Principals' Rational and Avoidance Decision-Making Styles and Their Influence on Teachers' Work Motivation in Public Secondary Schools in Laikipia County, Kenya

Public secondary school teachers’ work motivation has been considerably low in Laikipia County, Kenya. This study assessed the principals' rational and avoidance decision-making styles and their influence on teachers' work motivation in public secondary schools in the County. The decision-making model of Scott and Bruce (1995) anchored the study. A descriptive research design was employed, while 13 principals and 261 teachers constituted the sample size of 274 respondents. Interview schedules for principals and the Decision-Making Styles Questionnaire (DMSQ) for teachers were used to collect data. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential techniques with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. The study revealed that principals’ rational decision-making style has a positive and significant influence on teacher motivation, with a regression coefficient of B = 0.188 (p < .05), contributing 18.8% to teacher work motivation. Conversely, the avoidance decision-making style showed a negative and significant relationship with teacher motivation, reflected by a regression coefficient of B = -0.114 (p < .05), indicating a 11.4% contribution. The study concluded that rational decision-making by principals significantly boosted teacher motivation, encouraging engagement and participation in school activities. Conversely, avoidance decision-making was least preferred, as it negatively impacted teacher morale and contribution. The study advises education authorities to promote rational decision-making by principals through evaluations and training, while discouraging avoidance strategies to enhance teacher motivation, engagement, and school productivity via participatory and intuitive leadership. Article visualizations: