Relationship between School Strategic Planning and Students’ Academic Performance of Secondary Schools in Rwanda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t50115Abstract
Effective school planning requires having strategies that enhance the students’ academic performance as well as school performance. The current study sought to determine the relationship between school strategic planning and students’ academic performance of Secondary Schools in Rusizi District in Rwanda. Correlation research design was employed. The target population was 988. From this population, simple random sampling and convenient sampling techniques were used to get 91 respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect the data. IBM SPSS version 23 assisted in management of quantitative data. The findings revealed that the effectiveness of strategic planning is explained by effective communication considering the mean of 2.96, vision considering the mean of 2.97, and mission considering the mean of 2.90. It was also noted that academic performance of students in selected secondary schools was explained by the following: well performance of students during mock exams considering the mean of 2.92, existence of competition character among students considering the mean of 2.76, low level of absenteeism in classes considering the mean of 2.89, and the existence of the discipline among students considering the mean of 2.83. The findings revealed that strategic planning practices like stakeholders’ involvement and communication have positive and significant relationship with the academic performance. This was explained by (r=298, p=0.006) for stakeholders’ involvement and academic performance and (r=0.084, p=0.028). Hence, the study recommends that secondary schools in Rusizi District should prepare strategic plans that involve all stakeholders since their ideas could be constructive and provide update on the progress in the implementation of strategic plans. The schools should make clear about the vision of strategic planning where this may facilitate the activities related to monitoring and evaluation of the action plan. There is the need to provide training and other capacity building facilities in order increase the abilities in preparing strategic plans.
Keywords: School, students, strategic planning, academic performance and secondary school.
References
Barney, J.B. (2007). Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. 3rd Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Hall.
Bell, L. (2002). Strategic planning and School Management: Full of Furry Signifying Nothing? Journal of Educational Administration, 40(5), 407-424. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230210440276
Blankstein, A. M. (2004) Failure is not an option. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Carter, S. & Dylan, J. (2006). Enterprise and Small Business: Principles, Practice and Policy. 2nd ed. Edinburgh Gate, England: Pearson Education ltd. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2006.00187.x
Carton, R.B. (2010). Organizational Financial Performance: Identifying and Testing Multiple Dimensions.Academy of Enterprenuership Journal, 16(1), 1-20. Retrieved from http://www.alliedacademies.org.
Chiuri, L.W. & Kiumi, J.K. (2005). Planning and economics of education. Kijabe: PangolinPublishers.
Cole, G. A. (2004). Management Theory and Practice. 6th Ed. London:Thomson Learning Bedford Row.
Dessler, G. (2008). Human Resource Management .11th Ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Drucker, P. (1989). The Practice of Management.Oxford, London: Heinemann professional Publishing ltd.
Gode, H. (2009). Influence of Strategic Planning on Performance of Public Secondary Schools in Rusizi Ouest (Unpublished MBA Project). University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Hatch, M. &Cunliffe, A. (2006). Organization Theory: Modern, Symbolic and Postmodern Perspectives. 2nd ed. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Iger, A. &Mc Donnell, E. (1990). Implanting Strategic Management. 2nd Ed. NewYork: Prentice Hall.
Johnson, P. (2002). Business strategy for systematically boosting salesperformance using Shortcuts to Yest. Panache and Systems LLCconsults.
Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2008). Exploring Corporate Strategy.6th Ed. New Delhi: Text andCas-s Pearson Education ltd
Lynch, R. (2009). Strategic Management: Formerly Corporate Strategy. 5th Ed. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall. March, J.G. & Sutton, R.I. (1997). Organizational Performance as a dependent variable.Organizational Science, 8(6), 698-705. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.8.6.698
Lynch, R. (2009). Strategic Management: Formerly Corporate Strategy. 5th Ed. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall.
Miller, C. C., & Cardinal, L. B. (1994). Strategic planning and firm performance: a synthesis of more than two decades of research. Academy of Management Journal, 37(6), 1649-1665. https://doi.org/10.2307/256804
MINEDUC. (2012). Education Sector Strategic Plan 2012/2013-2017/2018. Kigali: Rwanda.
MINEDUC. (2013). Rwanda Education Statistics Yearbook. Kigali. Rwanda.
Mitchelmore, S., & Rowley, J. (2013). Growth and planning strategies within women-led SMEs. Management Decision, 51(1), 83-96. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741311291328
Muturia, J.M., Bolo, Z.A. &Oeba, L.K. (2010). Strategic Planning, Planning Outcomes and Organizational Performance: An Empirical Study of Commercial Banks in Kenya. Research Journal in Organizational psychology and educational studies
Nairobi, Kenya. Albanese, R. &Vanfleet D.D. (1983). Organizational Behavior: A Managerial Viewpoint.Chicago: Dryden Press.
Nzuve, N.M.S. (2007). Elements of Organizational Behavior. Nairobi, Kenya: University of Nairobi Press.
Pearce II, J.A. & Robinson, R.B. (2011). Strategic Management, Formulation, Implementation and Control.
Pearce, J. (2009). Strategic management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control, Eleventh Edition. Boston, Mc Graw-Hill
Republic of Kenya, (2005). Sessional Paper No. 1: A Policy Framework for Education, Training and Research. Nairobi, Kenya: Government Press
Thompson, A. A., Strickland, A. J., & Gamble, J. E. (2007). Craftingand executing strategy: texts and readings. 15th ed., New York:McGraw- Hill
Wang, C., Walker, E., & Redmond, J. (2007). Explaining the lack of strategic planning in SMEs: The importance of owner motivation. International Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 12(1), 1-16
Welch, M. (2000). Descriptive analysis of team teaching in two elementary classrooms: A formative experimental approach. Remedial and Special Education, 21 (6), 366-376. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193250002100606
Yabs, J. (2007). Strategic Management Practices in Kenya. 1st ed. Nairobi: Lelax Global ltd.
