterson (2016) argues that even though

school culture is built on the history and deep values of the school society, replacing

5
and renovating the school culture is contributed to through the basic function of the

leader. This aspect of the relationship between school culture and leadership is

associated with changing the culture in a positive or negative way. The most important

role of the school leader is to make the shared values, assumptions and norms congruent

and coherent with the school culture and attainable (Durukan, 2006). It was in this

perspective that the researcher found it worthwhile to establish school leaders’

involvement in promoting positive culture in their schools.

The society is rapidly changing as a result of innovation in science and technology

which has in turn caused changes in the education sector and other fields. Educational

organizations have to keep pace with these changes in order to achieve their main aims.

Bursalıoğlu (2015), argues that the system of education, which affects and is affected by

social-economic and political systems, fulfils the function of ensuring the continuance

of a nation socially, economically and culturally through educational organizations, and

that schools have a special position obliged to ensure the socialization of children,

transfer the culture of society to them, enable the generation which it cultivates to

accommodate to the political structure of the society, bring to light the young people

who have leadership abilities, and cultivate qualified work force. Values expressed in

school culture should therefore not be taken for granted, hence the rationale of this

study.

In Kenya, Schools are termed as performing or non-performing depending on the

schools’ mean scores in National Examinations, whereby C+ and above which is a

6
mean score of 7.0 is a good performance. Kenya National Council of Examinations

report (2018) revealed that Kilifi County is among the counties which have persistently

posted poor results. Moreover, Kilifi County has 51 county schools. Above 85% of

these schools have never attained a mean score above 7 and also their performance has

been varying ranging from 1.7-5.9 despite the fact that they are provided with similar

resources. According to Deal and Peterson (2011), the secret of high performance of

students in examinations found in each school is embedded in values, routine/practices,

beliefs/assumptions and participatory leadership. Further, Makewa, Role and Yegoh

(2011 p. 97) commented that focusing on the culture of a school as a learning

environment is fundamental for “components of a school culture can support or impede

learning.” More over Fullan, (2007) argued that when a school runs into survival

difficulties and begins to drop in performance, what needs to be improved about the

school is the culture. Focusing on school culture has been identified by Kytle and

Bogotch, 2000; Maslowski, (2006) as a more effective way of improving academic

performance of students than changing the structure of the way the school operates and

functions; hence the rationale of this study.

Though many social scientists have noted that organizational culture has a major effect

on the success of the organization, many scholars have emphasized on other factors

such as organizational leadership, teacher and learner characteristics and availability of

resources. This study therefore deemed it appropriate to establish the place of values

expressed in school culture on academic performance in Kilifi County, Kenya.

7
1.3 Statement of the Problem

Culture is the art and manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded either

individually or collectively, whether in a school or as a community. It consists of the

deep patterns of values, beliefs, rituals, symbols and practices that have formed over

time in the course of the school’s history. Social scientists have noted that cultural

values, beliefs and practices have major effect on the success of the organization and

that the secret of high performance of students in academics found in each school is

embedded in values expressed in routine/practices, beliefs/assumptions and

participatory leadership.

Academic performance in Kilifi County has over a long period been consistently low.

This had been a great concern for students, parents, teachers and school managers.

Despite the effort made by education stakeholders in trying to improve the academic

performance, it remains low. Scholars have argued that when a school runs into survival

difficulties and begins to drop in academic performance, what need to be improved

about the school are values contained in the culture. It was from this perspective that

this study sought to establish influence of cultural values, beliefs and practices on

academic performance in their examinations.

1.3.1 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of values expressed in the

school culture on students’ academic performance in county secondary schools in Kilifi

County.

8
1.3.2 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study were to:

1. Investigate how school value statements effect on students’ academic achievement

in county secondary schools in Kilifi County, Kenya.

2. Examine how school routine practices influence the students’ academic

achievements in the county secondary schools in Kilifi County, Kenya.

3. Determine the contribution of school beliefs on students' academic achievement in

county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya.

4. Establish contribution of participatory school leadership in promoting positive

school cultural values on students’ academic performance.

5. Find out strategies that could be used to promote positive school culture to improve

academic achievement in county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya.

1.3.3 Research Questions

The following were the specific research questions that the study sought to answer;

1. What are the roles of school value statements on students’ academic achievement in

in county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya?

2. What are the effects of school routine practices on students’ academic achievement

in county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya?

3. What are the contributions of school belief in students’ academic achievement in

Kilifi County Kenya?

4. What are the contributions of participatory school leadership in promoting positive

school cultural values in county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya?

9
5. Which strategies are put in place to promote positive school culture to improve

academic achievement in county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya?

1.4 Significance of the Study

The findings of the study might benefit Ministry of Education, universities and teacher

training colleges for it would enable them recognize place of culture in shaping school

performance. Therefore, when organizing managerial trainings, they inculcate aspects

of school culture in their trainings. The findings from the study would also enable the

ministry of education to come up with policies that would help improve students’

academic achievement in KCSE in secondary schools. It would enable the ministry to

ensure that their policies capture issues related to school cultural values.

The findings of the study might benefit school leaders by enabling them appraise their

contribution in promoting positive school culture. The principal might therefore strive

to enhance a positive school culture so as to enhance cogent teaching and improving the

better academic performance of their students.

The findings of the study might enable teachers appraise that school cultures are distinct

and therefore they would play a role in shaping and sustaining an active or healthy

culture in their schools.

Findings of the study might also enable learners to appreciate importance of school

culture and strive towards promoting strong positive culture thereby increasing

effectiveness of the school.

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1.5 Limitations and Delimitations

1.5.1 Limitations of the Study

The study faced time limitations whereby the researcher applied for three months’ study

leave from the employer to conduct the research.

Another limitation was access to the participants as the participants could only be

available during their free time that is lunch break and during games time. The

researcher sought the assistance of cooperating teachers from the sampled institutions to

assist in administering the research tools during their free time.

Another limitation was unwillingness of respondents in some schools. This limitation

was overcome by assuring respondents confidentiality of their identity.

The limitations of this research was that, the researcher was not able to control the

perception of the respondents about their schools as they responded to the

questionnaire. Personal and sensitive information of the respondents could affect the

data gathering process since some respondents would not give honest answers due to

fear of victimization. This ssensitive information was sorted through anonymity so that

identity of the person was not disclosed.

1.5.2 Delimitations of the Study

The study was delimited to investigate the influence of values expressed in the school

culture on students’ academic performance in county secondary schools in Kilifi

County.

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Study locale for this study was coast region, Kilifi County which seats on both the

urban setup and semi-arid setting and also it had posted consistently low performance in

the national examinations.

Literature related to school value statements, routine practices (norms),

beliefs/assumption and leadership were reviewed as the only aspects of school culture in

this study. The study targeted principals, Board of Management, teachers and students

to provide data on the influence of school culture on students’ academic achievement.

The study focused on County schools and therefore findings of the study might not be

generalized to other categories of schools and also other counties.

1.6 Assumptions of the Study

The assumptions of the study were that:

i. The respondents would read, understand and answer the questions honestly

without bias or preference. This was because they loved development in education

and they appreciated good performance hence they gave their views to improve

standards of education.

ii. Organization have different leaders who may use different styles of leadership and

also interactive with the students and teachers differently. Further variations in

catchment areas reflected different culture, beliefs and practices which form part

of school routines and culture.

12
iii. Every school had a distinctive culture that affected performance of students in

KCSE. This was informed by the fact that there were variations in size of school

populations and gender issues that might reflect variations in school ethos

1.7 Theoretical Framework of the Study

The study would be guided by the Schein’s Model of Organizational Culture (Schein,

2010) and Edmonds’ effective school theory (Edmond, 1979; Kirk, & Jones, (2004).

According to Schien’s model there are three interrelated Levels of Culture namely:

artefacts and creations (value statements). Creations involve tangible, physical, or

things heard in the environment of the organization (slogans). Values statements

involve sense of what ought to be, as distinct from what is Common basis for operating

together cognitive constructions and finally basic assumptions.

On the other hand, Edmond effective school theory outlines the characteristics of

effective schools. This model supports the current study because it advocates for the

role of organizational culture in realization of organizational goals. According to this

theory; norms, values and beliefs are the aspects of organizational culture.

The organizational culture theory fits well with school culture and performance since

values expressed in the school vision, mission and motto that are held by the members

of a school influence various aspects of the school life. The way people relate to each

other in a school and the traditions of a school are direct results of their values. On the

other hand, the kind of beliefs held by the people in authority will determine the kind of

13
leadership exercised in a school which will go a long way in determining the kind of

outcomes concerning performance that the school will have.

It is notable that culture is to a school while personality is to an individual. However, as

much as schools are unique and different from individuals, it is important to note that in

their uniqueness the schools' main concern is to ensure that it looks for a way of

mitigating its threats in its environment. It is equally fundamental for schools to make

the best of the opportunities available in their individual environment to bring out the

best in their students.

The effective school theory fits well with this study as it would be used to describe the

desirable features that school leadership might adopt to promote positive school culture

that would in turn promote students’ academic achievements in the national

examination in sub-county schools.

14
 1.7.1 Conceptual framework of the Study

Independent Variables Intermediate variables Dependent Variable

School value statements

 Vision
 Mission
 Motto

Instructional
School routine practices learning process

 Curriculum and instruction Socialization in

 Organizational characteristics schools

Positive School
Students’
climate
Academic
School level policies Achievement
School Beliefs/assumptions for effective
teaching
 High expectation for students’ success
 Believes in every students’ potential School leadership
 assessment of success and feedbacks and management

School facilities and

infrastructure

Participatory school Leadership

 Principals’ Leadership style,

 Parent and Community Involvement
 Student leaders’ involvement

Figure 1.1: Influence of school culture on KCSE performance

15
Values as expressed in school value statements namely vision, mission, motto; school

routine practices which includes curriculum and instruction, and organizational

characteristics; school beliefs/assumptions in high expectation for students success,

every students’ potential and assessment of success and feedbacks; and Participatory

school Leadership which is guided by Principals’ Leadership style, parent and

Community Involvement and student leaders’ involvement enables instructional

learning process, socialization in schools and Positive School climate which promote

students’ academic achievement.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Values - Refer to beliefs about what is right and wrong way for people to behave;

moral principles.

Ceremonies - Refer to complex culturally sanctioned events in which organizations

celebrate success, communicate values, and recognize the special

contributions of employees.

The school leadership - Refer to a person(s) vision for the school, focus on its

improvement and his /her ability to motivate and involve others in

decision making.

Value statement - Refer to the statements such as vision, mission and motto which in

them are inscribed the school values.

Mission statement - Refer to the statement of purpose of company, organization,

institution or person, its reason for existing. It guides the actions of the

institution, spells out its overall goal, provides a path and guides decision

making.
16
Vision statement - Refer to both the values and purpose of the organization.

Student performance -in the context of this study is used to refer to the grades posted

by students in the national Examination

School Cultures - Refer to kind of the underlying set of values, norms, beliefs and

traditions that form the unwritten rules of how to think, feel and act in an

organization that affect performance in schools.

Routines practices- Refer to a given structure or format or programs that are to be

followed by all members to ensure consistency and uniformity in

conducting school affairs.

Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development - Refer to the process of tracking

and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience gained both

formally and informally as you work preceding the initial training as a

teacher.

Sponsor - Refer to a person or institution that makes a significant contribution and

impact on the academic, financial, infrastructural and spiritual

development of an institution of basic education.

Stakeholder - Refer to a person, public or private institution or organization involved in

an education institution and with vested interests for the benefit of such

an institution.

Academic Achievement - Refer to the student's academic outcomes measured as the

overall school mean with C+ and above will be considered good, C plain

average and below C as low achievement.

17
 CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction

This chapter discussed the relevant literature on the effects of school culture on

students’ KCSE performance. The review was organized under the following: sub-

headings school values and students’ performance, school norms and students’

performance, school beliefs and students’ performance, school leadership students’

performance, strategies of promoting positive school cultures and summary of literature

review. The review was concluded with the summary of gaps of knowledge that the

study intended to fill.

2.2 School Value Statements and Students’ Academic Performance

According to Maslowski (2001), school which strives towards continuous improvement

in academic performance must have a better understanding of its culture. The culture is

inherent with the school values, believes, assumptions and norms of the school. The

culture will either block change or enhance it. Oxford Learners Dictionary 8th edition

2008 defines values as what people believe is good, right or desirable in life. Values,

therefore, can be termed as standards of desirability. School cultural values reflect what

is deemed to be important to pursue or worth striving for in school. Values are

translated into norms for behaviour. Such behavioural norms are unwritten rules

according to which others are expected to behave. According to Odongo (2013), values

espoused by the school are highly enduring, have a powerful impact on academic

performance, and shape the ways people, think, act and feel. County schools in Kilifi

18
County have been posting poor grades in KCSE and hence, the study sought to establish

influence of values on students’ academic performance.

Odongo, (2013) echoed the findings of Levine & Lezotte, (1995) in their book

“Effective Schools” which emphasized that values are significant in building strong

cultural principals. Both authors identified interpersonal relationship values such as

commitment, faculty cohesion, collaboration, consensus, communication and

collegiality as crucial features of effective school cultures. They also emphasized that

staff members have to work as a team to ensure a sense of unity and consistency in their

relation with students. School cultural values outline the aspirations of the school

organization which all the occupants adhere to. Values should be congruent with the

underlying assumptions and articulated into the philosophy of operation that can help in

bringing the group together, serving as an identity and core mission. Values are beliefs

that members of an institution may be having in defining the desirable from undesirable

behaviours. The beliefs and ideals of a school may affect students’ academic

performance in several ways. School vision was therefore, considered to be a standard

of desirability; it reflects what is conceived to be important to pursue or worth striving

for in school. There has been no study on how school vision affect academic

performance in County schools in Kilifi, hence the rationale of the current study.

A well-defined set of goals demonstrates high standards of academic achievements in a

school that forms the major component of the school values. The leadership is therefore

obliged to communicate these set goals to the members both within and without the

19
school premises. The principal should spell out clearly these goals to the students,

teachers and parents to enhance their commitments towards academic success of the

school. It is in this perspective that this study sought to determine if school leaders in

Kilifi County regularly communicated set goals their members.

