Self-efficacy as a predictor of stress management among secondary school principals in Kenya

Abstract

The study investigated self-efficacy as a predictor of stress management among secondary school principals in Homa Bay County of Kenya. Kelly’s personal construct theory supported by Carl Rogers Person Centred theory informed the study. The study adopted a Convergent Parallel research design. From a population of 295 principals, the study used Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table to select169 principals to be included in the study. Quantitative data was collected using self-efficacy questionnaire and stress management questionnaires while an interview schedule was used to collect qualitative data from twenty (20) principals. The reliability of the research instruments was determined by the use of Cronbach’s Alpha and a co-efficient(r= 0.814) was obtained. The quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) windowsversion22 by use of statistical tests such as Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The calculated coefficient of determination (R² = .1697) show that the two variables share 17% of their variance. The study established a moderate positive (r=.412) but highly significant (p<.05) relationship between self-efficacy and stress management. A strong sense of self-efficacy enhances human accomplishment and personal wellbeing. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education should induct newly appointed principals on how to enhance their intrapersonal traits; this would help them understand how to manage stressful situations in their schools.

Keywords: Self-efficacy, stress management, secondary school, principals