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ABSTRACT

School principals in Kenya do experience stress mainly due to administrative related stressors than teaching stressors. Such stressors include: Limited opportunities for professional development, tight time deadlines for tasks, delayed disbursement of school funds, interpersonal relations, social support, expert assistance, work overload among others. Some studies have revealed that both male and female teachers experience same stress levels, while other studies have contradicted these findings by asserting that females experience more stress than males (Gebrekirstos, 2015; Bray, Camlin, Fairbank, Dunteman & Wheeless, 2001). Notwithstanding these contradictions, school principals must embrace coping strategies to function effectively. To collect data for the study, stressor coping strategies questionnaire was used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to estimate and describe the findings of the study. Accordingly, the study established that female principals experienced stress and used different strategies to cope. The relationship between coping strategies and levels of stress among female principals was strong and significant. The coping strategies accounted for 43.8% of variation in stress levels. The strategies were found to be significant predictors of stress among female principals; and that for one unit increase in the use of the coping strategies, stress level would improve by 0.523 units. The study recommended that stress management coping strategies should be adopted appropriately and used to sustain optimum stress levels among female principals. This is because optimum stress level is good for the functioning of men and women (Bray et al, 2001).

The purpose of this study was to investigate empirically the influence of principals' leadership styles on the organizational performance of primary teachers training colleges in Lake Victoria Region of Kenya. Independent variables comprised Laissez faire and autocratic leadership styles, while the dependent variable was organizational performance. The study employed a quantitative method approach with questionnaires as the instruments for data collection. The target population for this study was 245 tutors and 9 principals in the 5 public and 4 private primary teachers training colleges. The study sample was 225 tutors and the 9 principals. Leadership styles were measured using the adapted version of the Multi-factor Leadership Style Questionnaire. The study found that both Laissez faire and autocratic leadership styles were less exhibited by principals of PTTCs in Lake Victoria Region of Kenya. Laissez faire leadership style was least exhibited. The study also revealed that both Laissez faire and autocratic leadership styles negatively influenced the organizational performance of PTTCs. Lastly demographic characteristics did not have statistically significant influence on organizational performance of PTTCs in the Lake Victoria Region of Kenya.

Principals play a pivotal role in performance of students in secondary schools. In many instances, this calls for high professional and societal demands, and expectations. As a result, principals experience stress. Studies in countries like USA, Britain, Norway, India, Nigeria and Kenya have revealed that optimal stress among principals enhances students' performance in public examinations while excessive stress reduces students' performance. In Rachuonyo North and Homa Bay Sub counties, the mean scores for schools headed by female principals from 2010 to 2014 were 3.77 and 4.20 respectively compared to those headed by male principals whose mean scores were 5.05 and 5.67 for the same period. These performances were below those of Rachuonyo South Sub County which were 4.67 for female principals and 5.20 for male principals for the same period. The performances of schools headed by female principals' were lower than those headed by male principals. These studies have linked stress among principals to students' performance. The purpose of this study was to establish factors influencing stress among public secondary school female principals in public secondary schools in Rachuonyo North and Homa Bay Sub counties, Kenya. This study established that female principals in Rachuonyo North and Homa Bay Sub counties were experiencing moderate stress at a mean (M) 3.37 and Standard Deviation (SD) 1.290 on a 5-point scale. Stress factors accounted for 52.9% of female principals stress levels. The factors that had highest influence on stress levels of female principals were working environment (M 3.67, SD = 1.287), pursuit for excellence (M = 3.65, SD = 1.033), conflicting demands from stakeholders (M =3.68), SD = 1.156), lack of time to teach and attend to administrative tasks (M =3.373, SD = 1.122), workload (M =3.54, SD = 1.260), uncertainty in job expectations (M =3.97, SD = 1.166), undisciplined teachers (M =3.58, SD = 1.357) and staff shortage (M =3.78, SD = 1.357).