Mission and vision of a school outlines what an ideal school should look like as they

give directions towards what all the participants aspire to achieve and can identify with.

This is an indication of the schools’ intended direction as it identifies the intentions

regarding the curriculum implementation processes in the school. According to Njoroge

(2008), the basis of school mission is to provide direction towards realization of

institutional goals. These value statements should be articulated to well-defined goals

which teachers and students believe in and communicated through rituals, ceremonies,

symbols and everyday behaviour and policies within the school. The vision and mission

of the school is among the first things that one is able to see as one enters the school

(Tjivikua, 2006). The current study would therefore seek to establish if County schools

in Kilifi County have mission statements and if they were well articulated to school

goals. Further, this study sought to determine if mission statement is communicated

through school rituals, ceremonies, symbols and everyday behaviour and policies within

the school and the impact they have to academic performance.

Odongo, (2013) conducted a study on influence of positive school culture on

performance at Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Public Secondary Schools

in Rongo District, Kenya. The findings of the study indicated that majority of the

20
schools had a mission statement, vision and goals. However, this was majorly attributed

to increased government requirements, need to maintain standards by the public

schools, and possibly increased competition from private schools. The study

established that majority of the principals indicated that core values are communicated.

This was an indication that the principals believe that the core value statements are

adequately communicated in their schools. On the part of teachers, only few indicated

that core value statements were being communicated by the administration and

themselves adequately. The current study therefore found it worthwhile to establish if

school motto has any influence on the learner academic performance among the county

secondary schools in Kilifi County.

A school value statement demonstrates various activities performed in the school by

each role players. These value statements can be relayed through different mediums

such as school publications, speeches, anthems, motto, policy statements and personal

actions. These value statements provide a framework for improving the quality of

learning and standards of achievements. It also provides the principals the opportunity

to routinely express what they value and what the teachers can contribute towards

building an effective culture. This study therefore sought to establish the contribution of

teachers towards building effective school cultural values.

2.3 School Routine Practices (Norms) and Students’ Academic Performance

School is a social organization that has different part working in harmony to meet the

predetermined goals and objectives. These goals and objectives are inherent with the

21
societal expectations and aspirations. Social norms are the unwritten rules, perceptions

that govern the behaviour of a given group of people. Norms are sub-divided into two,

that is, injunctive and descriptive norms. Injunctive norms illustrate what an ideal

behaviour is, that need to be adhered to or not to uphold. The ideal perceptions of how

organizational members should behave. These routine practices help the members to

determine what is acceptable or unacceptable. On the other hand, descriptive norms

outline how people behave within the society. These routine practices determine

behaviours which are typically performed by the group members. These practices may

be negative or positive depending on what the organization believes in. According to

Schwartz (2007), cultural values form the basis of social routine practices. This study

would determine which values that were actually expressed in routine practices among

County schools in Kilifi.

The systematic and programmed routines within cultures are made up of the rituals and

ceremonies of the cultures; they are significant symbols of belonging to a culture and

also a sign of power and order (Luckman, 2013). These rituals and ceremonies come at

certain times of the schools’ calendar and timetable and the schools’ cultural values and

beliefs are communicated through them. According to MacNeil, Prater & Busch (2009),

rituals bring meaning to daily actions and bring order to chaos while on the other hand,

ceremonies within organizations celebrate the culture and its memorable experiences;

they are used as symbols of milestones and serve as a reminder of the deep structure

that exists. In the absence of expressive events like ceremonies, which reflect the

humanness and celebration of the relationships and events within the school, the culture

22
will die and important values will have no impact. The current study would seek to

determine if Kilifi County schools use expressive events such as ceremonies to maintain

their culture.

Most public schools have common routines and procedures which may include things

like having the students stand or walk in lines, ringing bells to move children from one

place to another and systematically rewarding or punishing students for behaviour or

academics (Hattie, 2009) all of which play a part in defining a schools’ culture. These

ways of manipulating time and activity may be traditional and may have some

variations from one school to another in the methods of performing them the results are

the same: they relegate the staff and students to their prescribed positions and activities

by subtle and not so subtle procedures and rituals (Raywid, 2001). Core cultural values

can be reinforced through routines and ceremonies, stories that celebrate successes and

recognize heroines and heroes all of which contribute to a school culture by interacting

uniquely with students, teachers, administrators, parents, and everyone else involved

with the school in particular. This interaction is unique to each school and sets the

foundation for whether or not reform efforts will be successful (Fullan, 2001). This

study deemed it worthwhile to establish how schools in Kilifi County reinforce values

expressed in their schools.

Established school routines help create consistency and avoid confusion and chaos and

ensure that every member of the school community knows what is to be done when.

When these routines are well established it enables smooth running of the school and

23
saves on time. A Well-established school program ensure that the management can use

the time that would have been spent on supervision to attend to other pressing issues

and even go out and bench mark. Individuals become self-driven and focused as a result

of a well outlined school program. Peterson (2002) says that no community can sustain

itself without ceremony. Regardless of their background, when students enter a culture

that demands and supports quality work and moral character they tend to work to fit

into that culture. When time is set aside to celebrate, relax and reflect on the core values

and beliefs of the school members the same will be easily passed on from generation to

generation. As new members join the organization it becomes easy for them to adjust

and fit in when there are established routines. It makes them attain a sense of belonging

faster and therefore be able to settle and concentrate on the more important things, that

is academic performance. However, it was not known how well new members adjust to

school culture in Kilifi County hence the rationale of the study.

2.4 Schools Beliefs and Students’ Academic Performance

Beliefs are described as the underlying, unconscious always taken for granted

assumptions and values that are shared by members of a given organization. Schein

(2004) describe beliefs as internal knowledge structures, tacit assumptions that exist in

long-term memory and guide information processing and behaviour in various domains.

These are shared patterns of behaviour discovered, invented and developed by a group

of people as they try to cope with the external adaptation and internal integration.

Variations in schools’ culture results to the differences in their beliefs as there are no

schools which share in entirety such beliefs, since they face varied challenges in their

24
internal integration. Beliefs which have been proven to bare positive influence in the

school organization are preserved and passed to the next crop of generation for its

continuity. When educators believe in every learner’s potential to learn it results in

developing self confidence among the learner and this in turn promotes students’

achievement. Educators believe that having a strong commitment to educational

excellence for all students and a record of progress in sustaining the school’s best

features and solving its problems results to high academic achievement (US Department

of Education, 1999). However, academic achievement in Kilifi County schools has been

low. This study therefore would seek to establish if educators in Kilifi County have

strong commitment to educational excellence for all students and a record of progress.

Beliefs define what goals to pursue and what kind of behaviours to adopt. According to

(Schien, 2004) he argued that beliefs in an organization tries to outline the

organizational framework about nature of human nature, nature of human activities,

nature of time and space, nature of human relationships and nature of reality and truth

within the organization. School organizations that have beliefs which value change will

be willing to initiate reforms in order to attain success unlike institutions which do not

value change hinder any reforms as they believe that such changes may not create any

impact on the school progress as a result of the previous unsuccessful attempts to

initiate change. Since beliefs held by county schools in Kilifi County are not known, the

current study found it worthwhile to establish them.

According to Schein (2010), some beliefs include learned responses to problems of

survival in the external environment or responses to problems of internal integration.

25
The primary external issue is the school values, that is, mission, vision, motto among

others. Douglas McGregor’s theory X and Y provides belief that people do not naturally

like work and therefore should be motivated and controlled and that people are self-

motivated generally and should be challenged to like work respectively. The school

leadership have the responsibility of communicating their expectations to the employees

guided by the school goals and objectives. It was not yet known how well schools in

Kilifi County applied McGregor’s theory X and Y.

2.5 Participatory School Leadership and Students’ Academic Performance

Principals and other school leaders can and should shape school culture. They do this

through three key processes. First, they read the culture, understanding the culture's

historical source as well as analysing current norms and values. Second, they assess the

culture, determining which elements of the culture support the school's core purposes

and the mission, and which hinder achieving valued ends. Finally, they actively shape

the culture by reinforcing positive aspects and working to transform negative aspects of

the culture (Peterson & Deal, 2002). However, scholars seem to put more emphasis on

the role of school principals in school culture development. For instance, Waldron and

McLeskey, (2010) emphasized that Positive school culture can only exist within a

school if the principal understands what is a positive culture its importance in a learning

institution and actively supports the development and maintenance of such a culture.

The current study therefore sought to establish how well principals understand positive

school culture.

26
Waldron and McLeskey, (2010) in their article, Establishing a Collaborative School

Culture through Comprehensive School Reform emphasized that a principals actions

must model and support a collaborative culture in many ways, both large and small, if

such a culture is to develop and flourish. For example, a critical action a principal

engages in to support a positive culture is to model collaboration in working with other

professionals in the school. An excellent opportunity to model this collaboration occurs

when goals for school improvement are being determined. As these goals are being

addressed, a principal might present data regarding the extent to which students are

included in general education classrooms and academic outcomes for these students.

After discussing these data with teachers, the principal then empowers teachers to work

collaboratively to identify goals for increasing inclusive placements and improving

student outcomes and determine how this will be achieved (McLeskey & Waldron,

2010). By working collaboratively with the school staff to determine these goals, the

principal not only models collaboration but also empowers other school personnel to

make decisions and ensures that a large proportion of the school staff buys in to the

school improvement plan. Through these and other similar activities, principals who

successfully support positive cultures ensure that their active support for such a culture

is obvious to all. The current study sought to investigate the influence of school

principals in building positive school culture.

The school cannot flourish on the leadership of the top leader alone, but this can be

achieved by the involvement of other personnel within the organization. The task of

attending to the multiplicity of duties is quite complex for one person to handle single-

27
handedly. This argument is also supported by Harris, (2013) who asserts that students’

academic outcomes are more likely to improve where leadership sources are distributed

throughout the school community, and where teachers are empowered in areas of

importance to them. Harris, (2013) suggests that distributed leadership is relevant and

much applicable in today's society because schools now operate in complex, data-rich

environments as never before. It is further argued that distributed leadership enables

organizations to capitalize on a range of strengths, individuals to strengthen their skills,

attributes, and aids bonding. These advantages amount to an overall widening of the net

of intelligence and organizational resourcefulness which apply to schools as

organization. Given the advantages of distributed leadership, the study sought to

determine if County schools in Kilifi County distribute leadership roles.

School organization is made up of contours of expertise that need a suitable climate

provided by the school leadership to be exercised to their full potentials. When teachers,

parents, students and other stakeholders are involved in the school related activities they

improve on their commitment towards the attainment of the overall objectives of the

school and in turn influence the overall performance of the school. These performances

are reflected majorly by the students’ leaning outcomes measured by their performance

in the national examinations. Tuytens, and Devos, (2010) noted that, total amount of

leadership found in schools would be positively related to their performance and that

the leadership of principals, teachers, staff members and parents would contribute to

school performance. They noted that leadership affects school performance by shaping

the organization of work, developing solidarity among organizational members,

28
managing schools' relations with their external environments, and building members

commitment to their schools. It was in this perspective that the study found it

worthwhile to establish if low performance in County schools in Kilifi County can be

attributed to school leadership.

Participatory leadership enhances collegiality and collaboration among the school

community and this promotes effective relations and in turn results to an improved

school performance. Harris, (2003) pinpointed that; collaboration is at the heart of

distributed leadership, as it is premised upon change that is undertaken collectively. A

collegial spirit is among the factors that may make an individual want to work in one

station and be part of such a team. A group working together can achieve more than

individuals working separately. Therefore, team spirit can positively influence the

students’ performance in the national examinations and hence this study sought to

establish how well team spirit is cultivated in County schools.

Njeri, (2015) defines school climate as the feel, atmosphere, tone, ideology of a school

that affect everything that happens within a school setting. It has great influence on the

success of the teachers as well as students’ achievement. The school leadership plays a

key role in promoting positive school climate that influences the school operations.

Conducive school climate enhances job satisfaction among the employees including

teachers and promotes the learners’ achievements in their studies. The leadership style

of the school leaders is solely inherent to the school climate that results in fulfilment of

29
both task and peoples’ need yet it was not known how County school leaders create a

good school climate.

2.6 Strategies for Promoting Positive School Culture

A strategy is a blue print or an action plan that need to be executed to achieve a

desirable outcome. Several strategies of promoting school culture have been identified.

For instance, Drysdale and Gurr, (2016) identified that, one; the school leadership

should develop a collaborative vision for the school. The development of the school

vision should not be left in the hands of the principals alone, but should be conducted

collectively by involving all the stake holders which include the teaching and non-

teaching staffs, parent representatives and board members which supports the school

values. A shared vision help member to make sense of their work and enable them feel

a sense of identity for themselves within their work environment. The school vision

should be based on focus and scope. Focus is on the child while the scope is on all

operations that are geared towards the development of the child which may include

social, affective, cognitive and psycho-motor domains through academic and non-

academic programmes. The shared vision must be cascaded to all the stakeholders

within the community for them to develop a common understanding of what the school

aspires to be and develop strategies of how to accomplish the vision. The vision

developed must be inherent to the school values as aspirations and well communicated

to the members in simple language for better understanding and acceptance. Thus this

study would strive to unearth how well schools developed a collaborative vision of

schools.

30
The principal must embrace the collaborative culture among the students, teachers,

parents BOM, and other members both within and outside the school community. The

principals should work with the deputy principals and the middle managers to build a

strong senior leadership team (Notman and Henry, 2011) to provide effective

instructional leadership. A united and committed school leadership team working

together has the clout and power to make things happen (Ng, & Chan, 2014). The

decision making should be devolved to the lower managerial positions. The staffs are

encouraged to participate in the decision making processes to enhance commitment and

productivity. The school leadership should be friendly to the students and be ready to

listen to their voices. They school should provide a caring and safe environment that

would promote the students’ participation in constructive learning. This study would

seek to determine if school leadership adopted collaborative culture in developing and

nurturing a positive school culture.

