Influence of Social Awareness on Performance of Teachers in Public Secondary Schools in Machakos County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/hrlj.4006Keywords:
Social Awareness, Emotional Intelligence, Teacher Performance, Empathy, Organisational Awareness, Service Orientation, Secondary Schools, Machakos County, KenyaAbstract
Purpose: This study examined the influence of social awareness on the performance of teachers in public secondary schools in Machakos County, Kenya.
Methodology: A pragmatism orientation and mixed-methods design were adopted. The target population comprised 3,500 teachers in 377 public secondary schools, from which a sample of 486 was drawn using stratified random and purposive sampling. Usable quantitative responses were obtained from 329 respondents, while qualitative evidence was generated through interviews with principals and deputy principals. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability and factor-adequacy tests, diagnostic tests, and simple linear regression, complemented by thematic analysis of interview evidence.
Findings: Social awareness recorded a high composite mean (M = 4.30, SD = 0.47). The regression model indicated a positive association between social awareness and teacher performance (R² = .092), with the reported slope statistically significant ( = 0.020, p = .040). Interview evidence reinforced the importance of empathy, organisational awareness, supportive discipline, and responsiveness to learners’ circumstances. The study concludes that strengthening teachers’ social awareness may contribute to more responsive classroom management and improved professional performance.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study makes a unique contribution to theory by applying Goleman's Emotional Intelligence Theory to the realm of teacher performance, by offering evidence to support the exploration of teacher professional development, and through the evidence presented. This identifies the important components of teacher performance in terms of empathy, organisational awareness, and responsive classroom management.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jemmy Mumbua Mutua, Dr. Jacinta Kinyili (PhD), Dr. James Karau (PhD)
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