Exploring school administrators’ management behavior : a case study of two government-aided secondary schools in Bushenyi District

Abstract

Like many rural districts in Uganda, Bushenyi District has had undesirable reports in the recent past regarding school administrators’ management behavior such as poor national examination and resource management (time and finances). This triggered the need to explore the administrators’ management behavior with an aim of improving teaching and learning outcomes. Employing a duo-case study design, I explored prevalent management practices, identified administrators’ enhancement needs and examined challenges faced by administrators in two selected secondary schools within the district as the study objectives. By addressing prevalent management practices, administrators’ needs, and challenges faced by administrators, the research sought to inform the development of tailored interventions and support mechanisms to improve the effectiveness of school management in promoting better teaching and learning outcomes. Through in-depth interviews with administrators (key primary participants) and document reviews, I collected data to understand the existing management practices and to uncover areas for improvement. I then analysed the data thematically. I discovered that some administrators in Bushenyi District lack desirable management behavior evidenced by poor financial management practices such as sole financial management with no traced accountabilities whatsoever. I also found out that administrators are qualified teachers at least in the two case studies but do not undergo induction after assuming a new office and there are no on-going trainings to equip them with the needed skills thus explaining their incompetency in school management. I recommend that there be professional development programs tailored for school administrators that are continuous in nature in order to ensure desirable management behavior.