The school leadership should create Professional Learning Communities (PLC) among

its staff to enhance “collective efficiency”, defined Voelkel, & Chrispeels, (2017). As

school staff’s beliefs that they can work collaboratively to bring about change. When

teachers come together and discuss their experiences they become motivated and

translate the new ideas into practice thus increased performance. Hargreaves, (2013)

noted that successful school encourages teachers in risk-taking, learning by errors and

sharing of good ideas in manner likely to promote self-efficiency and improved

learning. The school beliefs and assumptions emanate from such professional leaning

communities as a result of shared perceptions of teachers that shape the normative

31
learning environment of the school. This community promotes teachers’ collaborative

working by setting out priorities for the school improvement as the focus is on the

instructional improvement. This study would investigate if school leaders created PLC

among its staff.

According to Deal and Kennedy (2016), school leadership such as School Principals

can help in building strong school culture by first getting to know the content of their

school culture, then determine whether the culture is encouraging or undermining

educational performance and finally plan how teachers will come to grips with cultural

patterns that need to be changed. In addition, teacher professional development

programs on school culture should be developed and be offered at all levels of teacher

education and training to develop and improve their knowledge on school culture so

that they can grow in it and engineer it to improve performance of students in national

examinations.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of the staff is fundamental to academic

improvement of the learner. This has been of great importance today as challenges the

teachers face intensifies and the expectations for quality education increases. CPD helps

the teachers to increase their effectiveness as they promote students’ achievement. This

will ensure the teacher gains new skill and perspectives as they unlearn the beliefs and

practices that have dominated the work for years (Darling-Hammond, 2013). Webb,

(2012) describe staff development in terms of content, process, and context. The content

here is geared toward equipping the teacher with requisite knowledge and skills that

32
will focus on curriculum implementations processes. This will ensure the learning

outcomes are directly related to the high standards of achievement of the student. The

content here describes the ‘what’ whereas the process describes the ‘how’ which is

more directed to the methodology of carrying out the procedure and finally the context

outlines the ‘why?’ it indicates the reasons for which the CPD is to be carried out to

meet certain demands. When these three stages are well programmed the CPD will be

able to attain its core objective therein promoting the academic achievement of the

learners. This study will focus on CPD in improving learner performance.

Peterson and Deal, (2016) described school culture as the key to productivity, noting

that teachers and students are more likely to succeed in a culture that fosters hard work,

commitment to valued ends, an attention to problem solving, and a focus on learning for

all students.” The school should promote goal setting and promote an environment of

high expectation and hard work among its members. Goal oriented environment assists

the teachers and students to work hard and enhances their commitments to the academic

improvement of the school. Marphy, (2010) argues that schools with strong cultures of

learning actively work together to foster a student culture that celebrates learning and

successes. Students in such schools are encouraged to adopt an academic focus on their

learning. They view academic achievement as an individual responsibility and thus they

put in adequate effort to attain high achievements. Such students are engaged, fully

participate in their classes, and express high expectations for their own performance

(Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). These behaviours are not only manifested in an

individual behaviour but also in the way they collaborate with one another and in

33
groups. The students and teachers alike tend to focus on the practices that will drive

them towards achieving the ultimate set goals for the school. The collaborative learning

groups will enable the teachers to articulate goals which are then cascaded to the

students and the school community at large for their accomplishment. This study would

seek to establish how well schools used collaborative learning.

2.7 Summary of Gaps of Knowledge that the Study Intends to Fill

First, the studies review showed that school culture has significant contributions to

academic performance which informs this study to establish the situation in school in

Kilifi and to find documentary evidence based on empirical research since no study had

been done there before.

Secondly, reviewed studies showed that school values such as team work,

responsibility, discipline, integrity, hard work, excellence, among others possess

positive influence on the members of the school community as they are infused in the

school mission vision, motto, anthem and school rules and regulations among other

value statements. It was in this perspective that the current study sought to investigate

how school values affected students’ performance in County secondary schools KCSE

in Kilifi County, Kenya.

Thirdly, studies revealed that school norms might shape the behaviour; decision-making

and attention of the members and were considered important and might in turn

influence the performance of students. This informed the current study to examine how

34
school norms influenced the students’ academic achievements in KCSE in the County

secondary schools in Kilifi County.

Fourthly, studies have shown that beliefs are the most critical element of a school

culture as it governs and moulds the values, the leadership style, the way people think,

paradigms and approaches in a school. Beliefs can either hinder or propel the school

performance hence the current study seeks to determine the contribution of school

beliefs on students' performance in KCSE in County secondary schools Kilifi County.

Finally, review of related literature has demonstrated that principals and other school

leaders could and should shape school culture this informed the current study to

establish contribution of school leaders in promoting positive school culture.

35
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter discussed the processes that have been be undertaken to achieve the

objectives of the study by considering the research design, variables of the study,

research methodology, location of the study, target population and sample techniques

and sample size selection. Research instruments and their administration have also been

described during piloting and actual data collection. Finally, data analysis techniques

and logistical and ethical considerations that have been used were outlined.

3.2 Research Design

Descriptive survey research design was used in this study. This research design allowed

the researcher to obtain information about the status of a phenomenon as it describes

what existed. A survey is an attempt to collect data from a sample of a population in

order to establish the current status of that population with respect to one or more

variables (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003). According to Orodho (2003), descriptive

survey is appropriate when researcher intents to gather information about people’s

attitudes, beliefs, habits, perceptions or any variety of educational issues. This design

was considered appropriate for this study as it would enable the researcher establish

opinions of the respondents on the social aspects of the school and allow the use of

standardized instruments such as questionnaire and interviews which are suitable for

use in surveys and examination of existing records.

36
3.2.1 Variables

Independent variable for this study included: school value statements, school

beliefs/assumptions, school routine practices and participatory school leadership.

School value statements entails school vision, mission and motto; school routine

practices includes curriculum and instruction, and organizational characteristics; school

beliefs/assumptions in high expectation for students’ success, every students’ potential

and assessment of success and feedbacks; and Participatory School Leadership which is

guided by Principals’ Leadership style, parent and Community Involvement and student

leaders’ involvement. Intervening variables are instructional learning process,

socialization in schools and Positive School climate while dependent variable was

Students’ academic achievements.

3.2.2 Study Locale

The study was carried out among County secondary schools in Kilifi County. Kilifi is

located in the former Coast Province, 420Km from Nairobi and 60Km north of

Mombasa and covers an area of 12,609.74 square kilometres. Kilifi County shares its

boarders with four Counties from the region; Mombasa County and Kwale County to

the south, Tana River County to the north, Taita Taveta County to the west and Indian

Ocean to the east. Kilifi County was chosen because it is among the Counties which

have consistently posted low performance in the last five years in KCSE examinations,

Kenya National Council of Examinations report (2018).

37
3.3 Target Population

According to the data received from the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) and the

Ministry of Education, there are 17 County public secondary schools in Kilifi County.

The target population of this study was from County secondary schools which have

presented students for KCSE examinations for the last 5 years. Target population of 17

principals were targeted by the study. Principals were involved in the study as they act

as the fulcrum of the school leadership and oversee the entire curriculum

implementation and inculcation of a desired culture in the schools.17 BoM members

were also targeted for the study as BoM formed the fundamental unit of school

management. 80 of the target population were teachers in schools in Kilifi County.

Teachers play a key role in implementing the curriculum and cascading the

predetermined objectives among the learners. Finally, 3060 students obtained by an

average population of 45students per class will be targeted for the study as per the

guidelines of the Ministry of Education, 2018.

3.4 Sampling techniques and sample size

3.4.1 Sampling Techniques

The researcher employed of both stratified and simple random sampling techniques.

According to Orodho (2009), Stratified sampling is a method of sampling whereby

population is divided into sub-groups known as strata based on shared characteristics.

The respondents making up the sample were then selected from the stratum. There were

17 County secondary schools in Kilifi County. The BoM members and principals of

these schools were stratified randomly. A simple random sampling technique was

38
employed to select 25 teachers out of targeted sample of 80 teachers. The students were

sampled as using Krejcie and Morgan sampling technique to obtain a small sample size:

s = required sample size.

X2 = the table value of chi-square for 1 degree of freedom at the desired

confidence level (1.99)2 = (3.841).

N = the population size.

P = the population proportion -

(Assumed to be .50 since this would provide the maximum sample size).

d = the degree of accuracy expressed as a proportion (.05).

S= 341

3.4.2 Sample Size

Table 3.1 sample size

Categories Target population Sample size Percentages (%)

Principals 17 10 58.8

BOM members 17 10 58.8

Teachers 80 25 25.0

Students 3060 341 11.1

Total 3174 359 11.3

39
3.5 Research Instruments

This study employed the use of questionnaires and interview guides to collect data from

the respondents. Questionnaires were used on teachers and students while interview

guides were used for principals and BoM members. The use of this multiple data

collection tool would enhance data validation (Oluwatayo, 2012).

3.5.1 Questionnaires for Teachers and Students

Rotich, and Mutisya, (2013) defines a questionnaire is a written set of questions to

which subjects respond in writing. A questionnaire with both open ended and closed

ended questions was used for both the teachers and the students. The questionnaire had

five sections: where Section A; consisted of bio data of the respondents, Section B;

school vision and performance, Section C; school norms and performance, Section D:

school assumptions and performance and Section E; school leadership and performance.

The closed ended questions were used to measure respondents’ perception towards

school culture and was measured using a 5- point Likert scale with response options

ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Likert scales are a non-comparative

scaling technique and are one-dimensional in nature (measure only a single trait) Boone

& Boone, (2012).

3.5.2 Interview Schedules for Principals

The researcher used the interview schedules for the principals since the principals are

the leaders of the schools and they play a pivotal role in formulation and

implementation of policies to be taken on every aspect of the school. An interview

40
schedule is a very useful instrument in the collection of classified information and

according to Saunders (2011), it provides an avenue to what is in someone’s mind and it

helps measure how much an individual knows, their value and preference.

3.6 Pre-testing/Piloting Study

A pilot study was used to pre-test research instruments in order to validate and ascertain

their reliability. The piloting was conducted in two schools in the neighbouring Tana

River County that would not be involved in the actual study in which two principals, 10

teachers and 40 students were used in the pilot. This would enable the researcher test

beforehand whether the instruments and the items used would be able to yield the

required outcomes.

3.6.1 Validity of the Research Instruments

Validity is the degree to which a test measures what is supposed to measure (Caruth,

2013). The researcher used content and face related validity to test for the validity of the

instrument, which applies to how representative of the total defined domain that

instrument is, it tests whether the instrument contains adequate traits expected to

measure the domain. It was also used to determine comprehensiveness, relevance and

completeness of research instrument. Validity was ensured through data triangulation

and field tests (Esposito & Pulvirenti, 2010). In order to improve clarity, the researcher

made the instructions as clear as possible and any ambiguity was sorted after the results

of the pilot study.

41
3.6.2 Reliability of the Research Instruments

Mugenda and Mugenda (2003) define reliability as the measure of the degree to which a

research instrument yields consistent results after repeated trial. Cronbach alpha was

used to calculate reliability and if it was greater than 0.8, then the instruments would be

adopted (Mugenda, 2003).

3.7 Data Collection Procedure

The researcher sought for a research authorization letter from the university that helped

him apply for the permit from the National Council for Science and Technology and the

letter from the County office of education was obtained to authorize visit to the schools.

The researcher developed a work plan of various tasks to be done throughout the data

collection process, and budgeted to cater for research expenses. The researcher

individually paid a pre-visit to the selected schools to seek the consent of the school

administration and made an appointment with the school principal for the interview.

Once the dates were agreed upon the researcher personally collect the data by

administering the questionnaires to the teachers and students and interviewing the

principal on the same day. The questionnaires were collected soon after the interview

with the principal and BoM members so that once this was concluded the researcher

needed not go back to the school to save on time. Once the data had been collected the

researcher assembled and coded them in readiness for analysis.

42
3.8 Data Analysis

Qualitative data from both interviews and questionnaires were analysed thematically

guided by study objectives and represented in narrative form. Quantitative data from

questionnaires were organized, cleaned, coded and entered into the Statistical Package

for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22.0) programme to organize data since it has more

improved features and options of analysing and presenting data. Data was analysed

using descriptive statistics, multiple correlation and regression analysis and was

presented using frequencies, percentages, tables and charts.

3.9 Logistical and Ethical Considerations

3.9.1 Logistical Considerations

A letter of approval from the university was obtained by the researcher to carry out the

research. Suitable arrangements were made to obtain a research permit from the

National Council of Science and Technology. The researcher sought for permission

from county education office where the schools selected were located and from heads of

schools that were selected to take part of the study.

3.9.2 Ethical Considerations

An informed consent for the teachers was sought from the teachers themselves and for

under age students; informed consent was sought from the students’ parents/guardian

(Graham, Powell, Anderson, Fitzgerald, & Taylor, 2013). The researcher explained to

them clearly so as to make them understand and appreciate the facts and implications of

their involvement. The researcher exercised high level of integrity in assuring the

43
participants that the information given would be treated with utmost confidentiality by

ensuring that confidential records would be stored in a secure area with limited access

and considered stripping them of identifying information if feasible and only be used

for the purpose for which it was collected. The personal identity of the participants was

concealed and a code that is only identifiable by the researcher was used.

44
 CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS, INTERPRETATION AND

DISCUSSION

4.1 Introduction

This chapter presented the findings, interpretations and discussion of the information

obtained from the participants from the selected county schools in Kilifi County. It

begins with instrument return rate, demographic data of the respondents, followed by

the results of the first, second, third, and fourth research questions respectively. The

data collected was tabulated as per the research objectives which were to;

i. Investigate how values expressed in school value statements namely vision,

mission and motto affected students’ achievement in county secondary schools

Kilifi County, Kenya.

ii. Examine how values expressed in school routine practices which are embedded

in school curriculum, instruction and organizational characteristics influenced

the students’ academic achievements in academics in county secondary schools

Kilifi County, Kenya.

iii. Determine the contribution of values expressed in school beliefs on students'

performance in academics in county secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya.

iv. Establish contribution of values expressed in participatory school leadership in

promoting positive school culture and to find out strategies that could be used to

promote positive school culture to improve achievements in academics in county

secondary schools Kilifi County, Kenya.

