Shared Strategic Vision in Participative Leadership Style and Quality Education Provision in Public Secondary Schools in Arusha Region, Tanzania

Abstract

This study examined the influence of shared strategic vision in participative leadership style on improving the quality of education in public secondary schools in Arusha region, Tanzania. Correlation survey design under quantitative approach was adopted to establish the influence of shared strategic vision on improving the quality of education. Data was collected from 291 respondents, comprising district education officers, heads of schools, academic masters/mistresses, students’ leaders, and teachers. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the analysis revealed that shared strategic vision is a vital approach of participative leadership style that enabled the involvement of teachers in preparing a detailed school calendar system to guide teaching and learning activities for facilitating students’ achievements, provides conducive environment for motivating teachers through timely rewards systems, facilitates the sustainable implementation of education goals by ensuring that teaching strategies are guided by clear objectives for improving quality education, facilitates effective monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning process for ensuring regular and early report of students’ academic progress, increases teachers’ commitment and efficiency to the attainment of students’ performance especially in lesson preparation and syllabus completion. The study concluded that teacher and students’ leaders are mainly implementers of the strategic vision rather than designers and thus affect the provision of quality of education. The study recommended the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to develop a clear policy and increase efforts in training and retraining headmasters/mistresses on the proper delegation of responsibility for improving the quality of education in public secondary schools.