MANAGEMENT STYLES AND TEACHER MOBILITY IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN KAKAMEGA CENTRAL SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

High rates of teacher mobility in terms of transfers and job change remains a very critical development in the education sector worldwide prompting various attempts to mitigate a possible crisis in the sector and in Kenya’s Western Province, teacher transfer requests have been notably high compared to the national average. The purpose of this study was to establish the link between school leadership and management styles and teacher mobility in primary schools in Kakamega Central sub-county and also to determine their roles in influencing the situation. Specifically the study aimed: to assess the school management styles; to examine how management styles affect teacher mobility; to determine how school management corresponds to the modes of teacher mobility. Studies done in this area have not expressly linked the management styles adopted in schools to the growing problem of teacher mobility hence, necessitating investigation. Theories of workplace leadership and management and their effect on occupational mobility of the subordinate workers guided the study. Descriptive survey study design was adopted for the study targeting 2149 primary school teachers within the study area. Systematic random sampling was used to draw 196 teachers including head teachers from the study population. The respondents comprised the teaching staff and head teachers to who questionnaires and interview schedules were administered after pilot testing. The data was analyzed using descriptive methods and results presented in tables, pie charts and graphs. The findings indicated that schools still uses the traditional authoritarian model of leadership, the school management styles in this case the authoritarian was responsible for teacher transfer requests to other schools and also to other jobs. The study found that the management styles adopted in the schools were indeed critical to the retention of the teachers in the schools. The study recommends change in management schools to be more inclusive in their leadership and managerial approach as an incentive to retain teachers.