45
4.2 Instruments Return Rate

Data was collected from a sample of 8 principals, 8 BoM members, 21 teachers and 300

students out of the total population of 10 principals, 10 BoM members, 25 teachers and

341 students (347 Respondents). This implies that the return rate was 88.0%.

According to Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), a response rate above 50 percentages is

satisfactory and one should proceed to data analysis. Interview schedules and

questionnaires were used to collect data from the principal, BoM members, teachers,

student leaders and students.

4.3 Demographic Information

This section presented background information on the demographic data of the

principals, BoM members, teachers and students highlighting their basic characteristics

of the target population in the study. It provided a summary concerning gender of the

respondents, their level of education, teaching experience, the number of years served

by the head teachers and teachers. Below were their responses.

4.3.1 Gender Distribution of Principals

The head teachers and the BoM members were requested to state their gender and they

gave the results as presented in Table 4.1

46
Table 4.1: Genders distributions of the Principals and BoM Members respectively
Principals’ responses BoM responses

Gender Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage

Male 6 75.0 5 62.5

Female 2 25.0 3 37.5

Total 8 100.0 8 100

The gender distribution in Table 4.1 among principals 75% was male and BoM

members 62.5% were male while 37.5% of the BoM members were female and 25% of

the principals were female. This implies that in Kilifi County more male teachers were

in the administrative positions than their female counterparts. This implied that the one

third gender rule as per the Kenyan constitution had not been attained in administrative

positions among the principals in Kilifi county. On the other hand, the government

policy on gender equality had been attained in the composition of the BoM committees

in public secondary schools in Kilifi County.

4. 3.1.1 Gender Distributions of Teachers and Students

Table 4.2: Gender distributions of Teachers and Students respectively

Teachers Responses Students’ Responses

Gender Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage

Male 12 57.1 160 53.3

Female 9 42.9 140 46.7

Total 21 100 300 100.0

47
Table 4.2 showed that the male teachers who were the respondents’ represented 57.1%

and 53.3% of the male students participated in the study. On the other hand, the gender

distribution showed that 46.7% represented the female students and 42.9% of the female

teachers participated in the study. The findings conform to the findings by MOEST

(2003) which concluded that more girls were enrolling in primary schools which was

also reflected in both secondary and tertiary education in Kenya.

4.3.2 Level of Education of Principals

Table 4.3: Level of Education of Principals

Qualification Frequency Percentage

Diploma 2 25

Degree 6 75

Masters 0 0

PhD 0 0

Total 8 100

The observation from the results obtained in Table 4.3 indicated that 75% of the

principals have degree qualifications and 25% have diploma qualifications. This

indicated that majority of the principals had prerequisite competencies necessary to

inculcate a positive culture geared towards academic excellence of learners. Table 4.3

showed that none of the principals had acquired higher level of academic qualifications

such as masters and PhD. The Teachers Service Commission should therefore

encourage its employees to acquire higher academic qualifications to add more value,

48
understand and influence the school culture. Nyambuoro (2012), found that the

principals’ leadership style correlates significantly with the student academic

achievement and that the leadership style is positively correlated to the principals’ level

of education.

4.3.2.1Level of Education of BoM Members and Teachers

Table 4.4: Level of Education of BoM Members and Teachers

BoM Members Teachers responses

Qualification Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage

Diploma 2 25.0 0 0

Degree 5 62.5 18 85.7

Masters 1 12.5 3 14.3

Total 8 100.0 21 100

The findings in Table 4.4 indicated that 85.7% of teachers had degree qualifications,

62.5 % of the BoM members had degree qualifications, 25% of BoM members had

diploma qualifications 14.3% of teachers had masters’ degree qualifications and 12.0%

of BoM members had master’s degree. This implied that all the teachers and majority of

the BoM members had at least graduate qualifications and are competent enough to

handle issues of organizational cultures and performance.

49
4.3.2.2 Grade of Students

Table 4.5: Grade of Students

Form Frequency Percentage
Two 84 27.1
Three 90 29.0
Four 136 43.9
Total 310 100.0

Table 4.5 above shows that 43.9% of the students were in form four, 29.0% were in

form three and 27.1% were in form two. The form ones were conspicuously missing

from the data as at the time of data collection the latter were barely one month old in

their various schools and could not give any meaningful information. The senior

students formed the majority of the respondents since they had taken significant time in

the school as they shaped, reshaped, developed and understood their own culture.

4.3.3 Teaching experience of Principals and Teachers

Table 4.6: Teaching Experience of and Teachers

Principals Responses Teachers responses
Years Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage
Less than 2 years 0 0 4 19.0
2-5 years 0 0 9 42.9
5-10 years 0 0 5 23.8
More than 10 years 8 100 3 14.3
Total 8 100 21 100.0

50
Table 4.6 shows that all the principals had served in the same position for more than 10

years which was enough time to develop school culture which directly affects

performance in their schools. A combined percentage of 61.9% of teachers had taught

for 5 years and below which is insufficient time to be assimilated to the school culture

well. This indicated that most teachers had not stayed in particular school long enough

to understand relevant elements that constituted their school culture. According to

Gresham (2018), teachers teaching experience was significant with the student learning

outcomes. The results also showed that 42.9% of teachers had taught for 25 years in

their current stations and 23.8% of teachers had taught for between 5-10 years, which

was relatively adequate time to familiarize with the school culture in their schools.

Sufficient number of teachers had posted 14.3% to have taught for more than10 years.

As elaborated by Harris (2013), once a culture is established, strong culture acts as a

powerful socialization of thought and programme of behaviours.

4.3.3.1 Years Served as BoM Member

Figure 4.1: Years Served as BoM Member

51
Figure 4.1 gave the distribution of years of experience of BoM members in various

schools. The findings showed that 62% of the BoM membership had served between

10-15 years, 25% of the BoM membership had served between 15-20 years and 13%

membership had served for more than 20 years. This wide range of experience was

found to be sufficient enough to develop and shape a desired culture and provided the

most admirable behaviours to sustain high academic achievements among students.

4.4 Attendance of Training by Principal and BoM Members

Figure 4.2: Attendance of Training by Principal and BoM Members

The bar graph above showed that the 62.5% of principals had actually gone for training

of culture and leadership while a similar survey on the BoM members showed that 50%

had gone for the training on culture and leadership. On the other hand, 50% of the BoM

52
members had not attended any training on culture and leadership while 37.5% of the

principals indicated that they had not gone for any training on culture and leadership.

The data above showed that most principals were well equipped with the necessary

knowledge and skills required to cultivate a desirable culture that enhances performance

in their schools. On the other hand, half of the BoM members were equally well versed

with knowledge and skills that were needed to promote good leadership and the right

attitude for better performance.

4.5 Schools’ Performance in KCSE for the Last Five Years

Table 4.7: Responses by the Principals on Performance

MEAN PERCENTAGE OF KCSE PERFORMANCE IN 5 YEARS
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
GRADES F % F % F % F % F %

B- 1 12.50
C+ 1 12.5
C 1 12.5 1 12.5

C- 1 12.5
D+ 6 75.0 4 50.0 1 12.5
D 3 37.5 5 62.5 3 37.5 3 37.5
D- 1 12.5 2 25.0 4 50.0 3 37.5

E
AVERAGE
MG D+ D+ D D D

The findings in Table 4.7 showed that there was a consistent decrease in performance in

KCSE for the last five years. The findings displayed that 75% of the students scored a

53
mean grade of D+ in 2014 and the results in the same grade deteriorated across the

years. Only 12.5% of the students had cultivated the positive culture for high academic

excellence in their schools and attained a mean grade of C+ and above. A mean grade

of C+ was set to be the average score in the national examinations, but it was clearly

evident that majority of the school had consistently attain below average performance

for the last five years. The period between 2016 -2018 showed no student attaining a

mean grade of C+ and above as the performance continued to deteriorate. Most of the

school had not yet attained the academic excellence as expected as recorded in Table

4.7 above.

4.6 School Value Statements and Students’ Performance

The first objective of this study was to establish the effects of values as expressed in

school value statements on the academic performance of the students in KCSE. To

achieve this several questions were posed to students and teachers on elements of

school value statements and the results were presented as in the Table 4.8.

54
Table 4.8: Responses of Students on Effects of School Value Statements of
Performance in KCSE
SA A U D SD
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
58 55 13 85 74
School vision affects academic performance 20.4 19.3 4.6 29.8 26.0
57 59 10 65 97
School motto affects academic performance 19.8 20.5 3.5 22.6 33.7
Mission statement affects academic 59 60 20 74 70
performance 20.8 21.2 7.1 26.1 24.7
School song/anthem affects academic 27 46 40 80 89
performance 9.6 16.3 14.2 28.4 31.6
Rules and regulations in school affect academic 109 49 9 53 65
performance 38.2 17.2 3.2 18.6 22.8
School goals affect academic performance 75 72 10 53 79
26.0 24.9 3.5 18.3 27.3
School value statements are always 48 78 22 72 62
communicated to the learners 17.0 27.7 7.8 25.5 22.0
OVERALL 62 60 18 69 68
MEANS 21.9 21.0 6.0 24.2 26.9

The findings from Table 4.8 showed that 29.8% and 26.0% of the students disagreed

and strongly disagreed respectively that school vision affected their academic

performance. Majority of the students did not subscribe to the school vision; neither

have an idea of what it entailed nor its purpose thus any influence on their performance.

A significant number of students acknowledged that school vision had positive effects

to their performance.

55
The school motto was examined and the responses showed that 56.2% of the learners

disagreed that school motto had effects on their academic performance. Most of the

students did not appreciate the importance of the school motto and its role in shaping

the academic excellence among the students. Table 4.8 showed the finding on the

school mission that 26.1% and 24.7% of the respondents disagreed and strongly

disagreed respectively that school mission had effects on the students’ performance.

This contradicted the findings by other researchers like Kiambati, (2012), Kiniaru,

(2014) which outlined that school vision, mission and motto affects academic

achievements of learners by providing a roadmap of activities which were geared

towards enhancing academic excellence if well-articulated by the stakeholders in the

school.

The findings showed that 21.9% of the students strongly agreed that the school value

statements affect the KCSE performance of the students. A mean average of 21% of the

students agreed that the school value statements affect their performances in the KCSE

while only 6% of the students acknowledged that the school value statements affect

performance neither positively nor negatively. A good number of students of 26.9%

strongly disagreed that the school value statements affect the student performance in

KCSE while a higher percentage of students of 24.2% disagreed that the school value

statements affects the students’ performance in the KCSE. This finding conversely

related to what Ahmadi (2012), stated that the school culture had a stronger impact on

both the student and the teachers. A school culture had strong influence on the life and

learning in the school which in turn affects academic performance of the learners.

56
Most students believed that school mission, vision and motto inspired them to work

hard towards achieving their academic excellence. Based on this finding, school values

had little or no significant influence on the students’ performance in the KCSE. This

finding did not resonate with the views of Jelagat, (2014) who expressed the same view.

The school value statements when shared in the school organization improve

performance.

A similar survey was carried out on teachers and the following responses were posed in

Table 4.9 below.

Table 4.9: Responses of teachers on effects of values statements on students’

Academic Performances

SA A U D SD
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
6 7 1 5 2
School vision affects academic performance 28.6 33.3 4.8 23.8 9.5
5 7 2 4 3
School motto affects academic performance 23.8 33.3 9.5 19.0 14.3
Mission statement affects academic performance 3 8 3 5 2
14.3 38.1 14.3 23.8 9.5
School song/anthem affects academic performance 2 7 2 7 2
10.0 35.0 10.0 35.0 10.0
Rules and regulations in school affect academic 8 6 3 2 2
performance 38.1 28.6 14.3 9.5 9.5
School goals affect academic performance 5 10 2 1 3
23.8 47.6 9.5 4.8 14.3
School value statements are always communicated 3 5 2 7 4
to the learners 14.3 23.8 9.5 33.3 19.0
OVERALL MEANS 4 7 2 4 3
21.8 34.3 10.3 21.3 12.3
57
The finding from Table 4.9 on teachers’ survey recorded that 23.8% agreed that the

school value statements affect the student performance in the KCSE. The results

indicated that 21.3% of the teachers disagreed that school value statements affected

students’ performance. The results indicated that 14.3% of the teachers strongly agreed

that the school value statements affect the student academic performance in the national

exams while 12.3% of the teachers strongly disagreed that school value statements

affect students’ academic performance. The results showed that 10.3% of the teacher

neither agreed nor disagreed that the school value statements affect students’

performance in KCSE. The teachers highlighted that most students did not understand

nor know the school value statements and it had therefore lead to the continuous

academic decline for the last five years. It was also notable that most teachers believed

that the school value statements had positive influence on academic performance of

students. They acknowledged that they help create positive thinking within the students

to perform better in their academics.

The principals and the BoM members were asked their knowledge of the school mission

and vision and their responses were as displayed in the Figure 4.3 below.

58
Figure 4.3 Principals’ and BoM Members’ Responses on Mission and Vision

The principals were asked whether their staff had any knowledge of the school mission

and vision, the results in the Figure 4.3 above indicated that 58% of the BoM members

had no prior knowledge of the school mission and vision, 56% of the principals agreed

that their members had a clear mastery of the schools vision and mission while 42% of

the BoM acknowledged that their staffs had sufficient knowledge of the school mission

and vision and 34% of the principals admitted that not all of the staff members had the

knowledge of the school vision and mission as by the time of the study. The school

mission and vision provides the road map of how and where we want the school to be,

therefore it is ideal for all the stakeholders to share the same ideology in order to realize

this gaol. Shared values make the entire community to feel a sense of belonging

improves the proper communication and promotes problem solving within the school

thus improving their efficiency. Consequently, when such values were not commonly

59
conceptualized among the stakeholders, there existed conflicts which results to time

wastage and ultimately decline in performance.

The findings from the principals’ and BoM members’ interview were coded and

represented as shown in Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4: Principals’ and BoM members’ Responses on Aspects of School

Culture which affects Performance in Academics

The results from Figure 4.4 show that all the four aspects of school culture namely

school values, norms, beliefs and leadership of the school greatly affects the students’

performance in the national examination. The principals as well as the BoM members

acknowledged the importance of emphasizing on these aspects in developing a positive

school culture within the school community.

