Influence of Headteachers’ Discipline Strategies on Teacher Performance in Public Primary Schools in Masinga Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya

Gerald Kasyula Mutua & Reuben Kenei
School of Education
Mount Kenya University
Email: mutuagerald@gmail.com

Abstract: Teacher discipline strategies adopted by headteachers play a key role in ensuring improved classroom pedagogy, syllabus coverage, learner environment, and, above all, teacher performance in schools. However, in Masinga Sub-county, teacher performance in many public primary schools is low. Many teachers do not complete their syllabus on time, rarely participate in co-curricular activities, and produce learners with low academic grades in examinations. Thus, this study sought to assess the influence of teacher discipline strategies on teacher performance in public primary schools. This study adopted a mixed methodology and applied a concurrent triangulation research design. The target population was 1420 respondents, comprising 140 headteachers and 1280 teachers, from which a sample of 315 respondents was determined using Yamane’s Formula. Stratified sampling was used to create two different strata based on the number of zones in Masinga Sub-county. This comprised 35 headteachers and 280 teachers. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically based on study objectives and presented in narrative form, whereas quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages and inferentially using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Analysis in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25) and presented using tables. The study revealed that many teachers do not cover syllabus in time, and this has caused low academic performance in KCPE. However, teacher discipline strategies adopted by headteachers have not been fully effective. Thus, headteachers should adopt sound disciplinary approaches for teachers and support staff aimed at improving their work morale and not dampening their spirit of commitment.