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Influence of Principals’ Collaborative Practices on Students’ 

Performance in Secondary Schools in Murang’a and Kirinyaga 

Counties, Kenya 

 

Irungu, Cecilia1; Josphat Kagema, 1; Michael Gachahi, 1. 

1 School of Education and Social Sciences, Karatina University, Kenya. 

Corresponding author: Irungu Cecilia: ceirungu19@gmail.com 

Accepted: 

May, 10 2019 

reviewed:  

August 5, 2019 

Published:  

November, 20 2019 

 

Abstract : Despite the fact that Kenyan children have more opportunities to attend school, there 
still remains large gaps in learning outcomes. This stagnation in learning is confirmed by results of 
national examinations including Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). According to 
KCSE examinations results analysis, performance in secondary schools in different parts of Kenya 
is still below expectations and this trend is worrying. The number of students in Murang’a and 
Kirinyaga Counties who have continuously scored grade D+ and below every year have consistently 
remained high compared to those attaining university minimum admission grade of C+ and above. 
This low performance has persisted despite most schools having adequate and well trained teachers 
as well as adequate facilities. This study examined the influence of principals’ collaborative practices 
on students’ performance in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. The study involved a sample 
of 205 principals and 367 teachers selected from 436 secondary schools in the two counties. The 
researchers used validated questionnaires and interview schedules to collect data from teachers and 
principals respectively. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study 
established that principals’ promotion of collaborative practices was higher in Kirinyaga than in 
Murang’a County. It was noted that secondary schools in Kirinyaga County post better results in 
KCSE than those in Murang’a County and the study concluded that collaborative practices enhanced 
academic performance. This study recommended that principals should promote collaborative 
practices in their schools. This can be done through engaging stakeholders in networking and 
linkages that promote collaboration and can lead to better academic performance.  

Keywords: Principals, leadership, collaborative practices, learners’ performance. 

INTRODUCTION 

Education is an essential ingredient for the development of any society and is seen as a pathway 

to raising political and social awareness as well as upholding the level of manpower 1. According to 

Yara and Otieno2, education is a fundamental human right. The pivot to sustainable development, 
peace, and stability within and among countries is the provision of quality education to their citizens 

                                                             
1 B N Onyara, “School Based Factors Influencing Students’ Academic Performance at Kenya Certificate of 

Secondary Education in Teso South District,” n.d. 
2 P O Yara and K O Otieno, “Teaching and Learning Resources and Academic Performance in Mathematics in 

Secondary Schools in Bondo District of Kenya,” Asian social Science 6, no. 12 (n.d.). 

mailto:ceirungu19@gmail.com


 
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(Oguntuase, Awe, & Ajayi, 2013). Quality education is meant for development of the country as well 
as individual’s wellbeing. Education has a transformative value and among other functions, it 

increases productivity and enhances lives of the people3. The Kenyan education sector has 
continued to experience paradigms of change. This change has also happened in the whole world at 
large as the determining global landscape on education is the essence for quality learning. In Kenya, 
the Kenya vision 2030 envisages to offer globally competitive quality education, training and 

research to the citizens4. It is the role of schools to transmit and perpetuate sustenance of society. 
In the Kenyan secondary schools’ context, the principal as the leader has the responsibility of 
providing the instructional foundation to the learners. In order for the principal to provide 
instructional foundation, the principal requires support from all stakeholders in the education sector. 
They all need to collaborate so that learners’ performance is enhanced and education goals are 
achieved. 

DeWitt 5 argues that collaboration develops when entities recognize that none can succeed 
without the others. Each has special expertise or unique capabilities that the others need and their 
relationship is characterized by trust, norms of give-and-take, shared responsibilities, consensus-
building and conflict resolution mechanisms. Collaboration is shared power, authority, shared 

information and decision-making systems. According to DeWitt6, collaborative leadership in schools 
includes the purposeful actions taken by leaders to enhance the instruction of teachers. This 
leadership builds deep relationships with all stakeholders through understanding self- effectiveness 
and also builds collective efficiency to deepen the act of togetherness in learning. Alternatively, 
Hurley (2011) defines collaborative leadership as the process of engaging collective intelligence to 
deliver results across organizational boundaries when ordinary mechanisms of control are absent. 
Hurley further ascertains that to lead collaboratively is to lead through conversation. Collaborative 
leaders take personal responsibility for communicating effectively and consciously use focused, 
intentional conversation to achieve key ends.   