60
4.7 School Routine Practices and Students’ Performance

The second objective of this study was to examine how values expressed in school

routine practices which are embedded in school curriculum, instruction and

organizational characteristics influence the students’ academic achievements in KCSE

in the county secondary schools in Kilifi County, Kenya. A set of ten questions were

presented to the students and teachers to establish how these routine practices

influenced academic achievement in schools. The mean score for all the statements

were computed and summarized using frequency tables. The specific statements were as

stated in Table 4.10 below.

61
Table 4.10: Students’ Responses on School Routine Practices

SA A U D SD
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
129 69 7 42 36
Timely syllabus coverage affects performance 45.6 24.4 2.5 14.8 12.7
Structured revision across all departments affects 77 98 9 60 33
performance 17.8 35.4 3.2 21.7 11.9
Special program for subjects where students have 96 59 9 56 60
difficulties affects performance 34.3 21.1 3.2 20.0 21.4
Systems for intervening with students who are at 62 82 14 69 50
risk of academic failure affects performance 22.4 29.6 5.1 24.9 18.1
Activities that provide students who experience
academic difficulty with additional time and 79 11 10 40 34
support for learning affects performance 28.5 41.2 3.6 14.4 12.3
There are no organized orientation program for
new students to brief them on expected behaviour 62 82 14 69 50
and classroom and school routines 22.4 29.6 5.1 24.9 18.1
In this school the additional time and support for
learning provided to students who experience
academic difficulty is developed in a systematic
way rather than being left to the discretion of a 73 85 25 53 44
teacher 26.1 30.4 8.9 18.9 15.7
There are many interruptions to classroom 56 57 7 74 84
learning 20.1 20.5 2.5 26.6 30.2
There is no school wide approach to improving 45 66 13 77 79
students’ performance. 16.1 23.6 4.6 27.5 28.2
Teachers always hold class meetings with 57 75 22 46 86
students 19.9 26.2 7.7 16.1 30.1
74 68 13 59 56
OVERALL MEAN 27.4 25.2 4.8 21.9 20.7

62
The finding of this study from Table 4.10 established that higher percentage of students

45.6% strongly agreed that early syllabus coverage helped them to perform better in

their examinations as it gave them ample time to revise effectively in preparation for the

exams. The finding also posted that 24.4% of the students agreed that early syllabus

coverage helped them improve in their academic achievements. However, the study

determined that 14.8% of the students disagreed while 12.7% of the students strongly

disagreed with the statement that early syllabus coverage influences their academic

performance. It was notable that 2.5% of the students neither agreed nor disagreed with

the statements as posed by the researcher.

Table 4.10 indicated that 35.4% of the students agreed 21.7% disagreed and 17.8%

strongly agreed that there were structured revision across all the departments in their

school and this intern helped improve academic performance. It was also evident that

11.9% strongly disagreed that such activities existed in their schools and did not affect

performance. Most students (34.3%) strongly agreed that special program for subjects

where students had difficulties affects performance. The findings also showed that

21.4% of the students disagreed with statement. On the other hand, 21.1% and 20.0%

strongly agreed and disagreed respectively that there were special programmes on

subjects where students experienced difficulties and affected academic performance.

Table 4.10 shows that a higher percentage of 41.2% of the students agreed that there are

activities that provided students who experienced academic difficulty with additional

time and support for learning affected performance. Significant number of students

strongly agreed with the statement. It was noted that a few students 14.4% and 12.3%

63
disagreed and strongly disagreed with the statement that there were activities that

provided students who experienced academic difficulty with additional time and support

for learning which affects performance.

It was worth noting that only a few schools carried out organized orientation programs

for new students to brief them on expected behaviour and classroom and school

routines. A combined percentage of 52% of the students agreed that there were no

organized orientations to brief them on the school expected behaviours and classroom

routines to new students and this had negatively impacted on the students’ performance

in examinations. The findings showed that 30.1% of the students strongly disagreed that

teachers always attended class meetings, 26.2% agreed with the statement 19.9% of the

students strongly agreed that teachers always attended class meetings with the students

while16.1% disagreed with the statement. The overall mean on the school routines

indicated that 27.4% of the students strongly agreed that these routine practices did

affect their performance, 25.2% agreed with the statements posed. On the other hand,

21.9% disagreed while 20.7% strongly disagreed that these routine practice influenced

their academic achievements. However, 4.8% of the students neither agreed nor

disagreed with the statements presented by the researcher.

64
The researcher administered similar questions to the teachers and posted the following

findings as shown in Table 4.11.

Table 4.11: Responses of Teachers on Effects of School Routine Practices on

Academic Performance

SA A U D SD
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
17 4 0 0 0
Timely syllabus coverage affects performance 81.0 19.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Structured revision across all departments affects 13 8 0 0 0
performance 61.9 38.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Special program for subjects where students have 9 6 3 3 0
difficulties affects performance 42.9 28.6 14.3 14.3 0.0
Systems for intervening with students who are at 7 6 6 2 0
risk of academic failure affects performance 33.3 28.6 28.6 9.5 0.0
Activities that provide students who experience
academic difficulty with additional time and 9 7 3 2 0
support for learning affects performance 42.9 33.3 14.3 9.5 0.0
There are no organized orientation program for new
students to brief them on expected behaviour and 9 6 2 3 1
classroom and school routines 42.9 28.6 9.5 14.3 4.8
In this school the additional time and support for
learning provided to students who experience
academic difficulty is developed in a systematic
way rather than being left to the discretion of a 5 6 2 4 4
teacher 23.8 28.6 9.5 19.0 19.0
3 8 3 6 1
There are many interruptions to classroom learning 14.3 38.1 14.3 28.6 4.8
There is no school wide approach to improving 2 4 1 10 3
students’ performance. 10.0 20.0 5.0 50.0 15.0
2 4 2 8 5
Teachers always hold class meetings with students 9.5 19.0 9.5 38.1 23.8
Overall 8 6 3 4 2
Mean 35.6 29.5 11.4 15.8 7.7

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Table 4.11 showed that all the teachers agreed that early syllabus coverage did affect

students’ performance in the national examinations with 81% of the teachers strongly

agreed while 19% agreed that timely syllabus coverage positively influenced the

students’ performance in KCSE. Table 4.11 indicated that teachers acknowledged that

structured revision a cross all departments helped the students to perform better in

examinations. The findings showed that a higher percentage 35.6% of teacher strongly

agreed with the school routine practices had positive effects on students’ academic

achievements while 29.5% of the teachers agreed that the school routine practices had

greatly influenced the students’ performance. It is also important to note that there was

a significant percentage of teachers of 15.8% who disagreed with the statements on

school routine practices while 7.7% strongly disagreed that school routine practices did

not influence students’ performance in the KCSE.

4.8 Contribution of School Beliefs on Students’ Academic Performance

The third objective of this study was to determine the contribution of values expressed

in school beliefs such as high expectation for students’ success, believes in every

students’ potential and assessment of success and feedbacks on students' performance in

KCSE in County secondary schools Kilifi County, as illustrated in Table 4.12 below.

The researcher presented the students with a set of ten questions to give their responses

on the effects of the school believes on students’ performance and the following

findings of the study were as recorded in Table 4.12.

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Table 4.12: Students Responses on Values as Expressed in School Beliefs

SA A U D DA
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
Principal communicate their expectations to the 122
teachers as guided by the goals and objectives 43.4 99 14 18 28
of the school 35.2 5.0 6.4 10.0
The principal is more concerned with the 74 38 2 41 128
academic excellence of the students 26.1 13.4 0.7 14.5 5.2
Teachers believe in commitment to educational
excellence for all students and record their 108 101 24 2810 18
progress in sustaining schools’ best features 38.7 36.2 8.6 .0 6.5
Teachers believe in students potential to learn
by problem solving thus instilling confidence 91 109 19 34 23
among the learners 33.0 39.5 6.9 12.3 8.3
Teachers always communicate the school 49 58 15 74 85
expectations to the learners 17.4 20.6 5.3 26.3 30.2
The school provides the students with
opportunities to various pathways to future 124 106 14 18 15
success 44.8 38.3 5.1 6.5 5.4
The school offers opportunities to students to
develop in areas they are gifted and encourage 101 92 15 27 41
the pursuit of needed occupations. 36.6 33.3 5.4 9.8 14.9
The school has a powerful assessment tool
which is carried out in the context of learning 45 56 25 86 64
within the classroom 16.3 20.3 9.1 31.2 23.2
The school has a community of learners which
help improve performance and close the 57 76 24 63 50
achievement gap 21.1 28.1 8.9 23.3 18.5
The school has a community of learners which
help improve performance and close the 127 76 4 28 41
achievement gap 46.0 27.5 1.4 8.1 14.9
Overall mean 90 81 16 42 51
32.1 28.9 5.7 15.0 18.3

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Table 4.12 showed that a higher percentage of 43.4% of the students strongly agreed

that principals always communicated their expectations to the learners and 35.2%

agreed with the statement. It was also clear from the findings that only 10.0% and 6.4%

of the students strongly disagreed and agreed respectively to the statement that

principals always communicated their expectations to the students. Shared expectations

makes all the stakeholders own the idea and work towards its realization hence better

outcome. Contrary to this finding the students noted that most of the principals did not

show much focus on the academic excellence of the students as 45.2 % of the students

strongly disagreed that principals were more concerned with their academic excellence,

26.1% strongly agreed, 14.5% disagreed with the statement. On the other hand, 14.4%

agreed and 0.7% are undecided whether principals were concerned with their academic

excellence or not. It was also notable that most of the teachers did not communicate the

school expectations to the learners as 56.7% of the students disagreed that teachers

communicated the school expectations to the learners, 38.0% of the students agreed that

teachers communicated school expectations to the learners 5.3% undecided.

The results in Table 4.12 showed that 39.5% and 33.0% strongly agreed and agreed

respectively that teacher believed in their potential to learn by problem solving thus

instilling confidence in them. It was worth noting that 12.3% and 8.3% of the learners

disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively with the statement that teachers believed

in their potential to learn by problem solving hence instilling confidence in the learner.

This method of learning helped the students to acquire sufficient knowledge and skills

to improve their academic performance.

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Majority of the students’ (31.2% disagreed and 23.2% strongly disagreed) responses

showed that the school had a powerful assessment tool which was carried out in the

context of learning within the classroom. The study established that 20.3% agreed and

16.3% strongly agreed that there was a powerful assessment tool which was carried out

in the context of classroom learning. Assessment, evaluation and timely feedback

motivated the learner to put more emphasis in their studies, this therefore correlated

well with the students’ academic performance. In an event that there was inadequate

assessment and untimely feedback, the learners lost their sense of commitment towards

academic excellence. The findings outlined that Kilifi county schools did not have

timely feedback on assessments and evaluations which in turn demotivated the learners

towards their academic achievements.

An overall mean of the values expressed in the school believes in Table 4.12 above

showed that 32.1% of the students strongly agreed, 28.9% of the students agreed, 18.3%

strongly disagreed 15.0% disagreed and 5.7% undecided whether school believes had

positive effects on their academic performance.

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 Table 4.13: Teachers responses on effects of school believes on performance

SA A U D SD
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
Principal communicate their expectations to the 11 8 0 1 0
teachers as guided by the goals and objectives of the 55.0 40.0 0.0 5.0 0.0
school
The principal is more concerned with the academic 9 8 3 1 0
excellence of the students 42.9 38.1 14.3
4.8 0.0
Teachers believe in commitment to educational 7 13 1 0 0
excellence for all students and record their progress 33.3 61.9 4.8 0.0 0.0
in sustaining schools’ best features
Teachers believe in students potential to learn by 11 8 2 0 0
problem solving thus instilling confidence among 52.4 38.1 9.5 0.0 0.0
the learners
Teachers always communicate the school 12 6 0 3 0
expectations to the learners 57.1 28.6 0.0 14.3 0.0
The school provides the students with opportunities 9 8 2 1 1
to various pathways to future success 42.9 38.1 9.5 4.8 4.8
The school offers opportunities to students to 8 6 4 0 3
develop in areas they are gifted and encourage the 38.1 28.6 19.0 0.0 14.3
pursuit of needed occupations.
The school has a powerful assessment tool which is 6 5 4 4 2
carried out in the context of learning within the 28.6 23.8 19.0 19.0 9.5
classroom
The school has a community of learners which help 8 8 2 2 1
improve performance and close the achievement gap 38.1 38.1 9.5
9.5 4.8
The school has a community of learners which help 4 8 5 2 2
improve performance and close the achievement gap 19.0 38.1 23.8 9.5 9.5
Overall mean 9 7 3 1 1
42.8 33.3 14.3 4.8 4.8

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Table 4.13 showed that cumulatively 95% of the teachers agreed that principals always

communicated the school expectations to the teachers as well as the learners with only

5% disagreeing with the statement. The school believes were well articulated among the

teachers and they needed to disseminate them down to others recipients like the students

for full realization of the school goals and objectives. The responses in Table 4.13

indicated that a bigger percentage of 81.0% of the teachers believed that principals were

more concerned with the academic excellence of the learners and only 14.3% of the

teachers were of the contrary opinion. The results showed that almost all the teachers

believed in the commitment to educational excellence for all students and recorded their

progress in sustaining schools’ best features.

The findings in Table 4.13 showed that 90.5% of teachers believed in the students’

potential to learn by problem solving thereby instilling confidence in the learners with

only 9.5% undecided. These were best practices aimed at improving the academic

achievements of the learners. This could only show that the students did not take these

practices seriously to improve their performance and ultimately resulted to poor grades

in the academics. It was clear from Table 4.13 that most teachers (85.7%) always

communicate their expectations to the learners which acted as a road map to the

academic excellence and only 14.3% of the teachers disagreed with the statement.

Overall mean showed that 42.8% of the teachers strongly agreed, 33.3% agreed, 14.3%

undecided, 4.8% disagreed and 4.8% strongly disagreed that school beliefs affected the

students’ performance in academics.

