Principals' Time Management Strategies and Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Ijara Sub-County, Garissa County, Kenya

Abstract

The significance of administrative strategies implemented by secondary school principals in enhancing academic performance cannot be overstated. However, it is worth noting that in Ijara Sub-County, a considerable number of public secondary schools have consistently achieved low academic grades in national examinations. Consequently, the current study investigated the association between principals' time management strategies and the academic performance of public secondary schools in Ijara Sub-County, Kenya. The study was guided by human capital theory and adopted a mixed methods approach. The targeted population comprised five principals and 64 teachers, resulting in a total of 69 participants. Participants for this study were selected using a census approach which involved including every individual within the defined population. To collect data, a questionnaire was administered to the teachers, allowing for the collection of quantitative information. On the other hand, interview guides were used to gather qualitative data from the principals. Validity of the questionnaire was tested using expert judgment, while reliability was assessed using the Cronbach alpha test on the 0.7 threshold. Qualitative data was analysed thematically while quantitative data analysis was done to yield descriptive statistics and correlation analysis used to test the association. The results were presented on frequency tables, The study found that principals time management strategies were positively and significantly associated with academic performance of public secondary schools in Ijara Sub-County, Kenya (r= 0.743; p<0.01). The study recommended for improvement of time management variable so as to enhance academic performance of public secondary schools.