Secondary school principals as providers of teaching and learning resources: impact on students’ academic achievement in kitui county, kenya

The problem of academic performance cuts across both developed and developing nations of the world. Many factors play a role in students’ academic performance. These factors can be within or outside the school context. Within the school environment, the head teachers’ leadership role largely shapes the overall performance of a school. Based on this understanding, this paper explores how the unique role of secondary school principals in the provision of teaching and learning materials influences the academic achievements of learners. The paper is informed byaresearch that wascarried out in Kitui West Sub-County of Kenya. The study employed a mixed methods research design, which included survey and naturalistic designs. It targeted nine (9) schools, one hundred and seventy-six (176) students, fifty-four (54) class teachers, nine (9) principals and three (3) District Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (DQASOs). In total, the sample comprised two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents out of whom two hundred and three (203) actually participated in the study. Data collection instruments used included questionnaires for students and teachers and interview guides for the principals and DQASOs. The collected data was analysed using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis approaches. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, Version 17) aided the process of data analysis. The quantitative data was computed to produce frequencies and percentages. On the other hand, qualitative data analysis was conducted on the data collected using the interview method and reported in narrative form along quantitative data.From the analysis of the research findings, it was established that the main role that secondary school principals played in relation to educational resources included evaluating the adequacy of instructional materials, advising teachers on the most current instructional resources and encouraging teachers to develop innovative teaching aids. Based on the findings, it was recommended that all the educational stakeholders, namely parents, the government and school administration, should come together to find strategies for ensuring educational resources are sufficiently provided to meet educational needs. Moreover, school leaders should organize funding initiatives to facilitate the construction of school laboratories and libraries and, at the same time, collect more funds to purchase and equip these facilities with modern educational resources.