Journal of Education Management and Leadership

School Governance and Effective Curriculum Implementation in Secondary Schools in Yaoundé Centre, Cameroon

Genevarius Nji — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The study looks at the relationship between school governance and effective curriculum implementation in secondary schools in Yaoundé. The school principal has the responsibility to organise and channel the limited available resources to enhance quality curriculum implementation. In case he is wanting in this area, institutional objectives would not be met as students' performances would not be optimum and scarce resources would be wasted. Within the context of this study, school governance was limited to principals’ leadership and management, stakeholder engagement, accountability and transparency and teacher support and development. The study explored these variables, ascertaining a link to quality curriculum implementation within the context of secondary education. A mixed-methods approach was utilised in the collection and analysis of this study. Simple random sampling and proportionate sampling techniques were applied to ensure the selection of representative samples. The Instruments used for data collection were the questionnaire and the interview guide. Spearman’s rank correlation was employed to analyse the data. and it was found that principals’ leadership and management, stakeholder engagement, accountability and transparency, and teacher support and development significantly determine the quality of curriculum implementation in secondary schools, with correlation coefficients of 0.456, 0.496, 0.614, and 0.742, respectively. Recommendations have been made to the relevant stakeholders based on the research findings.

College Culture and Tutor Job Satisfaction in Public Colleges of Education in Ghana

Kweku Esia-Donkoh, Marie Bakah, Alfred Ampah-Mensah — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined how college culture relates to tutor job satisfaction in public Colleges of Education (CoEs) in Ghana and analysed the combination of culture traits that most strongly enhance tutors’ satisfaction. Using a quantitative approach within a positivist paradigm, the study employed a descriptive correlational survey design and targeted all full-time academic staff across the 46 public CoEs. Data from 714 respondents out of a sample of 750 eligible tutors selected through proportional stratified sampling were used for the analysis. Data were collected using a questionnaire with high reliability coefficients (college culture = 0.948; tutor job satisfaction = 0.940). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis, and the findings indicated a high level of college culture and very high tutor job satisfaction, with a strong positive correlation between the two variables. Notably, the combination of involvement, mission, consistency, and adaptability culture traits accounted for 48.5 per cent of the variance in tutor job satisfaction, showing a statistically significant effect. The study concludes that college culture is a key factor in shaping tutors’ job satisfaction in public CoEs in Ghana. It is recommended that management and tutors critically reflect on their college culture, align everyday practices with the college’s mission and values, and work collaboratively to implement reforms that advance shared goals and strengthen the college's effectiveness, success, and sustainability. The study's significance lies in its theoretical contribution to explaining the culture–job satisfaction relationship in an under-researched educational context, thereby informing future research and professional practice.

Generative AI for Teacher Education: Ethical Considerations from the Perspective of Lecturers and Students

Adjei Amaniampong, William Kwabena Nantwi — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to examine the ethical implications of integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools into teacher education in Ghana from the perspectives of lecturers and teacher trainees. Although generative AI technologies are increasingly adopted in education globally, empirical evidence on their ethical dimensions within sub-Saharan African teacher education contexts remains limited. This research used a qualitative descriptive approach, engaging 15 lecturers and 50 teacher trainees from three public Colleges of Education located in Ghana’s Ashanti Region. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires, and analysed using thematic methods. The findings revealed key ethical concerns related to academic integrity, data privacy, pedagogical dependency, equity of access, and the professional identity of future teachers. The study concludes that while generative AI holds pedagogical potential, its unregulated use raises significant ethical risks. The study recommends the development of context-sensitive institutional AI ethics policies, targeted professional development for lecturers, and ethical literacy frameworks to support responsible AI integration in teacher education.

