Assessment of Management Practices of Induction for Newly Appointed Teachers in Secondary Schools in Kisumu East and West Districts, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, induction for NATs in public secondary schools is based on the Teachers Service Commission Induction Guide. However the TSC Guide does not explain how NATs in public secondary schools should be inducted, the contents of the induction programs in public secondary schools, the duration induction for NATs and the sequence which the school mentors were to use during induction. The loophole in the induction guide from the TSC has lclt the public secondary schools in Kisumu East and West Districts to find their own ways of inducting NATs. The resultant effect is the varied induction practices done by public secondary schools to their NATs. The impact of the varied practices in Kisumu East and West Districts is that NATs in public secondary schools operates with various unresolved problems. NATs in Kisumu East and West Districts are therefore dissatisfied with their schools and the teaching profession leading to (80%) in need of transfers and (13%) deserting teaching to other employment (District staffing Officers Kisumu East and West Districts, 2010). The purpose of this study was to asses the management practices of induction for Newly Appointed Teachers in secondary schools in Kisumu East and West Districts and specifically; to find out the induction needs of Newly Appointed Teachers, to assess the management practices of induction for newly appointed teachers in secondary schools; assess the perceptions of newly appointed teachers on management practices of induction in secondary schools; andto examine the challenges faced in the process of induction and coping strategies employed by the school administration. A conceptual framework was used to help the study in focusing on how head teachers and heads of departments manage the induction programs in order to settle the newly appointed teachers in public secondary schools. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The study population consisted of 40 head teachers, 40 heads of departments and 140 newly appointed teachers. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample 36 head teachers, 36Aand 36 heads of departments, while saturated sampling technique was used to sample 136 newly appointed teachers. The .instruments of data collection included questionnaires and interviews schedule. Content validity of the instruments was determined by presenting the instruments to three experts in the department of Educational Management and Foundations, Maseno University for perusal and their suggestions were incorporated to make them valid. Reliability of the instruments was determined by piloting study in four (10%) schools. Qualitative data obtained from open-ended sections of the questionnaires and interviews was analyzed on the on-going processes as themes and sub-themes emerged. Quantitative data collected using close-ended items in the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and means. The findings were presented in form of tables. Qualitative data obtained using open-ended items in the questionnaires and interviews were coded and analyzed on an on-going process as themes and sub-themes emerged. The study found out that induction practices in schools were poorly managed as a lot of information wasgiven to NATs in the first two days without sequence, and what the NATs were never informed when they appraised.The study concluded that there was little attention and concern by MOEST and TSC to enforce induction programs in public secondary schools. The study recommended that: Teachers Service Commission should review the contents of the TSC Induction Guide and in cooperate how induction for NATs should be managed to help in the management of induction programs for NATs in secondary schools. Ministry 'of Education should alsoprovide funds for induction programs to secondary schools. The results of the study will be of importance to researchers, educationists, policy makers because of its contribution to knowledge about induction program for NATs in Kenya and it also forms a basis for further research.