Influence Of School Administrative Practices On Teachers’ Job Satisfaction In Secondary Schools In Kirinyaga Central Sub County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Job satisfaction among employees is affected by factors within the organization they work for as well as factors in the external environment. One of the factors that influence job satisfaction is leadership and administrative practices in place. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of administrative practices at the school level on teachers‟ job satisfaction in secondary schools in Kirinyaga Central Sub County, Kirinyaga County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to determine the influence of principals‟ support for professional development of teachers in public secondary schools in Kirinyaga Central Sub County; to assess the influence of involvement of teachers in the school administration in public secondary schools in Kirinyaga Central Sub County; to evaluate the influence of use of non-monetary incentives in public secondary schools in Kirinyaga Central Sub County and to examine the influence of working environment on teachers‟ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Kirinyaga Central Sub County. The study was underpinned on Mc Gregor‟s Theory X and Y and utilized descriptive survey design. The target population consisted of 35 principals and 312 teachers in secondary schools in Kirinyaga Sub County totaling to 421. Both stratified and random sampling was used to arrive at 12 principals and 129 teachers, totaling of 141 respondents. The study used questionnaires and structured interview guides to gather information from teachers and principals. Expert view and test retest methods were used to test the validity and reliability of the research instruments respectively. The study used percentages, mean, standard deviation and regression analysis, ANOVA and test of significance to analyze the data and used tables, pie charts and bar graphs to present the data. The study found out those school administrative practices such as principals‟ support for professional development of teachers, involvement of teachers in the school administration, use of non-monetary incentives and working environment influence the level of teachers‟ job satisfaction. The study recommends that schools enhance teachers‟ job satisfaction through facilitating teachers attendance of job related seminars and workshops, include teachers in the schools‟ decision making organs, offer teachers incentives and improve the teachers‟ physical working environment. The findings of the study may be found useful by the education policy makers and school administrations in optimizing the administrative factors influencing teachers‟ job satisfaction.