Problem Identification and Meaningful Service Delivery: Evidence from Community Service Learning in Nairobi, Kenya

Fridah Kwamboka Anjeche, Paul Akumu Ogenga — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this article is to examine the effect of school problem identification practices on Community Service Learning (CSL) outcomes among public primary school pupils in Nairobi County, Kenya. While CSL is a core component of the Competency-Based Curriculum, limited empirical evidence exists on how the initial problem identification phase influences service delivery outcomes. The study employed an ex post facto research design, collecting data from Grade 7 class teachers across 69 selected schools through simple random sampling and 32 learners sampled for focus group discussions from public primary schools in Nairobi County. Data were analysed using ordered logistic regression to assess the impact of different problem identification methods on CSL outcomes. The findings indicate that, after controlling for teacher and school characteristics, problem identification practices significantly influence service delivery. Projects in which problems were identified collaboratively by learners and community members, or through systematic research, demonstrated higher levels of meaningful service. The study concludes that collaborative and research-driven identification processes enhance project relevance and learner ownership. These findings are significant for educational policymakers, highlighting the need for structured guidelines that promote collaboration between pupils and communities to improve the effectiveness of CSL implementation.

Exploring the Nexus Between Transformational Leadership and Tutor Job Satisfaction for Curriculum Implementation

Kweku Esia-Donkoh, Simon Ntumi, Abdul Mumuni Adams — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The study examined the relationship between transformational leadership and teachers' job satisfaction, and determined how transformational leadership predicts teachers' job satisfaction for effective curriculum implementation in public Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Tumu Municipality of Ghana. The study adopted a descriptive correlational research design within the positivist paradigm. A census sampling technique was used to include all 194 eligible tutors because the population size was manageable, and this approach enhanced the representativeness and reliability of the findings, while the requirement of at least one year of experience ensured that participants had adequate exposure to the school environment and leadership practices to provide informed responses. Data were collected using a questionnaire which had internal consistency for transformational leadership (r=0.83) and job satisfaction (r=0.79). However, the analysis included 190 tutors because four did not return their questionnaires. The analysis included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, linear multiple regression, and coefficient of variation. Findings indicated that heads of schools primarily utilised inspirational motivation (M=4.59, SD=0.50), followed by intellectual stimulation (M=4.38, SD=0.49), individual consideration (M=4.28, SD=0.47), and idealised influence (M=3.36, SD=0.48). Teachers reported high job satisfaction (M=3.64, SD=0.59), with a strong, statistically significant positive relationship between transformational leadership and tutor job satisfaction. Notably, intellectual stimulation emerged as a significant predictor of tutor job satisfaction. Consequently, improving tutor job satisfaction for the successful implementation of the CCP relies on effectively combining transformational leadership dimensions. Educational authorities in Tumu Municipality should prioritise regular training programmes for school leaders to develop practical transformational leadership skills that enhance teacher satisfaction and facilitate effective curriculum implementation.

Do “Older” Public Secondary Schools Predict Better Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development Scores in Kenya?

Tabitha Isaidi, Epari Ejakait, Hutton Ndombi Wanyama — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper contributes empirical research evidence on the association between school age (years since inception) and Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) grades in public secondary schools in Kenya’s Kakamega North subcounty. Multivariate multiple regression was employed using data collected from schools to model the effect of school age on TPAD grades (2016–2019). This is suitable modelling for multiple outcome variables (TPAD scores from 2016–2019) with multiple explanatory variables. Controlling for school type, with boarding schools coded as 1 (reference category), mixed day as 2, and mixed day/boarding as 3, the results suggest that an additional year since the establishment of a school is associated with an increase of 0.23 per cent in the TPAD score for 2019 (p = .048), while the results for the other years are statistically insignificant. Policy implications from the results are discussed.

Product Innovation and Financial Performance of Health Insurance Firms in Kenya: A Case of Jubilee Health Insurance Limited

Gideon Bii, Beatrice Ombaka — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The health insurance sector in Kenya has undergone significant transformation driven by evolving consumer needs, regulatory reforms, and technological innovation. However, many health insurance firms, including Jubilee Health Insurance Limited, continue to face challenges related to profitability, compliance, and product differentiation. The study examined the effect of product innovation strategies on financial performance of health insurance firms in Kenya, focusing on Jubilee Health Insurance Limited. Anchored on Dynamic Capabilities Theory and Resource-Based View, the study employed a descriptive survey design. A census was conducted among 75 managers, supervisors, and assistants at Jubilee Health’s Nairobi headquarters. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that product innovation strategies had a significant positive effect on financial performance: (β = 0.592, p < 0.05). The findings suggest that investment in innovative health insurance products enhances profitability. The study concludes that strategic alignment between innovation is key to financial sustainability in Kenya’s health insurance sector. The study recommends that policymakers and insurers integrate digital transformation and customer-centric innovation within compliance frameworks to promote universal health access (SDG 3), sustainable growth (SDG 8), and innovation (SDG 9).

