Principals’ Leadership Behaviours and Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Public Secondary Schools, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate principals’ leadership behaviours in relation to teacher job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. More specifically, the study sought to establish the relationship among four principal leadership behaviours: directive, participative, supportive and achievement oriented in relation to teacher job satisfaction. Gender differences in both principal leadership behaviours and teacher job satisfaction were also studied. Path Goal Theory of leader effectiveness formed the theoretical framework. Principals’ leadership behaviours formed the independent variable for the study while teacher job satisfaction was the dependent variable. The study adopted a correlational research design and was conducted in Nairobi County. The target population was all the principals and teachers in public secondary schools in Nairobi County in the year 2014. The sample consisted of 270 participants selected from 45 schools; 45 principals and 225 teachers. Of the principals, 15 were male and 30 were female; while of the teachers, 81 were male and 144 were female. Purposive and simple random sampling procedures were used in the selection of principals and teachers. The study used questionnaires developed by the researcher to seek information on participants’ biographical data. Adapted Leader Behaviours Questionnaire and Teacher Job Satisfaction scales were used to measure principals’ leadership behaviours and teacher job satisfaction respectively. A pilot study was carried out to ascertain the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Two principals and ten teachers selected from two public secondary schools in Nairobi County participated in the pilot study. Reliability coefficient for the principals’ questionnaire was .89 and .91 for teachers’ questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were used to analyze data. Results showed that there was positive and significant relationship between secondary school principals’ leadership behaviours and teacher job satisfaction. Findings showed that 59.52% of the principals showed achievement oriented leadership behaviour, 16.67% supportive, 9.52% supportive and achievement oriented, 7.14% directive and achievement oriented, 2.38% directive and 2.38% participative leadership behaviours. Findings on overall teacher job satisfaction showed that 64.68 % of the teachers had high job satisfaction while 35.32% had low job satisfaction. There were significant gender differences in principals’ leadership behaviours in favour of males. Findings showed that there were no significant gender differences in the overall teacher job satisfaction. A major implication and recommendation of the study was that since principals’ leadership behaviours have significant relationship with teacher job satisfaction, principals should endeavor to use leadership behaviours that give teachers’ job satisfaction.