According to Bono and Ilies7, research has shown that enthusiastic, stimulating and passionately 
fascinating manifestations of charisma create positive moods in the workers. The positive mood 
reduces emotion-related occurrences of burnout and stress at the workplace. Promotion of a 
collaborative school culture discussed in this classification are concerned with creating good working 
conditions. The conditions in most cases will ensure that teachers make the most of their 

motivations and commitments. According to Lezotte8  strong instructional leaders are proactive and 
seek help in building team leadership and a culture that is conducive to learning and professional 
growth. Recent research advances more reciprocal and inclusive models of instructional leadership. 
Inclusive leadership is that within which principals share authority with designees and act as 

                                                             
3 UNESCO, “Guidelines for Inclusion: Ensuring Access to Education for All,” United Nations Educational, Scientific 

and Cultural Organization (2005). 
4 Yara and Otieno, “Teaching and Learning Resources and Academic Performance in Mathematics in Secondary 

Schools in Bondo District of Kenya.” 
5 P M DeWitt, School Climate: Leading With Collective Efficacy (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, n.d.). 
6 Ibid. 
7 J E Bono and R Ilies, “Charisma, Positive Emotions and Mood Contagion,” The Leadership Quarterly 17, no. 4 

(n.d.): 317–334. 
8 Lawrence W Lezotte and Beverly A Bancroft, “Growing Use of the Effective Schools Model for School 

Improvement.,” Educational Leadership 42, no. 6 (1985): 23–27. 



 
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instructional coaches9  to the classroom teachers themselves10. Empowering principals encourage 
collaborative inquiry rather than rely upon more conventional, principal-centered supervisory 

practices11. When shared instructional leadership is practiced, teachers will in most cases become 
more committed and involved which will motivate them to innovate. Co-operation with teachers 
will work towards better performance as teachers will feel that they own the process and the 
outcomes of better performance. 
 
Statement of the Problem 

Students’ academic performance in the national examinations continues to be a major 
concern of education stakeholders in Kenya. This is because academic performance determines a 
student’s life after the secondary education. Results obtained from the Ministry of Education offices 
in the counties of Kirinyaga and Murang’a indicate that the number of students who have 
continuously scored mean grade D+ and below every year have consistently remained high. In 
comparison, the number of students attaining university entry grades of C+ and above has however 
remained consistently low. In the Kenyan context, grade C+ is the minimum university entry 
qualification. Table 1 shows KCSE results analysis in both counties for the years 2014 to 2017. 
 
Table 1 Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties’ KCSE Results Analysis (2014-2017).  
 

County    Grade                  A                    to                       C+ 

 2014 2015 2016 2017 

Murang’a 25.61 % 28.09 % 29.52 % 15.64 % 

Kirinyaga 33.35 % 33.79 % 32.70 % 18.62 % 

   Grade                  D+                   to                        E 

 2014 2015 2016 2017 

Murang’a 52.43 % 47.53 % 45.74 % 66.43 % 

Kirinyaga 43.63 % 40.31 % 38.41 % 58.64 % 

(Source: Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties Education Offices, 2018) 

 
The results in Table 1 show that though performance in the two counties have continuously 

remained low, the percentage of students attaining minimum university qualification of C+ and 
above is higher in Kirinyaga County than in Murang’a County. The results also show that the 
performance in Kirinyaga County was better than in Murang’a County. In Kenya, students attaining 
grades D+ and below fail to secure opportunities to pursue competitive courses in institutions of 
higher learning and this jeopardizes chances of jobs placement in future. Principals and other 

                                                             
9 R Halverson and C Thomas, “The Roles and Practices of Student Services Staff as Data-Driven Instructional 

Leaders,” in Instructional Teachers’ Leadership Roles: Using Research to Inform and Reform. Melinda Mangin and Sara Stoelinga, ed. 
eds. (New York: Teachers College Press, n.d.), 163–182. 

10 H M Marks and S M Printy, “Principal Leadership and School Performance: An Integration of 
Transformational and Instructional Leadership,” Educational Administration Quarterly 39, no. 3 (n.d.): 370 – 397. 

11 Richard Halverson et al., “The New Instructional Leadership: Creating Data-Driven Instructional Systems in 
School,” Journal of School Leadership 17, no. 2 (2007): 159–194. 



 
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instructional leaders are under pressure to improve the grades that the students attain at KCSE. In 
order to enhance academic performance, school principals have to employ practices that will lead 
to better academic performance. It is against this background that the researchers sought to establish 
the influence of principals’ promotion of collaborative practices on learners’ performance in 
Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. 
 
Purpose of the Study 

The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of principals’ promotion of 
collaborative practices on learners’ performance in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya.     
 
Objective of the Study 

The study was guided by the following specific objective:- To establish the influence of 
principals’ promotion of collaborative practices on learners’ performance in Murang’a and Kirinyaga 
Counties, Kenya. 
 
Null Hypothesis 

The study tested the following null hypothesis; 
H0: There is no statistically significant relationship between principals’ promotion of 
collaborative practices and learners’ performance in KCSE in Murang’a and Kirinyaga 
Counties, Kenya. 

 
LITERATURE REVIEW 

This study aimed at establishing the influence of principals’ promotion of collaborative 
practices on learners’ performance in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties. In this section, literature on 
principals’ promotion of collaborative practices and learners’ performance as captured in the study’s 
variables was discussed. The relationship between collaborative practices and learners’ academic 
achievement is also outlined. 

Printy 12( in a recent review of research published since 2000 sought to explain the various 
ways leaders influence the quality of instruction in schools in the United States of America. 
Qualitative and quantitative findings across these studies suggest that principals influence student 
learning as they work with and through teachers. Thus, Printy suggested future research will extend 
our understanding of this important instructional leadership dynamic to the degree it probes the 
relationship of leadership to teaching as well as moving beyond general leadership characteristics to 

focus on the specific tasks of the role. Ultimately, as Robinson, Lloyd and Rowe13  concluded, “If 
we are to learn more about how leadership supports teachers in improving student outcomes, we 
need to measure how leaders attempt to influence the teaching practices that matter…[that is] how 

teachers make a difference to students”. Robinson et al14  supported the views of Duke and Canady 

                                                             
12 S M Printy, “Principals’ Influence on Instructional Quality: Insights from US,” Schools Article in School Leadership 

and Management 30, no. 2 (n.d.): 111–126. 
13 V M J Robinson, C Lloyd, and K J Rowe, “The Impact of Leadership on Student Outcomes: An Analysis of 

the Differential Effects of Leadership Types,” Education Administration Quarterly 44 (n.d.): 635–674. 
14 37–41. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0022390 Tuma, J. M., & Pratt, J. M. (1982). Clinical child psychology practice 

and training: A survey. \ldots of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 137(August 2012) et al., “Youth Mentoring 
across Professional Settings: A Pedagogic Approach to Social Exclusion,” Doctor of Education School of Education University 
of Derby (2012): 1–210, http://derby.openrepository.com/derby/handle/10545/272012. 



 
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15 who argued that it is possible to create a school learning climate in which academic performance 
is highly valued by students. A good school climate leads to promotion of a collaborative school 
culture. When multiple and visible opportunities for rewarding students and recognizing their 
academic achievement and improvement is carried out, then a climate of success is shaped. These 
rewards may not necessarily be costly but students should have opportunities to be recognized for 
their achievement both within the classroom and also as part of the school as a whole. 

Based on their investigation, Watson, Partington, Gray and Mack 16 argued that students’ 
academic achievement in Aboriginal and minority communities, in Western Australia depended on 
focused principalship. A focused principal is the one who harnesses school community values and 
also involves instructors and learners successfully. In the same vein, Leithwood, Louis, Anderson 

and Wahlstrom17  argued that the greatest contribution of principals to the performance of their 
teachers and students is their ability to create meaningful and collaborative cultures in their schools. 
They emphasized that principals should be able to redesign their school organization through 
collaborative cultures and structures. Collaboration should be done within and outside the school 
so as to build productive relations with parents and the community. When collaborative structures 
are established, effectiveness of the school is strengthened and this leads to improvement in the 
learners’ achievement. 

In Norway, the successful school leader was described by Møller, Eggen, Fuglestad, 

Langfeldt, Presthus and Skrøvset 18 as the one who exemplified collaboration and team efforts in 

promoting a learning-centered approach in teaching. Further, Hoog, Johansson and Olofsson 19 
described how principals’ efforts in building teacher teams and in developing in students’ a sense of 
social values helped in promoting learning and achievement in Sweden. Decisions are arrived at 
jointly by clarifying, listening, reflecting, presenting, problem solving, negotiating and standardizing. 
This is possible when teachers and principals have similar levels of expertise, involvement and 

concern with problems in the school20. The Principal as the instructional leader is expected to 
identify problems, share with the teachers and allow them to come up with solutions to the problems 
as a team. When this happens, the teachers can own the solutions and be ready to implement them 
and to support the Principal in eradicating the identified problems. 

