HEAD TEACHERS’ TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE: IT’S INFLUENCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN UASIN GISHU COUNTY, KENYA

Authors: *Dr Agen’go Ogony Maurice, PhD, Dr Pamela Buhere, PhD & Dr Peter Jairo Aloka, PhD

ABSTRACT

Head teachers should mobilize appropriate human, physical and material resources for the transformation of regular schools into inclusive schools. Inclusion   provides dignity and personal empowerment. This study investigated Head Teachers’ Transactional Leadership Style and its Influence on the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Public Primary Schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study was anchored on Lewin’s leadership theory. The study adopted Concurrent triangulation design within the mixed method approach. The target population for the study comprised 4909 teachers in public primary schools and 464 senior teachers totaling up to 5373. The sample size comprised 491 teachers stratified sampled, 10 senior teachers systematically randomly sampled and a sample size of 501 was used.  Data collection instruments were questionnaires and interview schedules. Content, construct and face   validity was ensured by expert judgment. Reliability was ensured by Cronbach Alpha method and reliability coefficients were all above 0.7.  Quantitative data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as Spearman Rank correlation and liner regression while Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that there is a statistically significant positive though weak correlation between the head teachers’ transactional leadership style and implementation of inclusive education (n=368; rho =.146; p =.005). The findings of this study would help the Ministry of Education in assessing policies regarding implementation of inclusive education and hence make necessary adjustments that can ensure full implementation. The Kenya Education Management Institute should sensitize head teachers on better leadership practices for primary schools that can enhance the implementation of inclusive education.

Keywords; implementation, inclusive, education, transactional, leadership, style

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