Leadership Styles and Competency Development in Junior School Learning Institutions in Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of leadership styles on competency development in Junior School learning Institutions in Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: To establish the influence of transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, and servant leadership on competency development in Junior School learning Institutions in Kenya. The study was anchored to the trait theory of leadership, path-goal leadership theory, behavioral leadership theory, leadership-member exchange theory and institutional leadership theory. A conceptual framework was developed, which was used in the study and depicts the interrelationship between the study variables. The independent variables were transactional leadership style, transformational leadership style, servant leadership style, and laissez-faire leadership style. The dependent variable was competency development in the Junior School learning Institutions in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive, exploratory, and correlational research design. The study population was 750 respondents made up of two Heads of Institutions and two senior teachers at Junior School in all the 47 Counties in Kenya. The study population was justified because the Heads of Institutions and Senior Teachers were the ones mandated to carry out leadership and decision-making in the school governance system in Kenya. The study used primary data, which was collected using questionnaires. The study used questionnaires that were both open and closed-ended. Descriptive statistics involved computation of mean scores, standard deviation, percentages, cross tabulation, and frequency distribution, which described the demographic characteristics of the organization and the respondents. To draw conclusions on the relationship among the variables, the study tested the hypotheses by use of regression models at the 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that leadership styles (transactional, transformational, servant, and laissez-faire) variables explain 65.9% of the variations in competency development in the junior schools’ institutions. Overall, the study concluded that leadership styles (transactional, transformational, servant, and laissez-faire) had a positive contribution to competency development in Junior School learning Institutions in Kenya. Specifically, the study established that the transformational leadership style made the most positive contribution among the independent variables investigated. This study addresses the existing knowledge gap by determining the relationship between leadership styles and competency development in Junior School learning Institutions in Kenya, which is not direct but rather through the adopted leadership styles of transactional, transformational, servant, and laissez-faire leadership styles. The findings of this study, therefore, have implications for theory, practice, and policy.