Job satisfaction of secondary school principals in the Rift Valley province of Kenya

Abstract

Few studies have examined how school administrators in Kenya perceive their work and employment conditions. The primary purpose of this study was to determine which aspects of the principal' s position contributed to job satisfaction of Kenyan secondary school administrators. A secondary purpose was to investigate the extent to which overall job satisfaction is related to individual characteristics of the principals and to organizational characteristics of the schools. Data were obtained by means of a survey questionnaire, which was mailed to 201 secondary school principals in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The response rate was 67% (135/201). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analyses and multiple linear regression, as well as comparison of means using t-tests to answer the research questions. Content analyses of free response information were used to give substance to statistical findings. The majority of the Kenyan secondary school principals (90%) were satisfied with their total work role. Highest satisfaction scores were associated with (1) principal relationships with teachers and students, (2) principal's social relationships with teachers, and (3) the principal' s freedom to allocate teaching assignments. Principals appeared to be dissatisfied with "fringe benefits under the contract" and "other fringe benefits". The means calculated from the reported perception of overall job satisfaction were not significantly different for (a) age, (b) gender, (c) length of administrative service, (d) post-secondary education, (e) school setting, (f) type of school system, or (g) school size.