Hoog et al 21further stated that collaboration between the teachers and the principal is very 
crucial and both parties are expected to share and own the plan as well as proposed solutions. These 
situations come in handy in most instances when the principal is not an expert in a certain area or 
has little or no knowledge about the issue at hand. Those knowledgeable in the team or have the 
expertise that is required expresses their opinions but everyone is involved in the decision making 
process. This can be very instrumental in the learners’ overall achievement. A head-teacher who is 
an effective leader should bring about team spirit and cooperation among teachers for achievement 

                                                             
15 D L Duke and L Canady, School Policy (New York: McGraw Hill, n.d.). 
16 P Watson et al., Aboriginal Students and Numeracy (Perth, WA: Aboriginal Education and Training Council, n.d.). 
17 R P Corcoran, “Preparing Principals to Improve Student Achievement,” Child and Youth Care Forum 46, no. 5 

(2017): 769–781, https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85017663795&doi=10.1007%2Fs10566-
017-9399-9&partnerID=40&md5=7a30bb261012e888b268c48a52a1e03f. 

18 J Møller et al., “Successful School Leadership: The Norwegian Case,” Journal of Educational Administration 43, 
no. 6 (n.d.): 584–594. 

19 J Hoog, O Johansson, and A Olofsson, “Successful Principalship: The Swedish Case,” Journal of Educational 
Administration 43, no. 6 (n.d.): 595–606. 

20 Ibid. 
21 Ibid. 



 
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of agreed objectives. While supporting this Bakhda 22 states that a discrete head-teacher will employ 
team-work as a working strategy. The head-teacher will set up committees and smaller groups of 
members of staff to investigate new ideas or strategies. After studying their proposals and 
suggestions, the head-teacher will use the larger teams to make the final decisions. The extent to 
which teachers participate in decisions about school policies and issues and the autonomy that 
teachers have in the classroom have an important effect on learners’ achievement. 

The fundamental goal of professional communities is for teachers to collaborate. Couto 23 
reminds us that it does not seem probable that high levels of success in student achievement can 
happen by teachers working alone. Couto states that it is a widely accepted sociological tenet that 
complex tasks require strong lateral relationships. Although there are schools that have not invested 
in this idea as evidenced by the lack of structures in place to support collaboration, it does not mean 

that changes cannot occur. This will however take persistence and hard work 24. For academically 
successful schools to be realized, it is the responsibility of the school principal to work together and 
cooperate with their teaching staff so as to effectively manage and run the instructional programme. 
Instructional leaders are hands-on and are able to learn on time everything that goes on in the 
classrooms. They are therefore able to develop the capacities of their teachers through encouraging 

them to continue making use of their strengths and also reduce their weak points25. Effective 
instructional leaders spend more time and energy focusing on curriculum implementation and 
knowledge development as well as instruction and assessment. By doing this, they perform their 

duties better as they are able to go beyond the traditional roles played by school administrators 26. 

UNESCO’s 27 review of Botswana’s Basic Education system revealed that students’ 
academic performance was dismal when compared with other international students of comparable 
standards. The students used in the comparison were of high and middle income countries and of 
the same age group and below. The dismal performance was also evident in the way the students 
performed in the public examinations at the different levels of primary, junior and senior secondary 
schools in Botswana. Learners in all levels had posted a continued decline in performance at the 

national examinations28. This consistent decline could be partly attributed to outdated teaching 
methods that the teachers were using in the classrooms and practices such as lack of co-operation. 
The report also indicated that the problem is compounded by lack of training. Teachers were even 
expected to implement the new curriculum without any training concerning the curriculum. They 
therefore found themselves handicapped and not in a position to implement the curriculum 
properly. Moswela and Mphale further ascertain that the observations have repercussions on the 
worth of the teachers. 

                                                             
22 S Bakhda, Management and Evaluation of Schools (London: Oxford University Press, n.d.). 
23 R A Couto, Reflections on Leadership. Lanham, Md (Plymouth: University Press of America, n.d.). 
24 Tuma, J. M., & Pratt, J. M. (1982). Clinical child psychology practice and training: A survey. \ldots of Clinical 

Child & Adolescent Psychology, 137(August 2012) et al., “Youth Mentoring across Professional Settings: A Pedagogic 
Approach to Social Exclusion.” 

25 J P Spillane and A Zuberi, “Designing and Piloting a Leadership Daily Practice: Using Logs to Study the 
Practice of Leadership,” Educational Administration Quarterly 45, no. 3 (n.d.): 375–423. 

26 L C Jita, “Instructional Leadership for the Improvement of Science and Mathematics in South Africa,” 
Procodia–Social and Behavioral Sciences 9, no. 2 (n.d.): 851–854. 

27 I D S ISSC, “UNESCO (2016) World Social Science Report 2016, Challenging Inequalities: Pathways to a Just 
World” (UNESCO Publishing, Paris, 2016). 

28 B Moswela and L K Mphale, “Barriers to Clinical Supervision Practices in Botswana Schools in The,” Journal 
of Education and Training Studies 3, no. 6 (n.d.). 



 
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There is thus the need to train the instructors for excellence or quality teaching and learning 
in the classrooms. These specific training needs of the teachers can be identified through effective 
clinical classroom supervision. When clinical instructional supervision is carried out, guidance will 
be offered to the concerned teachers. Guidance will assist the teachers in improvement of their 

instructional delivery to the learners at the classroom level 29. Improvement in instructional delivery 
by teachers can however be realized if the principals are assisted or provided with the knowledge on 
good instructional management practices. Such management practices include collaborative 
practices. When principals are properly equipped, they are able to perform the role of instructional 
leaders of fellow teachers at the school level. With the importance of practice of collaborative 
practices on learners’ performance in Kenya and in response to the concern expressed by previous 
researchers on this matter, the present research will address the gap by investigating the practice of 
collaborative practices and how they influence learners’ performance. 

 
LITERATURE REVIEW 

The study was guided by the Model for Instructional Leadership developed by Weber30. The 
model was found suitable for the study because it expounded on instructional leadership practices 
which include collaborative practices that are responsible for improved learners’ achievement in 
schools. Weber’s Model identified five crucial domains of instructional leadership: defining the 
school’s mission, managing curriculum and instruction, fostering a positive learning climate, 
observing and improving instruction and assessing the instructional programme. According to 

Weber 31, the school’s mission is a dynamic process of cooperation and reflective thinking to create 
a mission that is clear and honest. The school staff, students and parents should be bound by the 
school mission to a common vision. The principal as the instructional leader offers the stakeholders 
with opportunities to discuss values and expectations for their school. Together they work to create 
a shared mission for the school. 

The establishment of trusting and respectful relationships between the principal and the 

teachers is an initial step towards observing and improving instruction. Weber32  proposed that 
observations are opportunities for professional interactions. These interactions provide professional 
development opportunities for both the observer and one being observed. In other words, a 
reciprocal relationship develops where both people involved gain valuable information for 

professional growth. Hallinger 33 in support of Weber ascertains that promoting a positive school-
learning climate includes protecting instructional time, maintaining high visibility and providing ways 
of motivating both the teachers and the learners.   

According to Hallinger and Murphy 34, principals can influence students and teachers attitudes 
through enhancing collaboration. The attitude of teachers and students can be influenced through 

                                                             
29 Ibid. 
30 Tuma, J. M., & Pratt, J. M. (1982). Clinical child psychology practice and training: A survey. \ldots of Clinical 

Child & Adolescent Psychology, 137(August 2012) et al., “Youth Mentoring across Professional Settings: A Pedagogic 
Approach to Social Exclusion.” 

31 J Weber, “Leading the Instructional Program,” in School Leadership. Handbook for Excellence in Student Learning, 
ed. SmithS and Piele P, 4th ed. (California: Corwin Press, n.d.). 

32 Ibid. 
33 Corcoran, “Preparing Principals to Improve Student Achievement.” 
34 Tuma, J. M., & Pratt, J. M. (1982). Clinical child psychology practice and training: A survey. \ldots of Clinical 

Child & Adolescent Psychology, 137(August 2012) et al., “Youth Mentoring across Professional Settings: A Pedagogic 
Approach to Social Exclusion.” 



 
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the establishment of a reward structure that reinforces better academic performance and productive 
effort. The rewarding process can be done through the use of clear-cut standards which are stated 
in detail that embody the school’s expectations. Principals will therefore play an active role in the 
development of teamwork among teachers and other stakeholders. In return, equipped and 
motivated teachers are able to work towards better academic performance in the school. 
 
 
METHOD 

This study employed the descriptive survey research design35. The study was undertaken in 
Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties which are in the Central region of Kenya. These two counties 
were selected for the purpose of this study because they had varied types of schools which included 
National, Extra-County, County and Sub-county schools. The researchers employed multistage 
sampling technique comprising of: stratified sampling, purposive sampling and simple random 
sampling techniques. From a target population of 436 principals and 8,049 teachers, a sample of 205 
principals and 367 teachers were selected. The samples were selected proportionally depending on 
the target population of each county. Murang’a County was apportioned 123 schools which 
translated to 60% of the sample as it had a higher population as compared to Kirinyaga County 
which was apportioned the other 82 schools. 

