PRINCIPALS’ MANAGEMENT STYLES INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE KENYA CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION IN MOMBASA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Despite school principals in Mombasa County here in Kenya using different management styles performance has remained significantly low in national examinations. Public secondary schools that are funded by the government in Mombasa keep on performing poorly in national examinations for the last 5 years. This study therefore sought to determine the influence of principals’ management styles on students’ academic performance in National examination in Mombasa County. The study was guided by the Contingency Theory that states that the management style of a person depends on several factors both in the organization that one is managing and externally. The study used descriptive research design. The study had a sample size of 708 respondents. This comprised of 16 principals, 315 teachers and 377 students. Questionnaires and interviews were the research instruments used. The study found out that the authoritarian management style was the most widely used method of leadership by principals of public secondary schools in Mombasa County. The study recommends that there should be a policy shift by the ministry of education in that they should train teachers on all the management styles.