Exploring the Interplay of Sequential Ambidexterity, Dynamic Capabilities and Performance amongst Chartered Private Universities in Kenya

Harriet Kinya Mwenda, Beatrice Ombaka, Wanjau Kenneth Lawrence — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Higher education institutions worldwide face increasing pressure to balance innovation with operational efficiency to remain competitive in dynamic environments. This study examines the effect of Sequential Ambidexterity (SEQ) on the performance of chartered private universities in Kenya and assesses the moderating role of Dynamic Capabilities (DC) in this relationship. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study collected primary data from 195 senior academic and administrative managers purposively selected across 27 chartered private universities in Kenya. Data was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that SEQ has a positive and significant relationship with the perceived performance of Kenyan private universities (β = 0.422, p < 0.001), while DC also has a positive and significant effect (β = 0.387, p < 0.001). In addition, DC significantly moderates the relationship between SEQ and performance (β = 0.085, p = 0.026), indicating an enhancing moderating effect. The model demonstrates substantial explanatory power (R² = 0.49), while the interaction effect shows a small effect size (f² = 0.021). It is concluded that SEQ is positively associated with the perceived performance of private universities in Kenya, and this relationship is strengthened in institutions with higher levels of DC. This suggests that universities can derive greater benefits from SEQ by leveraging their DC. Therefore, chartered private universities in Kenya should emphasise the development of SEQ practices alongside strengthening DC across all institutional processes. Future studies should employ longitudinal designs and incorporate objective, multi-source data.

Assessing the Effectiveness of E-Governance in Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Bedina E. V Adegu, Millicent A. Ojwan'g, Grace C. Kiptok — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of e-Governance in enhancing financial transparency and accountability in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya, following persistent concerns regarding financial mismanagement despite the implementation of digital governance systems. A convergent mixed-methods research design with a cross-sectional approach was adopted. The study involved 39 purposively selected public secondary schools and 90 respondents, comprising 39 school administrators, 39 bursars, 5 bank managers, 6 sub-county education officers, and 1 government auditor. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlation in SPSS Version 26, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed positive perceptions of e-Governance implementation and a positive, moderate, statistically significant relationship between e-Governance implementation and financial transparency and accountability (r = 0.408, p = 0.020). Key challenges included inadequate ICT infrastructure, limited ICT skills, cybersecurity concerns, implementation costs, and insufficient training. The study concludes that e-Governance strengthens financial transparency and accountability and recommends enhanced ICT infrastructure, continuous capacity building, technical support, and stronger policy oversight. The study concludes that e-Governance strengthens financial transparency and accountability in public secondary schools. It recommends strengthening ICT infrastructure, continuous staff capacity building, enhanced technical support, stronger cybersecurity measures, and regular government oversight to improve e-Governance implementation.

Visible Order and Experienced Fairness: Procedural Justice and Conflict Governance in Ghanaian Boarding Senior High Schools