The study used validated questionnaires and interview schedules to collect both quantitative 
and qualitative data. The questionnaires consisted of open ended and closed questions as well as a 

five item Likert scale36. The interview schedules consisted of open ended and closed questions. The 
researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with the 205 principals and administered 
questionnaires to the 367 teachers. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. 

 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 

The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of principals’ collaborative practices 
on learners’ achievement in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. The researcher was able to 
interview all the principals thus obtaining a return rate of a 100% for the interview schedule. Majority 
of the targeted teachers responded resulting in a return rate of 98.09% for the teachers’ 
questionnaires. Results and discussions were based on the stated objective and hypotheses of the 
study.  

The researchers conducted data analysis with regard to the roles performed by the principals 
that are necessary in ensuring that the learners’ performance is enhanced. A Likert Scale to measure 
how principals performed their roles was developed. The Likert Scale had five (5) items and 
respondents were to tick one response for each item. The response was selected from either Strongly 
Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Undecided (3), Agree (4) and Strongly Agree (5). The mean score for each 
statement was computed and used to measure the rating of the role of the principal in promoting 
collaborative practices on a scale ranging from one (1) to a maximum of five (5). Mean scores 
between 1.0 and 2.4 were rated as low, mean scores between 2.5 and 3.4 were rated as moderate 
while mean scores between 3.5 and 5.0 were rated as high. The findings of the data analysis are as 
analysed in Table 2. 

                                                             
35 W Creswell John, “Penelitian Kualitatif Dan Desain Riset, Memilih Diantara Lima Pendekatan,” Yogyakarta: 

Pustaka Pelajar (2014). 
36 A G Mugenda, Social Science Research, Theory and Principles (Nairobi: Applied Research & Training Services (Arts 

Press, n.d.). 



 
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Table 2   Principals’ Roles on Promotion of Collaborative Practices According to Teachers. 

 Roles Performed by the 
Principal 

County Frequency SD D U A SA �̅�         sd 

1 Creates a common 
vision, effective teams 
and engender 
commitment 

 
Murang’a 

 
Kirinyaga 

197 

137 

11 

0 

40 

11 

24 

15 

90 

82 

32 

29 

3.47 

3.94 

1.15 

.80 

2 Engages teachers in 
networking and linkages 
that promote 
collaboration 

 
Murang’a 

 
Kirinyaga 

197 

135 

12 

2 

40 

14 

28 

30 

89 

70 

28 

19 

3.41 

3.67 

1.14 

.90 

 
3 

 
Involves teachers in the 
decision making process 

 
Murang’a 

 
Kirinyaga 

196 

135 

22 

2 

35 

10 

32 

16 

78 

73 

29 

34 

3.29 

3.94 

1.24 

.90 

 
4 Puts various 

mechanisms in place to 
ensure a harmonious 
working relationship 

 
Murang’a 

 
Kirinyaga 

196 

135 

15 

4 

36 

5 

19 

5 

92 

88 

34 

33 

3.48 

4.04 

1.20 

.84 

 
5 Enhances collaborative 

approaches in the 
departments 

 
Murang’a 

 
Kirinyaga 

197 

135 

20 

7 

25 

7 

29 

8 

88 

93 

35 

20 

3.47 

3.83 

1.21 

.93 

 

Aggregate Score 

 
Murang’a 

 
Kirinyaga 

197 

136 

     

3.47 

3.93 

.996 

.620 

Source: Researchers (2018). 

Results in Table 2 show that most teachers agreed or strongly agreed that the principals in 
both counties played the role of influencing collaborative practices in their respective schools. On 
creation of a common vision, effective teams and engendering commitment, Kirinyaga County was 
rated high at x̅ = 3.94 while Murang’a County was rated moderate at x̅ = 3.47. On whether principals 
engaged teachers in networking and linkages that promote collaborative practices, Kirinyaga County 
was rated high at x̅ = 3.67 while Murang’a County was rated moderate at x̅ = 3.41. Regarding 
involvement of teachers in decision making processes, the study revealed that in Kirinyaga, the rating 
was high at x̅ = 3.94 while in Murang’a County, the rating was moderate at x̅ = 3.29. On putting up 



