Influence of Heads of Institutions Transformational Leadership Practices on Parental Participation in Decision Making in Private Primary Schools in Athi River Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Heads of Institutions' transformational leadership practices on parental participation in decision-making in private primary schools in Athi River Sub-county, Machakos County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following research questions: To what extent does the idealized practice of school leadership influence parental participation in decision-making in private primary schools in Athi River, Machakos County? To what extent does inspirational motivation influence parental participation in decision-making? How does intellectual stimulation influence parental participation in decision-making? How does individualised consideration influence parental participation in decision-making? Transformational Leadership Theory informed the study. The study adopted a mixed methods approach, employing an explanatory sequential design. The quantitative phase utilised a descriptive cross-sectional survey design, while the qualitative phase employed a phenomenology design. The target population included 25 registered private primary schools, 25 HOIs, 400 teachers, and 460 parents. Stratified sampling was used to select eight private primary schools, stratified purposive sampling to select 8 HOIs, simple random sampling to select 80 teachers, and 120 parents, respectively. Data collection instruments included questionnaires for teachers and parents, interview guides for HOIs and a document analysis. Validity of instruments was established through expert review. Reliability was established by computing pilot testing. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data were subjected to thematic content analysis. Ethical considerations were observed. Heads of institutions' transformational leadership practices significantly influence parental participation in decision-making. Inspirational motivation is the strongest and most consistent driver of parental engagement. Idealised practice and intellectual stimulation show significant effects, but affirmation is inconsistent, weak on trust and confidence for idealised influence, and unevenly institutionalised across schools for intellectual stimulation. Individualized consideration is the weakest dimension, with agreement falling below half on responsiveness and recognition of parents' individual needs.