HOW SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS BUILD TRUST IN KENYAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS _______________________________________ A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School At the University of Missouri-Columbia _____________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________ By Abaya, Joel Ondieki. Dr. Jeff Brooks, Thesis Supervisor DECEMBER 2011 © Copyright by Ondieki, Joel Abaya, 2011 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, have examined the Dissertation entitled: HOW SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS BUILD TRUST IN KENYAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS Presented by Ondieki Joel Abaya a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Jeffrey S. Brooks _____________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Peggy Placier ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Tola Olu Pearce ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Margaret Grogan DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my wife Carol, my children Ronnie, Rodney, and Leone. For their unconditional love, for the many hours of special prayers for daddy, for their timely and unending encouragement, for believing in me and for according me the two most beautiful titles of ‘A Husband’ and ‘A Father’. At last am coming home to stay. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The success of this dissertation has been a concerted effort by a number of committed individuals without whom the experience would have been otherwise. These are the individuals who were a constant support and encouragement throughout this wonderful learning process. To the following people, I will forever be indebted. It is said that the first initial steps towards any journey does determine the success or failure of that Journey. I always had a dream of pursuing a doctorate .That dream was made possible through the advice and encouragement of Dr. Margaret Grogan who was my first committee chair. She helped me navigate the application process and the initial settling down in ELPA. Her constant assurance and timely assistantship from her external research funds as well as her efforts to ensure a smooth transition when she left ELPA will forever remain edged in my mind. I am grateful to her for pointing out the direction and setting my sight on the target. When Dr. Grogan left, Dr. Maxcy Brendan became my committee chair. It is to him I owe much of the initial literature review and data that forms the basis of this dissertation. He proved a valuable asset and his desire to carry comparative studies in Kenya ignited in me a desire to learn more on contested regions. I would also like to acknowledge in a very special way the constant support both academic and personal that I received from Dr. Brooks who is my third and last committee chair. Despite the fact that he came onboard midway, he provided wholeheartedly timely advice and useful suggestions that made this exercise smooth and exhilarating. When the spirit and body were tired and unwilling to move an inch, he was always there and he understood. He never criticized though there were times that called for that kind of response. His moral support and iii availability as well as his commitment has finally made his statement-Joel you are there- come true for indeed I am there. Thank you, Dr. Brooks. I would also like to acknowledge the support and encouragement that I got from members of my committee Dr. Placier and Dr. Tola. Despite their busy schedule, they always got time to go through my manuscript and offer valuable insights that enabled my navigation of the whole dissertation writing successful. During the data gathering period, there were many people without whose assistance; the experience would have not been as successful as it was. The six principals who are the basis of this dissertation are acknowledged for their unwavering commitment, support and availability as well as their willingness to participate in the interviews. I am grateful for their openness in laying bare their experiences with trust issues and their daily struggles in violence prone Borabu-Sotik border. Truly, their commitment and deep understanding of the intricacies involved in not only navigating but also successfully building lasting relationships despite immense hurdles is a feat that can be achieved by a few. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance I was accorded by the library staff of Ministry of Education, Jogoo House-10th floor, the Archives, and the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) in Ngara. They were very helpful and provided the necessary and appropriate information sought. I would specifically pick out Mr. Njoroge Wamugunda of KIE for going out of his way to not only photocopy huge amounts of information but also took the trouble to send the same though courier service to me. On a personal note I would also like to recognize a number of people whose guidance, encouragement and love ignited in me the desire to excel in the academic realm. First of all, is my late mother Alexina Nyaboke Gisore Abaya. Even though she never lived long enough to iv witness my graduation, she instilled in me a strong urge to never give up. Her mantra ‘It shall be well’ has many times given me the strength to move on. My Father Charles Abaya Ondigi has also been my best friend. His constant ‘are you done’; always made me get out of bed even when I would have wished not to. His love and encouragement has been my constant companion in my school life. My step-mom, Penina Kerubo. She constantly reminded me of why I came to America and always assured me that nothing is impossible. Even when times were lean and tough, her prayers proved immensely encouraging. Thirdly I would also like to mention my brothers Thomas Mongare, Kennedy Justus Nyakundi and Dennis Getaro; my sisters Gladys Kemunto, Florence Moraa, Mary Bosibori and Judy Abaya. I am grateful for their tireless support, and constant encouragement. They gave me a sense of who I am and my position and value within the family. I also with gratitude acknowledge, the most important people in my entire life and universe; my children Ronnie Abaya Ondieki, Rodney Ondigi Ondieki and my little angel, Leone Wangare and my wife Caroline Njeri Ondieki. Without these four people, my life in America and graduate studies for that matter would never have meant much. It is to them that I owe my sanity, focus and peace of mind and indeed my life. It has not been easy living far from home and family but their assurances that all is well even when things and times were tough cushioned me from possible mental breakdown. Thank you. I finally offer my deep appreciation and acknowledgement to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. He has seen me through successfully. He has once more proved that he is able and worthy of our faith. I have in one way or another felt his presence in my life and in my academic life and the assurance and conviction that He is there and with me at all times makes me confess that indeed He is able and I owe him my life. Amen v ABSTRACT The most successful school leaders are those who have been able to transform their schools into centers of deep and ongoing learning by managing relationships (Kaser & Halbert, 2009). Consequently, strong levels of trust are preconditions for successful school improvement initiative. Research confirms that no cooperation strategy works in high schools without sufficient attention being paid to the quality of relationships and the level of trust in those high schools (Kotter, 2002) . When adult relationships as those between parents and principals in schools are characterized by trust, stories about change and failure shift from indifference or negativity to possibility and hope (Kaser & Halbert, 2009).Unfortunately, and according to Solomon and Flores (2001),trust is never something ‘already at hand’; it is always a matter of human effort. It can and often must be conscientiously created, not simply taken for granted ‘(p.87). This qualitative multi-case study sought understanding and describing how secondary school principals in south western Kenya build trust with the communities in which their schools are located. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to elicit opinions and reflections of participants about challenges, individual efforts to develop trust as well as their efforts to adapt to unstable parental demands and expectations. Multiple interviews with six high school principals were conducted. The interview data was triangulated with extensive observation data collected in naturalistic settings in the schools. Observations were augmented with several days of “shadowing” each principal and the utilization of document analysis at the site. Due to the instability present in the study area coupled with the need to secure resources from the community while meeting parental expectations and demands, data gathered indicated an urgent need on the part of principals to build trust with parents. To achieve this, principals had vi to close the gap between the community and the school and the community and the self in addition to sustaining high levels of competence, professionalism and morals. Through modeling, mediation, genuine interest and participation in community activities and issues, good instructional leadership, balanced management