 
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various mechanisms in place to ensure a harmonious working relationship amongst all the 
stakeholders in their schools, the study revealed that the rating was high in Kirinyaga county (x̅ = 
4.04) and moderate in Murang’a county (x̅ = 3.48). Finally, regarding whether principals enhanced 
collaborative approaches in the various departments in the school, the study showed that in 
Kirinyaga, the rating was high (x̅ = 3.83) and moderate in Murang’a (x̅ = 3.47). These results show 
that principals in both counties performed the role of influencing collaborative practices in their 
schools with the view of improving learners’ achievement. Further scrutiny of the results however 
show Kirinyaga County had higher ratings on collaborative practices than Murang’a County. These 
results show that principals in Kirinyaga County embraced collaboration practices more than 
principals in Murang’a County. It was also observed that secondary schools in Kirinyaga County 
attained better results in KCSE than schools in Murang’a County as shown in Table 1. This points 
to a possible relationship between collaborative practices and students’ academic performance. 

The findings of this study agreed with the results of an investigation carried out by Watson, 

Partington, Gray and Mack37. In the study, Watson et al argued that students’ academic achievement 
in Aboriginal and minority communities in Western Australia depended on focused principalship. 
A focused principal is the one who harnesses school community values and also involves teachers 

and students effectively. In agreement with Leithwood, Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom38, Watson 

et al 39argued that the greatest contribution of principals to the performance of their teachers and 
students is their ability to create meaningful and collaborative cultures in their schools. They 
however emphasized that principals should be able to redesign their school organization through 
collaborative cultures and structures. Creation of collaborative structures should be done both 
internally and externally in the institutions. Such structures enhance effective connections with 
guardians and the surrounding community. Collaborative cultures and structures also ensure that 
effectiveness of the school is strengthened and this leads to improvement in the learners’ 
achievement. 

With regard to the benefits of involving teachers in decision making processes, one principal 
remarked as follows during the interview process; “Once involved, the teachers own the decisions and therefore 
work positively towards their achievement. The teachers also readily implement the school policies and therefore 
curriculum implementation is unhampered leading to better performance.” Collaboration allows the teacher and 
the principal to share ownership of the plan and proposed solutions. Shared ownership is helpful in 
areas where the principal is not an expert or have little or no experience. Through collaboration, the 
most informed individual expresses their knowledge but everyone participates in the decision 
making process which can be very instrumental in the learners’ overall achievement. While 

supporting the importance of collaboration in schools, the findings of the study agree with Bakhda40  
who states that a discrete head-teacher will employ team-work as a working strategy. The school 
leader sets up committees and smaller groups of members of staff to investigate new techniques or 
ideas. After studying their proposals and suggestions, the leader uses the larger teams to make a final 
decision. The extent to which teachers participate in decisions about school policies and issues and 
the autonomy that teachers have in the classroom have an important effect on learners achievement. 

                                                             
37 Watson et al., Aboriginal Students and Numeracy. 
38 K Leithwood et al., How Leadership Influences Student Learning (New York: The Wallace Foundation, n.d.). 
39 Tuma, J. M., & Pratt, J. M. (1982). Clinical child psychology practice and training: A survey. \ldots of Clinical 

Child & Adolescent Psychology, 137(August 2012) et al., “Youth Mentoring across Professional Settings: A Pedagogic 
Approach to Social Exclusion.” 

40 Bakhda, Management and Evaluation of Schools. 



 
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With regard to whether principals had put up various mechanisms in place to ensure a 
harmonious working relationship amongst all the stakeholders in their institutions, most of the 
teachers involved in the study 247 (73.95%) either agreed or strongly agreed.  This was confirmed 
by one principal involved in the study who remarked as follows; “I offer servant leadership and also 
encourage regular departmental, student council and class meetings. I’m also in the frontline in solving personal 
problems that arise between the teaching and the non-teaching staff without any bias or favourism.” When a principal 
handles all stakeholders equally and without any bias, all members are able to respect each other and 
can easily collaborate and work as a team. 

Relationship Between Principals’ Promotion of Collaborative Practices and Learners’ 
Performance. 

The study tested one null hypothesis in line with the study objective which was to establish 
the influence of principals’ promotion of collaborative practices on learners’ performance in KCSE 
in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. The hypothesis stated that there is no statistically 
significant relationship between principals’ promotion of collaborative practices and learners’ 
performance in KCSE in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. Pearson correlation analysis was 
done to show the relationship between principals’ promotion of collaborative practices and learners’ 
performance in KCSE in the two counties. Results of this analysis are presented in Table 3. 
 
Table 3: Pearson Correlation Results for Principals' Promotion of Collaborative Practices 
and Learners’ Performance in KCSE in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties. 

