| dc.description.abstract | In Kenya, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has the mandate to hire new teachers to replace those who leave the service in order to enhance retention, yet teachers are leaving the teaching profession for better jobs blaming the school administration for turnover. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the role of principals in teacher turnover in secondary schools in Kisumu East Sub-County. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine factors that influence teacher turnover, identify the role of principals in teacher turnover, examine the challenges and find out the coping strategies employed in secondary schools. A conceptual framework was used to show the role of principals and the outcomes which determine teacher turnover. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study population consisted of 56 principals and 687 teachers but a sample of 206 teachers and 30 principals was used to collect data. Simple random sampling method was used to select the respondents. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used as instruments for data collection. Reliability of the instruments was determined by piloting the instruments in six secondary schools which were not used in the final study. Validity of the instruments was enhanced by requesting the experts in the area from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology to examine the instruments. Quantitative data from questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, charts and tables while qualitative data from questionnaires and interviews were analyzed based on themes and sub-themes as they emerged. The study revealed that teacher turnover is mainly influenced by factors related to poor working conditions, low salary, dissatisfaction with opportunities for promotion, poor medical scheme, transport system, lack of incentives and poor housing. The principals play a role in teacher turnover mainly because they influence decision making and involvement of the teachers. This is done mainly through lack of support for teachers, lack of respect, unrealistic demands, high handedness, failure to form group cohesion, lack of motivation, inconsistency in rules and regulations and favoritism. The challenges that come with teacher turnover are; teacher shortage, disrupted school planning, increased workload, disrupted learning, inexperienced teachers being appointed, poor syllabus coverage and ruined school image. The principals overcome this mainly through giving good environment, employing untrained teachers on temporary basis, merging classes, sharing the work equally and teachers working for longer hours. However the principals, feel that government should replace teachers promptly and review their pay upwards. The study recommends that there is need to foster cordial relationship between teachers and management, give teachers sense of personal and job security and TSC should promptly replace teachers efficiently and develop a better promotion policy. There is also need to create conducive environment with minimal pressure placed on teachers and reduced workload. The turnover: does not only reduce syllabus completion and performance of the students but also ruin the reputation of the schools as well. To overcome the challenges there is need for government to employ more teachers, improve their pay, conduct training for the principals and teachers to improve professional knowledge and skills and reduce the teachers’ daily workload. | en_US |