Influence of Principals’ Workload Management on Teacher Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Thika West Sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya
Janelydia Wanjiru & Pamela Ochieng
School of Education
Mount Kenya University
Email: janelydiaw@gmail.com/ elaochieng@gmail.com/ pochieng@mku.ac.ke
Abstract: Principals’ management of teachers’ workload is crucial in determining teacher performance in schools. However, in Thika West Sub-county, teacher performance has been a persistent challenge, with many teachers being unable to cover the syllabus in time, resulting in low student academic performance in examinations. This study sought to examine the influence of principals’ management of workload on teacher performance in public secondary schools. The distributed leadership theory and teacher performance theory guided the study. The study adopted a mixed methodology and, thus, applied a concurrent triangulation research design. The target population comprised 724 respondents: 14 principals, 708 teachers, and 2 Sub-county Directors of Education, from which a sample of 257 respondents was determined using Yamane’s formula. This resulted in a sample of 10 principals, 245 teachers, and 2 Sub-county Directors of Education. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically based on the objectives and presented in narrative form. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using frequencies and percentages and inferentially using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25) and presented using tables. The study found that teacher performance has been low because many teachers do not cover the syllabus on time, which has led to low student academic performance in KCSE. This has been partially attributed to principals’ management of teachers’ workload. Thus, principals should conduct regular workload audits and redistribute duties fairly, ensuring that teaching, administrative, and co-curricular responsibilities are balanced according to teachers’ capacity, subject demands, and available resources.
