An Analysis of Strategic Management Styles in Public Secondary Schools Principals on Academic Performance: Case Study of Langata Constituency, Kenya

Abstract

Public secondary school principals now find themselves in the age of accountability and improvement with the expectation that they function as instructional managers. The management style that public secondary school principals use is crucial in determining how the school performs academically. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the strategic management styles of public secondary school principals and their schools’ academic performance in Langata Constituency, while the purpose of study was to understand how different strategic management styles used by public secondary school principals in Langata constituency have influenced school’s academic performance. The study used descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency, and Tables where data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) – version 19.0. The findings are presented as per the objectives and research questions of the study. The findings of the study indicated that democratic management style lead to the best or improved academic performance of Public Secondary Schools in Langata constituency. The finding is in support of Bateman and Snell (2007) who observed that management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals. Good managers achieve or actualize organizational goals effectively and efficiently. The study recommends a positive approach of actualizing school objectives on academic performance improvement through efficiency and effectiveness by employing democratic styles of management.

Key Words: Management styles in Public Secondary Schools, Academic Performance, Langata Constituency.