County Learners’ 
performance 

Promotion of 
collaboration 

practices 

Murang'a 

Learners’ performance 

Pearson Correlation 1 .016 

Sig. (2-tailed)  .253 

N 191 187 

Promotion of 
collaboration practices 

Pearson Correlation .016 1 

Sig. (2-tailed) .253  

N 186 197 

Kirinyaga 

Learners’ performance 

Pearson Correlation 1 .064 

Sig. (2-tailed)  .028 

N 131 128 

Promotion of 
collaboration practices 

Pearson Correlation .064 1 

Sig. (2-tailed) .028  

N 129 137 

 
Analysis in Table 3 shows the results of Pearson correlation analysis of the relationship 

between principals’ promotion of collaborative practices and learners’ performance for Murang’a 
and Kirinyaga Counties. This analysis showed that there was a weak, positive correlation between 
the two variables (r =.016, n = 186, p =.253) in Murang’a county and similarly, there was a weak, 
positive correlation between the two variables (r =.064, n = 129, p =.028) in Kirinyaga county. Data 
analysis established that the level of significance was .253 for Murang’a County and .028 for 
Kirinyaga County as shown in Table 3. Results obtained from the Pearson correlation analysis 
indicated that the relationship observed was statistically significant in Kirinyaga County and not 



 
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statistically significant in Murang’a County. The null hypothesis was rejected for Kirinyaga County 
showing that there was a statistically significant relationship between principals’ promotion of 
collaborative practices and learners’ performance in the county. These results indicated that 
principals in Kirinyaga County enhanced collaborative practices in their schools and in return 
acquired better academic performance. The null hypothesis was however not rejected for Murang’a 
County showing that there was no statistically significant relationship between principals’ promotion 
of collaborative practices and learners’ performance.  
 

The results were in agreement with the descriptive analysis which pointed out that there 
existed differences in promotion of collaborative practices in Kirinyaga and Murang’a counties as 
indicated by the aggregate mean scores of x̅ = 3.93 in Kirinyaga County which was rated high and 
x̅ = 3.47 in Murang’a County which was rated moderate. The results indicating that principals’ 
promotion of collaborative practices was not the same in the two counties are also reflected in the 
differences in academic performance at KCSE in Kirinyaga and Murang’a Counties. Although 
performance has continuously remained dismal in both counties over the years, Kirinyaga County 
has performed relatively better compared to Murang’a County (Table 1). The higher ratings in 
Kirinyaga County in principals’ promotion of collaborative practices may be associated with the 
positive academic performance in the county. It was thus concluded that a positive relationship 
existed between principals' promotion of collaborative practices and learners’ performance. 

The results were in agreement with the findings by Hattie (2009). Hattie emphasized more 
on the roles played by responsible teachers and students than that of the principal, in improving 
teaching and learning and obtaining good learning outcomes. In Hattie’s meta-analysis on academic 
achievement, the study findings mentioned the significance of the instructional role of the principal 
through management of teachers and students. Hattie’s emphasis was on teachers and students, who 
know their tasks and collaborate with the principal in the improvement of teaching and learning. 
Hattie identified the respective roles of effective principals, teachers and students but maintained 
emphasis on teacher effects, teacher-student relationships and responsibilities as catalysts of change 
that boost the efforts of the principal in improving teaching and learning and sustaining 
achievement. Principals have a responsibility of redesigning their school organization through 
collaborative cultures and structures. This should be done internally and externally in the institutions 
and encourage beneficial connections with parents and the community. When this is done, it ensures 
that effectiveness of the school is strengthened and this leads to improvement in the learners’ 
achievement. 
 
CONCLUSION 

The results of the study have indicated that principals’ promotion of collaborative practices 
in their respective schools in both counties was not the same. The study revealed that promotion of 
collaborative practices was higher in Kirinyaga County than in Murang’a County. Incidentally, 
secondary schools in Kirinyaga County posted higher results than those in Murang’a County. It was 
therefore concluded that collaborative practices enhance students’ performance. Schools which 
embrace collaborative practices are likely to post better results than those which do not.  
 
RECOMMENDATIONS 

The study recommended that principals should involve teachers and other stakeholders in 
decision making processes in the schools. When teachers are involved, they own the decisions and 
support their implementation and this may translate to better results. Principals should also put in 



 
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place mechanisms that enhance harmonious working relationships in the schools. This can be done 
through engaging teachers in networking and linkages that promote collaborative practices. 

 
 
 
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