Peter Simon Kwofie, Paul Kwadwo Addo, Dandy George Dampson — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This qualitative multiple-case study examined how heads of two public boarding Senior High Schools in Ghana manage conflict and how school actors perceive the fairness and effectiveness of these practices. Conflict is a common feature of boarding schools, where shared living arrangements and limited separation after disputes often intensify tensions. Using purposive sampling, data were collected through eight semi-structured interviews with school heads, senior house staff, and guidance and counselling coordinators, together with two focus group discussions involving sixteen student leaders. Thematic analysis identified two interconnected dimensions of effective conflict management: visible order, reflected in restored calm, compliance, and routine, and experienced fairness, reflected in respectful, timely, consistent, and participatory procedures. Findings revealed a structured conflict-management process involving rule communication, fact-finding, cooling-off periods, mediation, counselling, disciplinary committee hearings, parental involvement, sanctions, and follow-up. The study contributes to school leadership scholarship by conceptualising conflict management as conflict governance, a structured leadership process that coordinates rules, relationships, evidence, communication, and follow-up to sustain organisational legitimacy. The findings underscore the importance of combining orderly school environments with fair procedures and provide practical insights for school leaders, guidance and counselling units, education authorities, and policymakers. The study recommends structured conflict-handling pathways, strengthened counselling support, capacity building for school actors, and proactive stakeholder communication to promote sustainable conflict governance in Ghanaian boarding Senior High Schools.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence and Self-awareness Coping Skills in Enhancing Psychological Well-being

Sheila Awino Owuor, Lazarus Millan Okello, Eliud Oure Oyoo — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of emotional intelligence and self-awareness Coping Skills in enhancing the psychological well-being of learners in secondary schools in Rachuonyo North Sub-County, Kenya. The study employed a cross-sectional survey research design based on a convergent mixed-methods approach, whereby quantitative and qualitative data were gathered simultaneously and integrated during the interpretation of the findings. The target population for the study comprised 12,541 participants, including 12,370 students, 115 teacher counsellors, and 56 principals from 56 public secondary schools. The study had a sample size of 439, consisting of 387 students, 35 teacher counsellors, and 17 principals in seventeen sampled secondary schools. The study gathered quantitative data through questionnaires, which were analysed using descriptive statistics, namely frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, together with inferential statistics comprising Pearson correlation and regression analyses. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and focus group discussion guides and analysed thematically. The analysed data were presented in tables. All ethical practices were adhered to. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between self-awareness coping skills and learners’ psychological well-being (r=.845, p=.000), indicating that higher levels of self-awareness were associated with better psychological well-being. The study concludes that strengthening emotional intelligence through self-awareness coping skills can significantly enhance learners’ psychological well-being. It recommends that secondary school principals and teacher counsellors implement programs that promote learners’ self-awareness Coping Skills, and this will be very useful for their psychological well-being.

Digital Leadership and ICT Utilisation in Public Basic School Administration in Ghana: Headteachers’ Experiences and Implementation Realities

Joseph Appianing — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this article is to examine how public basic school headteachers in Ghana experience and interpret ICT utilisation in their administrative work. Although policy increasingly requires digital communication, record-keeping, reporting and accountability, school-level conditions remain uneven. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study employed an interpretivist qualitative case study design. Semi-structured interviews with twelve headteachers in the Effutu Municipality were analysed thematically, with TAM and UTAUT constructs used to interpret differences in confidence, independent use and institutional support. Headteachers regarded ICT as necessary for communication, documentation, report preparation and information retrieval, but benefits were uneven. Confident users worked more independently, whereas others relied on digitally skilled colleagues. Limited infrastructure, practical training, technical support and funding constrained sustained use. The study concludes that positive attitudes alone cannot produce effective administrative digitalisation when facilitating conditions remain weak. It recommends pairing digital reporting requirements with task-based training, basic infrastructure, responsive technical support and clear school-level data-protection procedures. This study is significant because it shifts attention from classroom integration to the administrative realities of digital leadership in basic schools.

Head Teachers’ Conflict Resolution Strategies in Public Basic Schools: A Descriptive Survey of the Nkwanta South Municipality, Ghana