Quality of education is assessed on the basis of learners' achievement. Performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination is therefore a good indicator of the quality of education offered in schools. This is because it is a standardized instrument and therefore a reliable measure. In the years 2011 to 2014 Kakamega County posted mean scores of 5.439, 5.228, 5.363 and 5.654 respectively. These mean scores translate to an average of C-for the years 2011-2013 and C for 2014 which is below the acceptable minimum quality grade of C+ that enables candidates pursue competitive courses such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering, architecture, teaching, law and others in tertiary institutions and at university level. The key factors based on studies that influence students' academic performance in secondary education are: Principals, teachers, students, school factors and government policies. The teacher is the number two factor that influences students' academic performance. Teachers are facilitators of the learning process. Teachers are unique, in that they are architects, managers and engineers of pedagogy. This is why teaching/learning process is central to any education system. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the influence of teacher factors on students' academic performance in Kenya using Kakamega County as the site for the study. This study adopted ex-post-facto and correlational research designs. The study population consisted of 324 principals, 324 deputy principals, 9,000 form IV students and 1 County Education Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. The study established that teacher factors influenced students' academic performance by 59.4%. The other 41.6% was due to other factors which were not subject of this study. Teachers' Bachelor of Education degree qualification, Form IV qualification and Female teacher gender were statistically significant predictors of students' academic performance. Whereas teachers' Bachelor of Education degree qualification and female teacher gender enhanced students' academic performance, teachers with only Form IV qualifications reduced students' academic performance. Teachers' Master of Education degree qualification, teachers' Diploma in Education qualification, teachers' experience, teacher age, male teachers gender and teacher workload were not statistically significant factors in the prediction of students' academic performance.

Free Secondary Education policy was introduced in Kenya in 2008 with an aim of making secondary education affordable so as to enhance access, transition and student academic performance. Studies in some parts of Kenya like Kangundo Sub County have revealed that subsidized fees at all levels of education and particularly at primary and secondary education level enhances access, transition and academic performance. This seemed not to be the case in Mbita and Suba sub counties, where the transition rates from 2010 to 2014 were 39.4, 41.2, 40.4, 54.5, 59.2 for Mbita, 56.2, 54.4, 61.1 and 59.2 for Suba which were lower than the national transition rates of 68.9, 69.4, 68.4, 76.8 and 80.4 for the same period. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of Free Secondary Education policy on transition in Mbita and Suba Sub-counties. A conceptual framework based on the Psacharopoulous and Woodhall (1985) production function was adopted to determine the influence of Free Secondary Education policy on transition. The study findings revealed that Free Secondary Education policy influenced transition. However, Free Secondary Education policy had high influence in small and medium schools and very high influence in large schools. The government should therefore increase capitation fees for each student by 100%, employ more teachers, improve infrastructure and where possible merge small and medium schools for purpose of cost effectiveness. It is expected that the findings of this study may inform ministry of education, planners, teachers, parents and policy makers on strategies to improve or redesign Free secondary education policy to improve transition rates at the same time assist in the on-going search for efficient and quality education accessed by all.

Quality of education is assessed on the basis of learners' achievement. Performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations is therefore a good indicator of the quality of education offered in schools. This is because it is a standardized instrument and therefore a reliable measure. In the years 2011 to 2014 Kakamega County posted mean scores of 5.439, 5.228, 5.363 and 5.654 respectively. These means translate to an average of C-for the years 2011-2014 which was below the acceptable minimum quality grade of C+ that enables candidates pursue competitive courses such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering, architecture, law , teaching among others in tertiary institutions and at university level. The key factors based on studies that have been conducted on factors that influence students' academic performance in secondary education are: principals, teachers, students, school factors and government policies. The number one factor is the student. This is because she is the person who stands to lose or gain ostensibly from performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations. Students are products of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations process. It is against this backdrop that this study investigated student factors' influence on student academic performance in secondary education in Kenya using Kakamega County as the site for the study. The study population consisted of 324 secondary school principals, 324 Deputy principals, 1 County Education Quality Assurance and Standards Officer and 9,000 Form IV students of 2014 cohort. Regression analysis technique was used to establish the influence of student factors on students' academic performance. This study established that student factors influenced student academic performance by 7.56%. The other 24.4% was due to other factors which were not subject of this study. Performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, age, participation in co-curricular activities and exclusion from school were student factors that were statistically significant predictors of students academic performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations whereas Kenya Certificate of Primary Education mark, exclusion from school and co-curricular activities enhanced students academic performance, age (18 years and above) reduced students academic performance. Unrest absenteeism from school, class and preps were not statistically significant predictors of students' academic performance.