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4.9 School Leadership and Students’ Academic Performance

The forth objective of this study was to establish the contributions of values expressed

in participatory school leadership in promoting positive school culture. The researcher

asked students and teachers to indicate their opinion on the aspects of school leadership

and their responses were as outlined in Table 4.14 below.

Table 4.14: Students responses on school leadership

SA A U D SD
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
The school leaders were focused on the schools
strategic direction on improving students’ 72 98 6 39 58
performance. 26.4 35.9 2.2 14.3 21.2
Leaders contributed to a sense of crisis rather 32 49 21 105 66
than focusing on efforts 11.7 17.9 7.7 38.5 24.2
The school leaders’ vision for the school had
helped create conditions that promoted students’ 66 114 25 40 31
performance 23.9 41.3 9.1 14.5 11.2
Few members of the school community knew 32 46 13 81 107
where they were going and why. 11.5 16.5 4.7 29.0 38.4
The school leadership involved students in
making school wide decisions that relate to 55 45 16 91 71
teaching and learning. 19.8 16.2 5.8 32.7 25.5
38 46 25 96 69
There was clear process for decision making 13.9 16.8 9.1 35.0 25.2
My principal had helped to create environmental 158 74 8 15 19
conditions that promote teaching and learning 57.7 27.0 2.0 5.5 6.9
The school leadership motivated the students to
work towards achieving set goals and really 82 91 19 40 41
encourage the heart. 30.0 33.3 7.0 14.7 15.0
Students were involved in decision making on 60 70 7 70 67
matters pertaining to teaching and learning 21.9 25.5 2.6 25.5 24.5
Parents always attended academic clinics in the 16 82 3 11 161
school to discuss students’ progress 5.9 30.0 1.1 4.0 59.0
77 76 14 55 52
Overall mean 28.2 27.7 5.1 20.0 19.0

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The findings in Table 4.14 above showed that 35.9% agreed, 26.4% of the students

strongly agreed, 21.2% strongly disagreed14.3% disagreed and 2.2% undecided

whether the statement that school leadership in more focused with school strategic

direction towards improving students’ performance. Most (62.3%) of the students

indicated that school leaders are focused in improving their academic excellence while

35.5% of the learners disagreed with the statement. This information was very

important to the study because the principal played a significant role in shaping the

school culture. In addition, the principal should have admirable characteristics and

qualities so that all participants in the school would look unto him or her for guidance.

The findings in Table 4.14 showed that most members of the school community did not

have a sense of direction as 38.4% strongly disagreed, 29.0% disagreed, 4.7%

undecided. 16.5% agreed and 11.5% strongly agreed that the school community knew

where they were going and why. It indicated that most members of the school

community pulled in different directions. Effective and efficient schools had a great

sense of direction and the entire school community work in harmony towards

realization of the predetermined objectives.

The responses showed that 58.2% of the students disagreed that they were involved in

school wide decision making. On the other hand, only 36% of the students agreed that

they were involved in school wide decision making on matters pertaining to their

academic excellence. Ndiati (2015), stated that performance in schools depend on the

head teacher’s contribution and involvement of teachers and students. The principals,

the teacher and the students in school are the key players in a school culture. It is the

73
duty of the leader to keep everyone breast of their expectations and allowed to

contribute their opinion on matters of academics. All the decisions made should be

communal and to enable every member of the school community to pull towards the

same direction of academic excellence. The students’ opinion could be sorted through

organized students “Baraza” where they gave opinion without victimization. Teachers

as the key curriculum implementers should be constantly consulted on matters of

academic excellence of the learners.

The responses showed that most principals strived to create conducive environment for

teaching and learning. The finding showed that 84.7% of the students agreed that the

principal played an integral role in maintaining a suitable environment for both teaching

and learning thus ensuring high academic attainment.

Muguna, (2012) reported that majority of school administrators cited three policies that

effectively improved morale and motivated their staff. They include shared governance,

in-service education and systematic supportive evaluation. They argued that shared

governance gave teachers a vested interest in school performance and also promoted

harmony and trust among administrators and teachers.

The finding showed that majority (59.0%) of the student strongly disagreed that parents

always attend academic clinics to discuss students’ academic progress while 4.0%

disagreed with the statement. This lack of participation of the parents on such academic

functions could lead to the learner not putting in necessary efforts in towards their

academic improvement. Consequently, only 35.9% of the students agreed that parents
74
always attend academic clinics to discuss students’ academic progress. The parents need

to be in the forefront in monitoring the students’ academic progress and in the event that

this is not practised, the learners take advantage and put little effort in improving their

academic performance. It is a collective responsibility of school leaders, teachers,

parents and students to realize better performance in the school.

A similar questionnaire was administered to teachers and the following responses were

posted in Table 4.15.

Table 4.15: Teachers responses on school leadership and performance

SA A U D SD
F F F F F
Test items % % % % %
The school leaders were focused on the schools strategic 5 13 2 1 0
direction on improving students’ performance. 23.8 61.9 9.5 4.8 0.0
Leaders contributed to a sense of crisis rather than 3 5 4 5 3
focusing on efforts 15.0 25.0 20.0 25.0 15.0
The school leaders’ vision for the school had helped 6 11 2 2 0
create conditions that promoted students’ performance 28.6 52.4 9.5 9.5 0.0
Few members of the school community knew where they 5 7 3 4 1
were going and why. 25.0 35.0 15.0 19.0 5.0
The school leadership involved students in making school 2 11 2 5 1
wide decisions that relate to teaching and learning. 9.5 52.4 9.5 23.8 4.8
4 4 2 6 4
There was clear process for decision making 20.0 20.0 10.0 30.0 20.0
My principal had helped to create conditions environment 10 4 2 2 2
that promote teaching and learning 50.0 20.0 10.0 10.0 10.0
The school leadership motivated the students to work
towards achieving set goals and really encourage the 9 6 2 3 1
heart. 42.9 28.6 9.5 14.3 4.8
Students were involved in decision making on matters 11 3 2 4 1
pertaining to teaching and learning 52.4 14.3 9.5 19.0 4.8
Parents always attended academic clinics in the school to 6 7 2 2 3
discuss students’ progress 30.0 35.0 10.0 10.0 15.0
6 7 2 3 2
Overall mean 29.7 32.5 11.3 16.5 10.0

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The finding in Table 4.15 posed by the teachers’ responses indicated that majority of

the teachers (61.9%) agreed that the school leadership was focused on the school

strategic direction towards improving the students’ performance, 23.8% strongly agreed

with the statement. It was also notable that only 4.8% disagreed that school leadership is

focused on the strategic direction towards improving academic achievement of students.

When school leaders’ effort is geared toward one given direction without conflict of

interest, more resources especially time will be fully utilised to enhance academic

performance in their schools. The results in Table 4.15 indicated that a total of 81% of

teachers believed that the school leader’s vision for the school has contributed in

creating conducive environment that promote teaching and learning. The kind of

leadership exhibited in any social organizations is directly linked to its success. The

leaders must have a better understanding of the school culture and be able to promote

the desirable features of the school. Harris, (2013) argues that leaders need to gain some

understanding of the culture if they are to try to manage.

Table 4.15 displayed that a total of 52.4% of teachers strongly disagreed that they were

involved in school wide decision making process in their schools that relate to teaching

and learning, 23.8% of teacher disagreed, 9.5% of the teachers strongly agree to the

same statement. The findings also showed that 4.8% of the teacher agreed that they

were involved in the school wide decision regarding teaching and learning. Teachers are

key curriculum implementers of a school and therefore determine the students' level of

academic achievement. Fullan, (1992: 2012) in his book "What's Worth Fighting for in

Your School" explains that teachers are among the most important influences on the life

76
and development of many young children. In explaining the leadership role of a

principal, Mutuku (2016) asserts that what seems to be emerging is the need for leaders,

at any level, to combine clear aspirations of what organization is trying to become, with

skills and dispositions to energize a productive staff and constant attention on meeting

or exceeding of the students and the parents /community.

The results from Table 4.15 showed that 42.9% of teachers strongly agreed that

motivation has positive influence on performance, 28.6% of teachers agreed with the

same statement. The results also showed that 14.3% and 4.8% of teachers disagreed and

strongly disagreed respectively that school leadership motivated teachers towards

achieving the set goals. Motivation is the desire that fuels a person to do certain things

or accomplish something. Motivation can persuade someone to think in a certain way

too (Gardner, 2012). An atmosphere or environment that nurtures the motivation to

learn could be cultivated in the classroom or throughout an entire school. Attaining high

academic excellence is much easier in a school culture where both students’ and

teachers’ academic success is rewarded and respected.

Table 4.15 showed that most teachers acknowledged parental involvement in school

activities towards improving the academic achievements of their children. About 65%

of the teachers disagreed that parents always attend academic clinics in school to

discuss the performance of the students. It also indicated that 25% of the teachers

agreed with the statement. Parental involvement in the students’ academics is very

significant as it improves the students’ attitude and achievements as it promotes

77
cooperation between the school and parents. It also allows parents and teachers to

combine efforts to help the children succeed in school. Parental involvement can

positively influence the students’ achievements. Based on the finding lack/ inadequate

parental involvement in the issues pertaining to the academic excellence of their kids

was directly linked to the dismal academic performance in County schools in Kilifi

County.

When students were asked whether they hold ceremonies to recognise the heroes and

heroines, the following chart showed the responses by the students.

Figure 4.5: Students’ Responses on Ceremonies

The responses from Figure 4.5 indicated that majority of the school did not hold

ceremonies to recognise the heroes and the heroines of the school. Figure 4.5 showed

that 62% of the students were of the opinion that their school did not hold ceremonies to

78
celebrate the heroes and heroines while 38% of the students agreed that such

ceremonies were held in their schools. School ceremonies as described by Peterson

(2016) are complex culturally sanctioned events in which organizations celebrate

success, communicate values, and recognize the special contributions of its members.

The principals and the BoM members acknowledged that leadership style had great

influence on the work environment and the total performance of the institution.

Effective leadership is a key to the school outcome.

4.10 Strategies of Promoting Positive School Culture to Improve Performance

Finally, the researcher sought the opinion of principals, BoM members, teachers and

students’ opinion on the best strategies that can be employed to sustain a positive school

culture that enhances students’ academic achievement in the national examination.

Some of their responses were as highlighted below.

Table 4.16: Strategies of Promoting Positive Culture to Enhance Performance

Respondents Students Percentage Teachers Percentage

Guidance and counselling 285 95.0% 19 90.5%

Discipline 234 78.0% 19 90.5%

Strong in-school relationships 210 70.0% 18 85.7%

Collaborative leadership 195 65.0% 16 76.2%

ICT integration 260 87.0% 17 81.0%

All of the teachers 100% and 95% of the students identified guidance and counselling as

key strategy of enhancing positive school culture as outlined in table 4.16 above.
79
Guidance provides useful information to who needs to know which direction to take

(Penttinen, & Vesisenaho, 2013). Counselling on the other hand enables the counselee

to understand more about him or herself through professional facilitation by a

counsellor Penttinen, & Vesisenaho, (2013). Guidance and counselling is very

important to the students’ life as it helps them to handle interpersonal relationship,

develop the holistic student and contribute towards their academic performance. The

earlier a student understands his worth and purpose in the school the better as it will

enable him/ her to settle fast for academic work. Students in Kenya come from different

socio-economic and family backgrounds. Some from broken families, single parents

extremely rich and extremely poverty stricken homes where basic need is a problem.

Unhappy parents are unlikely to have positive energy to direct towards their children,

therefore the teachers are required to give guidance and counselling to the students as an

essential tool towards academic excellence.

Table 4.16 showed that 90.5% of teachers and 78.0% of students believed that

discipline is a fundamental requirement for any successful student. Discipline

restoration techniques to be adopted in schools with the aim of developing a positive

school culture to enhance academic excellence among the students across all the schools

in the region. Developing mediation and peer conflict resolution programme in the

school enhance academic excellence among learners. Here peer leaders talk with their

advisees about how to deal with conflicts that may arise among friends. This

programme will put more emphasis on “why” a student misbehaved and identifying the

necessary support they need to get back on track. The school leaders to adopt a new

80
mind-set about student discipline where the focus is to prevent unnecessary suspensions

and to provide opportunities to repair the harm to relationships. This will enable the

learners to be more accountable for their school work and pose a greater awareness of

behavioural expectations. The old ways of using suspensions and removing students out

of class is cited to have promoted indiscipline among the students as they tend to rebel

against the school. Building relationships is a sure way of managing students behaviour.

Promoting strong in-school relationships is one key aspect that need to be developed

with the aim of developing a strong positive culture in schools to embrace academic

excellence among learners. The findings in tables 4.16 showed that 85.7% of the

teachers and 70% of the students acknowledged that strong in-school relationships help

in development of a strong school culture. Studies showed that strong positive in-school

relationships contribute immensely to academic success among learners. Relationship

building help create an opportunity for the learners to spend more time with each other

and the teachers to get to know them better both inside and out of class. Mentorship

programme give an explicit focus on nurturing strong and supportive relationships that

promotes teaching and learning. Leaders to execute advisory services in their schools to

cover topics such as goal setting, drug and substance abuse, communication skills,

bullying, conflict resolution and career requirements. This will inspire the students to be

more accountable for his academic excellence.

School leaders should adopt a collaborative style of leadership to bring on board all the

stakeholders to participate towards realization of school academic excellence. Parent,

teachers, students and all the school management should work together with an aim of

81
promoting strong institutional culture. Providing academic support programme to

students will keep them on track toward realization of their academic success. Students

leadership has been accused by fellow student of high-handedness towards the students,

bullying of the junior students and corporal punishment among other things. It is

therefore in the best interest of the learners that they undergo training on the leadership

skills that will enable them work well with their peers. The school leadership should

embrace collegial relationship among teachers, students and other stakeholders to

achieve predetermined set goals and objectives.

