AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF FIELD EDUCATION OFFICERS’ TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES IN TEACHER MANAGEMENT ON PRIMARY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS' JOB SATISFACTION IN THE SOUTH RIFT REGION, KENYA

Abstract

As the bedrock of national development, education relies on Primary School Administrators' Job satisfaction (JS) to drive motivation, foster commitment, and mitigate burnout, all of which directly enhance learner outcomes. Primary school teachers in Bomet and Narok counties of Kenya’s South Rift region miss 12.9% and 23.5% of scheduled lessons, respectively, well above the 6.6% national average, signalling profound shortcomings in teacher morale and professional fulfilment. This study aimed to investigate the influence of Field Education Officers' (FEOs) Transformational Leadership Practices (TLP) in Teacher Management, specifically Enabling Others to Act and Challenging the Process, on primary school administrators’ JS in the South Rift region. Grounded in House's Path-Goal Theory and Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, the research adopted a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design. The target population comprised 2,754 primary school administrators (heads of institutions, deputy heads, and senior teachers), 79 FEOs, and 16 FEOs’ immediate supervisors, giving a total population of 2,849. From this, a sample of 347 was selected using Nassiuma’s (2000) formula for sample size determination, comprising 276 Primary School Administrators and 63 FEOs through stratified random sampling, and 8 FEOs’ Immediate Supervisors through purposive sampling. The study employed a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, interview guides, and document analysis guides. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression with the help of SPSS version 27. All statistical analyses were subjected to tests of significance at α = 0.05. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 14. The study revealed that Teacher Management had a significant positive influence on Primary School Administrators' JS (R² = .340, β = .583, p < .001). The key recommendation is for the Teachers Service Commission to focus on transforming Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) from a compliance-oriented exercise into a genuine tool for teacher growth and reflection. The researchers hope that these findings will strengthen Teacher Management practices holistically, thereby creating a supportive professional environment that sustainably boosts Primary School Administrators’ JS across Kenya.