STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS: A CASE OF KATHIANI SUB-COUNTY, MACHAKOS COUNTY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of strategic management practices on students' academic performance in public secondary schools in Kathiani Sub-County of Machakos County. The study was guided by the following objectives; to determine the influence of objective setting on students' academic performance, to examine the influence of strategic resource allocation on students' academic performance, the study adopted descriptive survey design. The instruments of research used in this study were questionnaire and interview schedules. Target population comprised of 1,240 students, 224 teachers, and 31principals. Stratified and simple random sampling technique were used to select 11 Principals, 76 teachers and 422 students. Quantitative data was collected using the questionnaires and interview guides. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. Validity was established through expert judgment. Reliability was established using test retest technique and reliability coefficient = 0.79 was obtained using Pearson's product moment correlation test analysis which indicate high internal reliability. The data was descriptively analyzed using frequencies and percentages and inferentially using Pearson's product moment of correlation test analysis with the help of SPSS 24 and presented using tables and charts. Qualitative data from open ended questions was analyzed using thematic analysis while qualitative data from interview guides was presented in form of narratives. The findings were presented in form of tables and graphs. The findings of this study established an insignificant relationship between objective setting and students' academic performance (p-value=0.190), a significant relationship between strategic resource allocation and students' academic performance (p-value=0.000), insignificant relationship between strategic leadership management and students' academic performance (p-value=0.080).