Influence of Principals’ Mentorship Practices on Female Teachers’ progression to Management positions of Public Secondary Schools in Kajiado County, Kenya.
Abstract
Gender parity in Management of Institutions is currently a matter of global concern. The study investigated Influence of Principals’ Mentorship Practices on Female Teachers’ Progression into Management of Public Secondary Schools in Kajiado County, Kenya. The study determined how mentorship practices influence the number of Female Teachers who apply for the management positions in Public Secondary Schools in Kajiado County. The study was anchored on coaching and mentoring theories and model. Data was collected using questionnaires from 419 public secondary school teachers holding management position of Heads of departments, Senior teachers, deputy and principals managing public secondary schools. Interview schedule was used to collect data from the five (5) TSC sub county directors of education in Kajiado County. Stratified sampling technique was used to sample 205 public secondary school teachers holding management positions in Kajiado while 4 TSC sub-county Directors of Education were purposively sampled. Qualitative data collected from the interviews was analysed using content analysis and presented in a narrative form and the findings of quantitative data were presented by use of charts and tables. The study used Pearson’s correlation analysis to test if there is a linear association between independent and dependent variables. Statistical package for social sciences was used as the data analysis software. The study investigated the influence of principals’ mentorship practices on female teachers’ progression into management of public secondary schools. Some of the mentorship practices included exposing female teachers to peer mentoring, delegation of duties to female teachers and allowing competent teachers to perform management roles based on their capabilities and financial support to attend management training conferences.
From the study it was found that practices like delegating administrative roles to female teachers boosted their exposure to management roles which motivate them to take management positions. It was suggested that there is need for the principals to use different ways of exposing female teachers to management training conferences and inviting successful managers to sensitize female teachers on pathways to management.