Embracing ICT integration in education can be one way of diversifying the students’

knowledge and understanding of the global market. The data in table 4.16 outlined that

81% of teachers and 87% of students believed that ICT integration in education

facilitate teaching and learning. Audio visual teaching aids improves the learners level

of attentiveness in the class and will improve the mastery of concepts and interest in

learning. Studies outlines that visual sense contributes to 80% of learning and thus when

such aids are used the learners would be able to grasps and remember most of the

content learnt hence increase in performance of the learners. Breaking the monotony of

the usual lecture method to participatory and interactive learning improves the learners’

attitude towards the subject and in turn improve the learners’ achievement in class. The

ICT aided materials are well structured by the teachers before they are given to the

learners for a self-directed learning, this will enable the student to interact well with the

content. The emphasis of ICT in instruction is well captured in numerous official

documents including Kenya Vision 2030, Poverty Reduction Strategy, and National

82
Information and Communication Technologies for Development Policy (NICT4D),

Kenya Education Sector Support Programme (KESSP) Sessional Paper No. I of 2005

and National ICT Strategy for Education and Training (Sekwat, 2015). The use of

technologies enhances and transforms teaching and learning to improve the instructional

progress in education with a soul aim of promoting a strong positive culture of high

academic excellence among learners.

4.10.1 Challenges in Promoting Positive School Culture to Improve Performance

This study sought to find out some of the challenges faced by school management in

promoting positive school culture and some of the responses displayed by the

respondents are as outlined.

Figure 4.6: Principals’ and BoM Members Response Challenges in Promoting

Positive School Culture

83
Figure 4.6 showed that 75% of principals and 70% of BoM members cited unsupportive

parents as one major challenge they were facing in enhancing positive school culture.

Parental involvement was cited to be the most important way of improving secondary

school performance as it has an enormous impact on the learners’ attitude, attendance

and academic achievement. It also enables the teachers and parents to combine effort to

help the students succeed in academics. Parental involvement stimulates the students’

interest in the school and positively influences academic achievements. The learners’

achievement is directly related to amount of pressure parents put and not the level of

economic income of the parents. Therefore, lack of parental involvement would results

to poor academic achievements among the learners. Most parents’ failure to attend the

academic programmes organized by the school to monitor their children’s progress was

a sign of disinterest in the child’s academic work.

Poor attitude towards hard work among student recorded as in Table 4.6 55% of

principals and 51% of BoM member posed a challenge towards a strong positive culture

for academic excellence. The learners had poor attitude towards hard work and this had

reflected on their performance academically. Most educators and psychologists all

agreed that attitude plays an important role in the learning process. According to Osman

and Ongeti (2013), he asserts that,” there is significant positive correlation between

students’ attitude and learning of physics. It is the attitudes that our students develop

which are likely to stimulate or stop further study of physics. It is often the attitudes one

build that are the basis for their rank as successful students." It is therefore expected that

84
if the student had positive attitude towards hard work and learning then his/her chances

of loving what he/she does would increase and ultimately increase in performance.

It was noted that negative cultural activities were influencing the students’ behaviour

which in turn was reflected in the academic achievements of the learners. Some of these

practices are night disco (disco matanga), an outright laziness from both the parents and

students, ignorance from both the parents and the students among others were said to

have so much influence on the students’ behaviour and performance.

The school leaders’ also highlighted lack of role models in the society whom the

learners could live up to motivates them to strive towards educational excellence. Other

challenges included and not limited to drugs and substance abuse, inadequate funding

from the government, low willingness to change, resistance to bring change about extra

learning activities by the students, poor teacher remunerations and political interference.

Drug and substance abuse increased impaired judgement among learners, slowed down

the mental processes, interfered with the psycho-motor skills of the learners,

absenteeism and school dropout thus leading to poor academic performance among the

students.

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 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

This chapter summarized the whole research process. It provided summary,

conclusions, recommendations of the study and suggestions for further studies.

5.2 Summary of the Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of school cultural values,

beliefs and practices on students’ academic performance in County Secondary schools

in Kilifi County, Kenya. The objectives of this study were to investigate how school

value statements namely vision, mission and motto affect students’ academic

performance in County secondary schools in Kilifi County, to examine how school

routine practices which are embedded in school curriculum, instruction and

organizational characteristics influence the students’ academic achievements in the

County secondary schools, to determine the contribution of school beliefs such as high

expectation for students success, believes in every students’ potential and assessment

of success and feed backs on students' academic performance in County secondary

schools, to establish contribution of participatory school leadership in promoting

positive school culture and finally to find out strategies that can be used to promote

positive school culture to improve academic performance in County secondary schools

Kilifi County, Kenya.

86
5.2.1 The first objective was to investigate how school value statements namely

vision, mission and motto affect students’ performance

The findings of this objective were as follows;

Firstly, the findings showed that most students do not believe in the school value

statements as they did not own these statements. Majority of students of 51.1%

disagreed that the school value statements influenced their academic performance.

Secondly, most teachers (56.1%) agreed that school value statements had positive

influence in the students’ academic achievements especially when their meanings are

well communicated to the learner to make some sense. These value statements helped

create a positive thinking among the learners towards their academic excellence.

Lastly, the principals’ and the BoM members’ responses indicated that they strongly

believed that the school value statements provided the school with sense of direction on

why, where and how to meet the predetermined objectives which in turn helped

improve academic performance.

5.2.2 The second objective was to examine how school routine practices which

are embedded in school curriculum, instruction and organizational

characteristics influence the students’ academic achievements.

First, most of the participants in the school should showed disinterest in what goes on

within the school which was geared towards better academic performance. It was

notable that most students had little regards for such school practices due to lack of

interest and unwillingness to work hard.

87
Secondly, the study found out that there were poor channels of communication among

different levels of administration. This in turn affected the delivery of the school wide

objectives aimed at improving the learners’ achievements in their academics.

5.2.3 The third was to determine the contributions of school beliefs such as high

expectation for students’ success, believes in every students’ potential and

assessment of success and feedbacks on students' academic performance.

First, the research analysis revealed that majority of the teachers; principals and BoM

members acknowledged that school beliefs had positive influence on the students’

academic performance in the national examinations.

Secondly, the study noted that majority of the students were ignorant of such school

beliefs and they had little or no impact in their academic life leading to poor academic

performance.

Lastly, the findings showed that most schools did not have such positive and strong

school cultures that would inspire the students to attain high academic achievements.

Schools which had developed strong cultures of excellence always performed better.

5.2.4 The fourth objective was to establish contributions of participatory school

leadership in promoting positive school culture.

First, the data analysis and interpretation of questionnaire responses from the head

teachers and teachers revealed that participatory leadership directly affects academic

performance.
88
Second, the responses indicated that 58.2% of the students disagreed that they were

involved in school wide decision making. On the other hand, only 36% of the students

agreed that they were involved in school wide decision making on matters pertaining to

their academic excellence.

Third, the study revealed that majority (59.0%) of the students strongly disagreed that

parents always attended academic clinics to discuss students’ academic progress while

4.0% disagreed with the statement. This lack of participation of the parents on such

academic functions could be attributed to the low level of academic performance among

students.

Forth, the study outlined that school leadership contributed significantly towards the

development and inculcation of a strong positive culture of high academic excellence

and the principals’ leadership style was both directly and indirectly related to the school

performance.

Fifth, the study revealed that most school did not hold ceremonies to celebrate and

recognise the heroes and heroines. This could be viewed as lack of motivation among

the teachers and students from the school leadership to inspire the teachers and learners

to achieve their full potentials.

89
5.2.5 The fifth objective was to determine the most effective strategies that could

be used to develop a strong school culture of high academic excellence in

schools

First, the findings revealed that guidance and counselling was used as one way of

nurturing students’ attitude, behaviour and perception towards high academic

achievements.

Second, the study outlined that discipline among students was not well handled as most

school adhered to the traditional method of suspensions which did not bear so much

fruits towards improving the students’ discipline.

Third, most schools did not promote strong in-school relationships as one key aspect

that needed to be developed with the aim of developing a strong positive culture in

schools to embrace academic excellence among learners. The schools which acted as a

second home to the students provided little effort to restore good relationships among

the students’ teachers and the administration.

Fourth, a few school leaders adopted a collaborative style of leadership to bring on

board all the stakeholders to participate towards realization of school academic

excellence. Fifth, a handful of schools embraced ICT integration in education as it is the

most suitable way of promoting a stronger school culture with the aim of promoting

high academic excellence and diversifying the students’ knowledge and understanding

of the global market.

90
5.3 Conclusions of the Study

In the light of the results of this research, the following conclusions were drawn:

i. The presence of a strong organizational culture in a school accounts for

academic success. The study showed that the school values statements had little

influence in the academic achievement of the learners. This therefore needed to

be more often communicated to all the participants so that they can inculcate

them within their structures so that they can act such labels to produce better

results.

ii. The study findings registered that school routine practices were not well adhered

to in most schools in Kilifi county and this had little or no impact on the

students’ academic performance and therefore all the stakeholders should help in

the administration and implementation of such practices. Negative cultural

values, beliefs and practices impacted negatively on the academic performance

of learners.

iii. The study findings acknowledged that communication is a very important

segment of the school and if effectively applied would ensure that different

departments in the school work in harmony towards the realization of the school

mission and vision.

iv. The findings showed indicated that teachers’ belief in the students’ potential to

learn through problem solving raised their level of confidence in their work.

This method of learning helped the students to acquire sufficient knowledge and

skills to improve their academic performance.

91
 v. The research findings showed that the county schools had very weak leadership

styles that had impacted so much in the students’ academic achievement leading

to poor school cultural values, beliefs and practices. This could be attributed to

the poor academic outcome in the national examinations among the students in

the county.

5.4 Recommendations

The following recommendations based on the findings of this study were meant for all

the stakeholders in education sector. These were;

5.4.1 Policy Recommendations

5.4.1.1 The Ministry of Education

The government through the ministry of education and Kenya management institute

(KEMI) to organize in-service training for the principals, BoM members and the

teachers on issues to do with school culture. The ministry should encourage principals

and teachers to further their education in order to improve academic performance

among the learners. The university and college curriculum for student teachers should

incorporate the study of school culture in preparation of teachers for the on the job

expectations.

5.4.1.2 The Teachers Service Commission (TSC)

The TSC should periodically organize in-service trainings for principals and teachers to

keep them abreast with the changing needs of the students in line with the continually

changing global demands. This will help in the reconstruction of the school cultures
92
towards attaining high academic achievements. It should also design a strategy of

recognizing and acknowledging the teachers’ effort through motivation of their

employees. The TSC in collaboration with the MoEST should design a proper discipline

handling technique to help in the discipline management in our schools as this has

posed a great challenge to many administrators.

5.4.1.3 School Principals

The principal should induct the new teacher on the culture of the school for the teacher

to embrace the school values and norms necessary for working in school. The principal

should be in the forefront of learning and interpreting the school culture. He/she should

be seen as the symbol and centre of the school culture. He/she should mobilize

everybody else in the institution. The principal in conjunction with the school

management committee should understand the school’s culture before they embark on

the management and leadership in the school.

The school principals should practice a collaborative approach in decision making and

students as the key recipients of every decision in school should form part of the

decision making team. This will enhance collective responsibility toward promoting a

positive school culture that enhances academic excellence. This would diminish

resistance to changes and eventually shape their discipline positively. This would in

turn translate into good KCSE performance.

93
5.4.1.4 The Board of Management

The school leadership should promote the culture of motivations among teacher and

students. This will lead to job satisfaction through appreciation, recognition and

inclusion in decision making as they perform a pivotal role of curriculum

implementations. Motivated teachers will help in the administration in and the

implementation of the school routines, school value statements. The BoM members

should undergo training on the issues of school culture and administration to help in the

development of positive school culture. BoM members should take its role of ensuring

that the school has a culture or climate created by its purpose, goals, strategies and

policies and shaped by management.

5.4.1.5 The Parents

The parents who are key stakeholders in the school should be aware of the school ethos

and work collaboratively with an aim of promoting a strong positive school culture of

high academic excellence for their children. Their participations are key ensuring a

better performance of their kids.

5.4.1.6 The Teachers

The teachers as the curriculum implementers should play their roles effectively by

ensuring they understand the school expectations and traditions and communicating the

same to the learners. They should embrace beliefs of high achievements and provide

conducive environments for teaching and learning. They should enhance better

classroom management techniques to ensure learning takes place.

94
5.4.1.7 The students

The students on the other hand should be made aware of the school ethos upon their

arrival in their respective schools and internalise the expectations of the school to help

promote a strong school culture of high academic achievements.

5.4.2 Suggestions for Further Research

The researcher suggests further research on various aspects such as;

i) A comparative study on the effect of school culture in Kenya Certificate of

Secondary Education performance need to be undertaken in arid and semi-arid

counties in Kenya

ii) School climate and its influence on academic performance of learners in the

national examinations among extra-county schools in Kenya.

95
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 APPENDICES

APPENDIX I: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of school culture on students’

academic performance in County secondary schools in Kilifi County Kenya. I kindly

request you to fill the questionnaire below to the best of your knowledge. The

information provided will be treated with utmost confidentiality and will only be used

for the intended purpose. Please do not indicate your name anywhere on the

questionnaire.

Please tick against your most appropriate choice and fill the spaces provided.

Section A: General Information

1. Gender

Male ( ) Female ( )

2. Level of education

Diploma ( ) Degree ( ) Master’s Degree ( )

3. Teaching experience

Less than 2 years ( ) 2-5 years ( ) 5-10 years ( ) More than 10 years

( )

4. How long have you taught in this school? 0-2 ( ) 3-5 ( ) 5-10 ( ) more than 10 ( )

103
Section B: School Values

A. The table below presents the aspects of school culture that influence academic

performance. The boxes are named SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, U=Undecided,

D=Disagree, SD=Strongly Disagree. Please tick the appropriate box.

School values influence on students’ performance SA A U D SD

Test items 5 4 3 2 1
1 Values in School vision affects academic
performance
2 Values in School motto affects academic
performance
3 Values in Mission statement affects academic
performance
4 Values in School song/anthem affects academic
performance
5 Values in Rules and regulations in school affect
academic performance
6 Values in School goals affect academic performance
7 School value statements are always communicated to
the learners

B. How do the above aspects of values influence students’ performance in KCSE in

your school?

i) School mission

ii) School vision

104
iii) School motto

Section C: School Norms (Routines)

A. The table below presents the aspects of school norms that influence academic

Performance. The boxes are named SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, U=Undecided,

D=Disagree, SD=Strongly Disagree. Please tick the appropriate box.

