Principals’ Personalities as Determinants for Effective Management of Students’ Discipline in Public Secondary Schools within Nairobi City, Kenya

This study sought to link the school principals’ personality traits with the management of disciplinary issues at Primary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study employed the mixed-methods approach and a concurrent triangulation research design with a total sample of 363 school heads, teachers and students’ leaders. Data collection took place through a questionnaire, an interview schedule and focus group discussions. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and the thematic approach. The study concluded that principals exhibiting various personality traits tend to have schools with fewer instances of disciplinary cases. Thus, principals need to develop traits such as self-concept, self-efficacy, self-confidence and emotional regulation to implement disciplinary measures effectively. The study recommends that the school principals should strive to manage students’ disciplinary cases using a combined range of various personality traits. They should exhibit different personality characteristics, such as self-concept, self-efficacy, self-confidence and emotional regulation, which will enable them to manage well the disciplinary issues in their respective schools.