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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 9, No. 9

Publication Date: September 25, 2022

DOI:10.14738/assrj.99.13115. Stephen, M., John, O., & Susan, K. (2022). Delocalization Process, Coping Mechanisms and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Public

Secondary School Principals in Selected Counties in Eastern Region, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(9). 553-

568.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Delocalization Process, Coping Mechanisms and Psychosocial

Wellbeing of Public Secondary School Principals in Selected

Counties in Eastern Region, Kenya

Munyiri Stephen

Chuka University

Ogembo John

Chuka University

Kinyua Susan

Chuka University

ABSTRACT

The study was informed by the need to contribute in bridging the existing

knowledge gap with regard to the relationship between delocalisation process,

coping mechanisms and psychosocial wellbeing of delocalised Principals. Since

inception of implementation of delocalisation of teachers by the Teachers Service

Commission in Kenya, there has been increasing call for suspension or total

scrapping of the policy. The call has been attributed to the perceived adverse effects

of the policy on Principals wellbeing and ultimately the school communities.

However, lack of empirical data on the extent to which implementation of the policy

impacts the Principals limits discourse, thus the need of this study. A descriptive

cross sectional survey study in which 277 delocalised Principals, 12 Education

officials and 18 Union officials participated by answering self-report

questionnaires. Data obtained was analysed descriptively and inferentially.

Findings showed a significant relationship between delocalisation process and

psychosocial wellbeing of the delocalised Principals. The study also established

that involvement of the delocalised Principals in religious activities; physical

activities and seeking medical attention have a significant influence in the

relationship between implementation of delocalisation and psychosocial wellbeing.

It is therefore recommended that utilisation of such mechanisms be enhanced to

better help the Principals cope.

Key Words: Delocalisation, Psychosocial wellbeing, Coping mechanisms

DELOCALISATION

Persistent challenges in most public sector institutions in developing countries have

necessitated adoption of radical policy changes in their management. For the basic education

sub-sector in Kenya, the administrative challenges include challenges mismanagement of

physical and financial resources, student indiscipline, and community interference in school

matters as well as limited physical, human and financial resources among others (Kithetu,

2013; Okwisa, 2008; Wamunyu, 2012). The need to address these challenges led to adoption of

policies such as delocalization policy by the Teachers Service Commission in 2017 for its

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 9, Issue 9, September-2022

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

workforce beginning with Principals of secondary schools and Head Teachers of public primary

schools in an attempt to enhance professionalism in the management of these institutions

(Nyarima, 2019). Rationalization of other cadre of teachers was to follow later once

rationalization of the institutional managers had been substantially achieved. Also referred to

nationalization of the teaching workforce within the country, the policy was meant to deploy

all teachers working within their home counties to other counties. This would ensure that the

personnel devote maximum attention in discharging their mandate with minimal distraction.

Predominantly used to working within their localities, implementation of delocalization policy

since inception has been met with a lot of resistance by teachers through the associations or

labour organizations representing them. Tum (2020) reported that a majority of stake-holders

largely rejected the concept of a “delocalized headship” and termed the whole process as

“inhumane”. They suggested that implementation of the process be suspended. Similarly,

Kimani (2019) and Kipkemboi (2019) reported that a number of schools’ Boards of

Management (BOM) had opposed delocalisation accusing the TSC of ignoring their suggestions

and making unilateral decisions. The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), one of the

unions representing teachers rejected implementation of delocalisation alleging that the

process was affecting both the delocalised teachers as well as the institutions negatively

(Kipkemboi, 2019; Tum, 2020). With the TSC insisting and proceeding to implement the policy

despite the protests, empirical data on deocalised Principals’ perception of delocalisation

process as well as mechanisms that the teachers have put in place to cope are necessary. This

study therefore sought to investigate the existing relationship between delocalisation process,

coping mechanisms and psychosocial wellbeing of public secondary Principals in selected

Counties.

PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLBEING

Psychosocial wellbeing of an individual refers to a situation where the individual has cognitive,

emotional and spiritual strengths coupled with healthy social relationships with their family,

community and peers. It refers to a range of psychological and social factors that affect an

individual’s physical and mental wellness and their capacity to perform both negatively and

positively (Dean, Orford, Staines, & Smith, 2017). Psychosocial wellbeing of an individual thus

is used to refer to one’s life proceeding on well as planned. This is characterized by the

individual feeling good about life and being functional and productive member of the society

(Huppert, 2009). Sustainable wellbeing of an individual does not necessarily require that an

individual feels good all the time. Instead, the experience of painful emotions like grief, failure

and disappointment is an expected part of life. The individual’s ability to handle such unwanted

emotions is a deciding factor of whether they succeed in life or not. Huppert adds that some of

the positive effects of psychosocial wellbeing and its consequences include improved cognitive

functioning, good health, building and maintaining healthy social relationships.

Psychosocial factors such as personality, motivation, social interaction skills, family structure,

stress, physical health, self-concept, mental health and environmental condition have been

widely acknowledged as being pertinent to job performance of any teacher. Moreover, teaching

in this twenty first century is more arduous than it used to be, especially for principals.

Principals have more to deal with than other teachers for they combine teaching with numerous

administrative duties. Some research findings attest to the fact that principals are more prone

to stress than other teachers. For instance, Khan and Ameen (2018) reported that the

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Stephen, M., John, O., & Susan, K. (2022). Delocalization Process, Coping Mechanisms and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Public Secondary School

Principals in Selected Counties in Eastern Region, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(9). 553-568.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.99.13115

relationship between principals and stress is complex and varied and that principals are more

affected by stress than other teachers. In the same vein, Sampson (2015) concluded that since

most principals work for longer hours than other teachers and both do not share duties equally,

Principals tend to experience more psychological symptoms of occupational stress than their

fellow teachers. Psychosocial factors include the way work is carried out (deadlines, workload

and work methods) and the context in which work occurs (including relationships and

interactions with managers and supervisors, colleagues and co-workers and clients or

customers). It is pertinent to note that some of the negative effects of delocalisation among

principals include: age, school enrolment, marital status, work environment, workload,

appreciation and assessment through supervision. Psychosocial factors impact employees’

psychological responses to work and work conditions, potentially causing psychological health

problems. Delocalisation of Principal could be having his/her share of psychosocial health

problems varied at a certain degree in addition to the normal duties impact (Chauhan & Verma,

2018). Such Principals would need to adopt mechanisms to cope.

COPING MECHANISMS

Coping mechanisms refer to the process through which people deal or handle the daily

challenges which they experience in their lives both positively and negatively (Cicchetti, 2012;

Cicchetti & Rogosch, 2016). The ability of various individuals to adopt, and combine various

different types of coping strategies has become an interesting area of study as researchers seek

to identify the ability of individuals to adopt differently to different situations. The flexibility of

the individual in adopting various different coping mechanisms, and the consequences of the

ability to adapt to the stressing events of their lives is also tested. Researchers like Bonanno

and Burton (2013) and Kobylińska and Kusev, (2019) agree that certain coping mechanisms

are universally adaptive or maladaptive. There are two categories of coping strategies as

defined by Rupp and Mallory (2015), active and passive coping strategies.

Active coping strategies can be cognitive strategies which entail changes in perspective,

imposing self-control, and rational distancing of oneself. They are behavioral strategies which

may include determining borderlines to the job, requesting advice from others, engaging in

relaxation exercises and emotional strategies such as remaining calm and quiet and thinking

positively (Wang, Xiao, Zhang, & Wang, 2020). They involve a level of awareness of the stressing

event by the affected individual and subsequent efforts or attempts at reduction of the negative

results from the stressing event. Activities that the stressed individual may result to address

the rising levels of stress may include humorous activities, relaxation activities, seeking support

from capable individuals, physical recreation activities, and adjusting one’s expectations of the

events at hand. In their article on student stressors and coping mechanisms,

Passive coping strategies such as resignation, drinking, wishful thinking and avoidance, are

characterized by a lack of engagement with stressful event. Engaging oneself in self-doubts cum

denial activities offer the affected individual an outlet to seek sympathy and is not highlighted

as an effective tool for coping with stressful activities. Gustems-Carnicer, Calderón and

Calderón-Garrido (2019) in their paper on stress, coping strategies and academic achievement

in teacher education students discuss in detail the futility of a stressed individual engaging in

passive coping strategies. The eventual performance of the stressed individual is dependent on

their ability to cope and their choice of coping mechanism. Thus, for students, their

performance in their academic studies is dependent on their ability to handle the stresses