Trade Unions Strategy on Teacher Professional Development and Its Influence on Teachers Welfare in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought investigate the influence of trade unions strategy on teachers’ professional development and its influence on teachers’ welfare in public secondary schools in Nairobi city county, Kenya The study was based on the following objective; To establish the extent to which trade unions involvement in teacher professional development influence teachers’ welfare in public secondary schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya; To examine the level of influence of teachers’ professional development on teachers’ career progression; To assess the level of satisfaction by trade union involvement in sensitizing teacher professional development programs. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The target teacher population was 2236 teachers in 87 public secondary schools, 11 KNUT and 7 KUPPET officials. Thirty percent target sample consisted of size of 671 in 26 secondary schools. Teachers and schools were stratified per Sub-County and selected by simple random sampling method. Both KUPPET and KNUT officials were purposively sampled for they possessed special information relevant to the study. A total of three KNUT officials and two KUPPET official were purposively sampled. Data was collected by interview guide for the union officials. The data was descriptively analyzed and presented in frequency tables, bar graphs and pie charts. For interviews, audio recorded responses were listened to, transcribed into texts, compared with field notes and presented as direct quotations, verbatim and discussions. Content validity of the research instruments was ascertained by a team of experts in the field of Educational administration and through piloting of questionnaires. Reliability of the instruments was ascertained by a test-re test technique and a coefficient of stability for teachers’ questionnaire found to be 0.785. Permission to collect data in Nairobi County was granted by the National Council of Science and Technology. The study established that a majority of teachers (M=3.27, SD=1.22) agreed that trade unions are involved in teacher professional development. The study established that professional development on teachers’ career progression was influential representing 41.3 percent. 40.4 percent of teachers were not satisfied on unions involvement in sensitizing teachers on professional development programs. Trade unions also offer performance certificates to teachers representing 65.8 percent. There was a positive correlation (r=0.815**, p=0.003<0.05) between unions’ strategy on teachers’ professional development and teachers’ welfare. The study established that trade unions strategies of teachers’ professional development, influenced the welfare of teachers in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya.

Keywords: Teachers trade unions, teachers’ professional development, public secondary schools

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-27-04

Publication date:September 30^th 2022