Godwin Yaw Tome-Dzekpe, Kweku Esia-Donkoh, Roger Amoako — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated the sources of conflict and the strategies head teachers adopt to resolve them in public basic schools in the Nkwanta South Municipality of Ghana. The study was guided by Fiedler’s (1964) Contingency Theory and utilised a quantitative methodology based on a descriptive survey design. The study targeted a population of 206 head teachers of public basic schools in the Municipality, from which 120 were selected through proportionate stratified sampling across education circuits to serve as the study sample. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 120 head teachers, of whom 103 returned valid responses, yielding a response rate of 85.8 per cent. Data were analysed using means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. The results revealed that institutional, work-related and leadership-related factors were the main sources of conflicts in public basic schools. Poor infrastructure and inadequate funding were the main institutional sources of conflict, while weak policy enforcement, misinterpretation of rules and poor communication were the main leadership-related conflict triggers. The study further revealed that collaboration was the most frequently used conflict resolution strategy, followed by avoidance and compromise. Drawing on the contingency theory, the study concluded that effective conflict resolution is dependent on situational factors and the head teachers’ capacity to adjust their leadership responses to changing circumstances. The study recommends improved school infrastructure, timely release of funds and continuous training of head teachers in conflict management to promote cooperation and improve school climate in public basic schools.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Childhood Food Insecurity, and Academic Outcomes among Undergraduate Students: Evidence for a Cognitive Misattribution Pathway from a Mining-Community University in Ghana

Peace Sitsofe Kploanyi, Peter Simon Kwofie, Vincent Dan Teiko — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the association between childhood food insecurity and academic outcomes among undergraduate students at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana. Childhood food insecurity is operationalised through the economic hardship and poverty-related neglect items of a culturally adapted adverse childhood experiences (ACE) instrument, and the two terms are used in that stipulated relationship. The article employs a focused secondary analysis of an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study. Phase 1 surveyed 358 undergraduates (86.1% response rate) recruited by stratified random sampling across faculty and year of study, using a culturally adapted 25-item ACE instrument alongside the K10 and the University Student Engagement Inventory, and analysed using Pearson correlations, chi-square tests of independence, independent-samples t tests, and moderated multiple regression. Phase 2 comprised 23 semi-structured interviews with participants purposively selected for elevated ACE burden and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The study found that; economic hardship and poverty-related neglect were endorsed by 63.2 per cent of participants, the second most prevalent adversity type after community violence. ACE total score was negatively associated with cumulative weighted average (CWA; r = -.292, p < .001), and this association held after adjustment for age, gender, year of study, faculty, and source of financial support (standardised beta = -.31). CWA declined monotonically across bands of adversity burden, with students endorsing 11 or more adversity types recording a mean CWA 6.4 percentage points below those endorsing none or one. Interview accounts described a cognitive misattribution: hunger-induced concentration failure interpreted as personal intellectual inadequacy rather than physiological deprivation. Cognitive functioning was not directly measured, and the misattribution pathway is advanced as a theoretical proposition grounded in participants' accounts rather than as a demonstrated mechanism. The principal implication is that Ghanaian universities should assess student food security directly and provide psychoeducation that offers students an alternative explanation for adversity-related academic difficulties.

Transformative Education in the Digital Age: Evaluating the Impact of Digital Literacy Training on Graduate Employability in Kenya

Faith Wanja Kilaku, Judah M. Ndiku, Cyrus M. Muhanga, Ken Kathukumi — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to investigate the role of training delivery mode in determining the effectiveness of digital literacy training and, consequently, the acquisition of digital competence among university students in Kenya. The rapid adoption of digital technology has changed skill requirements in the labour market, compelling educational institutions to equip individuals with digital competencies. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) formed the basis for the convergent mixed-methods approach used in this study. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires from 384 randomly selected final-year students across six universities in Kenya, while qualitative data were collected through interviews with 20 university administrators and 15 human resource managers. Descriptive findings revealed that although 78.4 per cent of students had received formal training in digital technologies, they lacked advanced digital competencies. Moderation analysis showed that blended delivery significantly increased digital competence acquisition (interaction β = 0.178, p = 0.024) and improved employability through enhanced problem-solving skills and effective application of learned skills in the workplace. Qualitative findings indicated that blended learning was preferred because face-to-face interaction facilitated understanding of difficult concepts. The findings demonstrate that training delivery mode moderates the relationship between digital literacy training and competency development, with blended delivery producing better outcomes. The study recommends that universities adopt blended learning models for digital literacy training. It contributes to research by demonstrating that training effectiveness depends substantially on how training