Test Items SA A U D SD
5 4 3 2 1
1 Timely syllabus coverage
2 Structured revision across all departments
3 Special program for subjects where students have difficulties
4 Systems for intervening with students who are at risk of academic
failure
5 Activities that provide students who experience academic difficulty
with additional time and support for learning
6 There are no organized orientation program for new students to brief
them on expected behaviour and classroom and school routines
7 Teachers new to our school are provided with mentoring in a
systematic way
8 In this school the additional time and support for learning provided
to students who experience academic difficulty is developed in a
systematic way rather than being left to the discretion of a teacher
9 There are many interruptions to classroom learning
10 There is no school wide approach to improving students’
performance.
11 Teachers always hold class meetings with students

105
B. How do the above norms/routines influence students’ performance in KCSE in your
school?
i) Syllabus coverage
ii) Structured revision
iii) Special academic programmes

Section D: School Beliefs and students’ Performance

The table below presents the aspects of school Beliefs that influence academic
Performance. Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements on the
school Beliefs and its influence on students’ performance in KCSE. The boxes are
named SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, U=Undecided, D=Disagree, SD=Strongly
Disagree. Please tick the appropriate box.
Test Item SA A U D SD
1 Principal communicate their expectations to the teachers as 5 4 3 2 1
guided by the goals and objectives of the school
2 The principal is more concerned with the academic
excellence of the students
3 Teachers believe in commitment to educational excellence
for all students and record their progress in sustaining
schools’ best features
4 Teachers believe in students potential to learn by problem
solving thus instilling confidence among the learners
5 Teachers always communicate the school expectations to
the learners
6 The school provides the students with opportunities to
various pathways to future success
7 The school offers opportunities to students to develop in
areas they are gifted and encourage the pursuit of needed
occupations.
8 The school retain and develop the capacity of the best
teachers and transform them in into leaders of strong
collaborative communities where best practices are
developed and shared
9 The school has a powerful assessment tool which is carried
out in the context of learning within the classroom
10 Parents always attend academic clinics in the school to
discuss students’ progress

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Section E: School Leadership and students’ Performance

A. The table below presents the aspects of school leadership that influence

academic Performance. Rate the extent to which you agree with the following

statements on the school leadership and its influence on students’ performance

in KCSE. The boxes are named SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, U=Undecided,

D=Disagree, SD=Strongly Disagree. Please tick the appropriate box.

Test Item SA A U D SD
5 4 3 2 1
1. The school leaders are focused on the schools strategic
direction on improving students’ performance.
2. Leaders contribute to a sense of crisis rather than focusing
efforts
3. The school leaders’ vision for the school has helped create
conditions that promote students’ performance.
4. Few members of the school community know where they
are going and why.
5. The school leadership involves teachers in making school
wide decisions that relate to teaching and learning.
6. There is no clear process for decision making
7. My principal has helped to create conditions that promote
learning
8. The school leadership motivates the teachers to work
towards achieving set goals and really encourage the heart.
9. I am involved in decision making on matters pertaining to
teaching and learning
10. I feel very motivated and encouraged to work towards
achieving set goals on students’ performance.

107
B. How do the above aspects of leadership influence students’ performance in

KCSE in your school?

i) Focus

ii) Vision

iii) Involvement

iv) Motivation

v) Any other

C. What challenges do you face in building strong institutional culture

Thank you for your cooperation.

108
 APPENDIX II

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of school culture on students’

academic performance in County secondary schools in Kilifi County Kenya. I kindly

request you to fill the questionnaire below to the best of your knowledge. The

information provided will be treated with utmost confidentiality and will only be used

for the intended purpose. Please do not indicate your name anywhere on the

questionnaire.

Please tick against your most appropriate choice and fill the spaces provided.

Section A: General Information

1. Gender

Male ( ) Female ( )

2. Form

One ( ) Two ( ) Three ( ) Four ( )

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Section B: School Values and students’ Performance

A. The table below presents the aspects of school culture that influence academic
Performance. The boxes are named SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, U=Undecided,
D=Disagree, SD=Strongly Disagree. Please tick the appropriate box.

School values influence on students’ performance SA A U D SD

Test items 5 4 3 2 1
1. Values in School vision affects academic performance
2. Values in School motto affects academic performance
3. Values in Mission statement affects academic
performance
4. Values in School song/anthem affects academic
performance
5. Values in Rules and regulations in school affect
academic performance
6. Values in School goals affect academic performance
7. School value statements are always communicated to
the learners

B. How do the above aspects of values influence students’ performance in KCSE in

your school?
i) School mission
……………………………………………………………………………………………
….…………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
ii) School vision
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

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iii) School motto
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

Section C: School Norms (Routines)

The table below presents the aspects of school norms that influence academic
Performance. The boxes are named SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, U=Undecided,
D=Disagree, SD=Strongly Disagree. Please tick the appropriate box.
Test Items SA A U D SD
5 4 3 2 1
1 Timely syllabus coverage
2 Structured revision across all departments
3 Special program for subjects where students have
difficulties
4 Systems for intervening with students who are at risk of
academic failure
5 Activities that provide students who experience academic
difficulty with additional time and support for learning
6 Organized orientation program for new students to brief
them on expected behaviour and classroom and school
routines
7 In this school the additional time and support for learning
provided to students who experience academic difficulty
is developed in a systematic way rather than being left to
the discretion of a teacher
8 There are many interruptions to classroom learning
9 There is no school wide approach to improving students’
performance.
10 Teachers always hold class meetings with students

111
B. How do the above norms/routines influence students’ performance in KCSE in your
school?
i) Syllabus coverage
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

ii) Structured revision

……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

iii) Special academic program

……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

iv) Orientation of new students

……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

112
Section D: School Beliefs and students’ Performance
The table below presents the aspects of school Beliefs that influence academic
Performance. Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements on the
school Beliefs and its influence on students’ performance in KCSE. The boxes are
named SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, U=Undecided, D=Disagree, SD=Strongly
Disagree. Please tick the appropriate box.
Test Item SA A U D SD
1 Principal communicate their expectations to the teachers as 5 4 3 2 1
guided by the goals and objectives of the school
2 The principal is more concerned with the academic
excellence of the students
3 Teachers believe in commitment to educational excellence
for all students and record their progress in sustaining
schools’ best features
4 Teachers believe in students potential to learn by problem
solving thus instilling confidence among the learners
5 Teachers always communicate the school expectations to
the learners
6 The school provides the students with opportunities to
various pathways to future success
7 The school offers opportunities to students to develop in
areas they are gifted and encourage the pursuit of needed
occupations.
8 The school has a powerful assessment tool which is carried
out in the context of learning within the classroom
9 The school has a community of learners which help
improve performance and close the achievement gap
10 I feel very motivated and encouraged to work towards
achieving set goals on students’ performance.

113
Section E: School Leadership and students’ Performance
A. Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements on the school
leadership and its influence on students’ academic performance in KCSE in your
school
Key: SA –Strongly Agree A-Agree U-Undecided D-Disagree SD-Strongly
Disagree
Test Item SA A U D SD
5 4 3 2 1
1. The school leaders are focused on the schools strategic
direction on improving students’ performance.
2. Leaders contribute to a sense of crisis rather than focusing
on efforts
3. The school leaders’ vision for the school has helped create
conditions that promote students’ performance.
4. Few members of the school community know where they
are going and why.
5. The school leadership involves students in making school
wide decisions that relate to teaching and learning.
6. There is no clear process for decision making
7. My principal has helped to create conditions environment
that promote teaching and learning
8. The school leadership motivates the students to work
towards achieving set goals and really encourage the heart.
9. Students are involved in decision making on matters
pertaining to teaching and learning
10. Parents always attend academic clinics in the school to
discuss students’ progress

114
B. How do the above aspects of leadership influence students’ performance in
KCSE in your school?
i) Focus on students’ performance in KCSE
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………
ii) Vision for what the school should achieve in the future
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
iii) Involvement
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
iv) Motivation
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
v) Any other
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

C. In this school do you have ceremonies to recognise the heroes and heroines?
Yes ( ) No ( )

Thank you for your cooperation.

115
 APPENDIX III

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR PRINCIPALS

Section A: General Information

1. Gender male( ) female ( )
2.
3. Teaching experience
10-15 years ( ) 15-20 years ( ) more than 20 years ( )

4. Experience as a principal
1-5 years ( ) 5-10years ( ) more than 10 years ( )

5. What is your highest level of qualifications

Diploma ( ) Degree ( ) Masters ( ) PhD ( )

6. Have you gone for any other training on school culture and leadership?
Yes ( ) No ( )

Section B: School values and Students’ Performance

i. What has been this school’s performance for the last five years?
Year A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- E MS MD
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

116
ii. Do your staffs have the knowledge of the schools’ vision statement?
Yes ( ) No ( )
If yes, can they state the vision of your school?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
Do your staffs have the knowledge of the schools’ mission statement?
Yes ( ) No ( )
If yes, can they state the mission of your school?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………

iii. In your opinion, what aspects of school culture influence the performance in
your school the most? Rate appropriately

Aspects of culture Very high High Fairly Low Very low

School values
School norms
School beliefs
School leadership

V. How often do you communicate the school vision/mission to the

teachers/learners on assembly?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

117
Section C: School Routines and Students’ Performance
1. What are some of the schools routines that you would attribute to improving
students’ performance in KCSE?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
2. How do these routine practices influence KCSE performance of the students in
your school?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
3. What are some of the practices that your teachers employ for effective
classroom management?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
4. Do your teachers carry out regular assessment of learners and give timely
feedback?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
Section D: School beliefs and Students Performance
1. What is your observation on the interpersonal relationships in your school in
terms of teacher collaboration, collegiality and knowing students?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
2. Do the students participate in goal setting in your school?
Yes ( ) No ( )
If yes, how does this influence their performance in academic?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

118
3. How has setting high expectations on both teachers and students influenced
performance?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

4. Do you believe in the students’ potential to learn?

Yes ( ) No ( )
If yes how has this affected their performance?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

Section E: School Leadership and Students Performance

1. What has the school leadership put in place in terms of strategy on improving
students’ performance in KCSE?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

2. What is your vision for the school in terms of students’ performance in KCSE in
the coming years?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

3. My leadership involves teachers in decision making on matters pertaining to

teaching and learning
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

119
4. Can you say that your teachers are motivated by you and encouraged to work
towards achieving the set targets? How?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

5. How does your focused and visionary leadership inclusivity and motivation of
teachers influence students’ performance in KCSE in your school?
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

6. What is your role in shaping positive school culture?

……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

7. What challenges do you face in building strong institutional culture?

……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
………………….…………………………………………………………………

8. In this school do you have ceremonies to recognise the heroes and heroines?
Yes ( ) No ( )

Thank you for your cooperation

120
 APPENDIX IV

QUESTIONAIRE OR MEMBERS OF BoM

Section A: General Information

1. Gender male ( ) female ( )
2. Experience as a BoM member
1-5 years ( ) 5-10years ( ) more than 10 years ( )
3. What is your highest level of qualifications
Diploma ( ) Degree ( ) Masters ( ) PhD ( )
4. Have you gone for any other training on school culture and leadership?
Yes ( ) No ( )

Section B: School values and Students’ Performance

1. Do you have the knowledge of the schools’ vision statement?
Yes ( ) No ( )
If yes, what is the vision of your school?

2. Do you have the knowledge of the schools’ mission statement?

Yes ( ) No ( )
If yes, what is the mission of your school?

3. In your opinion, what aspects of school culture influence the performance in your
school the most? Rate appropriately
Aspects of culture Very high High Fairly Low Very low
School values
School norms
School beliefs
School leadership

121
 4. How often do you communicate the school vision/mission to the
teachers/learners on assembly?

Section C: School Routines and Students’ Performance

1. What are some of the schools routines that you would attribute to improving
students’ performance in KCSE?

2. How do these routine practices influence KCSE performance of the students in your
school?

3. What are some of the practices that your teachers employ for effective classroom
management?

4. Do your teachers carry out regular assessment of learners and give timely feedback?

Section D: School beliefs and Students Performance

1. What is your observation on the interpersonal relationships in your school in terms
of teacher collaboration, collegiality and knowing students?

2. Do the students participate in goal setting in your school?

Yes ( ) No ( )

122
 If yes, how does this influence their performance in academic?

3. How has setting high expectations on both teachers and students influenced
performance?

4. Do you believe in the students’ potential to learn?

Yes ( ) No ( )

If yes how has this affected their performance?

Section E: School Leadership and Students Performance

1. What has the school leadership put in place in terms of strategy on improving
students’ performance in KCSE?

2. What is your vision for the school in terms of students’ performance in KCSE in the
coming years?

3. My leadership involves teachers in decision making on matters pertaining to

teaching and learning

123
4. Can you say that your teachers are motivated by you and encouraged to work
towards achieving the set targets? How?

5. How do BoM’s focus, visionary leadership inclusivity and motivation of teachers

influence students’ performance in KCSE in your school?

6. What is your role in shaping positive school culture?

7. What challenges do you face in building strong institutional culture

8. In this school do you have ceremonies to recognise the heroes and heroines?
Yes ( ) No ( )

Thank you for your cooperation

124
 APPENDIX V

WORK PLAN

JANUARY 2017-JULY 2018 DEVELOPING THE PROPOSAL

AUGUST2018- JANUARY 2019 FIELD WORK

FEBRUARY 2019- APRIL2019 ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING

JUNE 2019 PROJECT EXAMINATION

AUGUST 2019 CORRECTIONS

OCTOBER 2019 SUBMIT FINAL REPORT

DECEMBER 2019 GRADUATION

125
 APPENDIX VI

MAP OF KILIFI COUNTY

126
 APPENDIX VII

RESEARCH AUTHORIZATION ETTER

127
 APPENDIX VIII

APPROVAL LETTER

128
 APPENDIX X

NACOSTI RESEARCH PERMIT

129
 APPENDIX XI

RESEARCH PERMIT

130