Influence of Supervisory Strategies on Performance of Teachers: An Empirical Study of Secondary Schools in Mandera West Sub-County, Mandera County, Kenya

Abdi Mohamud Ali & Mary Mugwe
School of Education
Mount Kenya University, Kenya
Email: mohamudabdi500@gmail.com

Abstract: There have been controversies regarding the effectiveness of teachers through the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC), which is a teacher management body in Kenya. This dates back to early 2021 when the TSC launched training on teacher professional development and, consequently, began enrolling teachers across the country. This formed the purpose of the study, which aimed to examine the influence of school supervisory strategies on the performance of teachers in secondary schools in Mandera West sub-county, Mandera County, Kenya. The study adopted the Contingency Management Theory and consisted of a mixed methods approach. The study employed a descriptive research design with a target population of 404 stakeholders in the public secondary schools in the subcounty, and a sample size of 30% (121). The research subjects were selected from the larger categories of stakeholders using a stratified sampling design. Data was collected through questionnaires for BOM (Board of Management) members and teachers, and interviews were conducted with the principals. Secondary data was collected from specified documents through document analysis. The researcher piloted the research instruments using 12 (10% of the sample) secondary schools’ stakeholders in the neighboring subcounty of Mandera County. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and correlation analysis was used to measure the strength of the relationship between school supervisory strategies and the performance of teachers. Qualitative data was used to triangulate the quantitative findings. The study found that various principal’s supervisory strategies were evident within the public secondary schools in Mandera West subcounty. The strategies were also applied in diverse measures, where some were rated as low priority to high priority. These various strategies are associated with different advantages. The study revealed a strong positive correlation between teacher performance and supervisory strategies (r=0.758) but this correlation was found to be statistically insignificant (α=0.108). The study recommends that school principals employ supervisory strategies that have a dominant influence on teacher performance, including establishing clear reporting channels.