RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF SCHOOL CLIMATE, UNREST AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BONDO SUB COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Schools are at advantage position to effectively assess and monitor school climate given their potential ability to enhance positive student outcomes and mitigate risk behaviors. When a positive school climate exists; students, staff members and parents feel safe, included and accepted. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationship of students’ perception of school climate, unrest and academic performance in Kenya. The objectives of the study were; to analyze students’ perception of school climate in secondary schools in Bondo Sub-County; to establish the relationship between perceived principals’ leadership styles and students’ unrest; to determine the extent to which perception of students’ unrest interfere with academic performance in schools; and establish the intervention strategies used by schools to mitigate perceived students’ unrest. The study was guided by the theory of biologist Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, the System Theory. Descriptive research design was used in this study. The study adopted qualitative and quantitative methods. Population comprised of 3159 form 3 students, 49 principals, 49 teachers of guidance and counseling and 1 Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer in Bondo Sub-County. Stratified sampling, purposive sampling and simple random sampling were used to arrive at a sample size of 300 of form three students from sampled schools. All principals and guidance and counseling teachers of the selected schools participated in the study. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics results were presented as counts/tables, percentages, bar graphs, column graphs and pie charts. Further, chi-square tests and spearman correlation tests were run between school climate, principals’ leadership styles and students’ unrest. There was a weak positive correlation between principals’ leadership style and causes of students’ unrest in schools, which was statistically significant, rs=.297, p=. 000. In addition, there was no significance difference between student unrest and academic performance, chi-square statistics =40.527, p=0.001 and df=16. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the school administration, teachers and parents should work more in helping students build a positive school climate; both home and school factors should contribute in enhancing positive school climate for students.