Influence of teachers’ and students’ perceptions on student leadership in Kisarawe District secondary schools, Tanzania

Resumo

This study explored teachers' perceptions of student leadership in Kisarawe District secondary schools It examined teachers’ views on the competence and effectiveness of student leaders, how students and student leaders themselves experience leadership roles. The study was guided by McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y, which helped analyse the balance between strict teacher control and greater student empowerment. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the target population included 120 participants across six secondary schools (three public and three private) through semi-structured interviews and review of school records. Purposive sampling was used to select head teachers and discipline masters while stratified random sampling was applied to select student leaders and ordinary students yielding a final sample of 92 respondents. Data was analysed through thematic content analysis. Data findings revealed that teachers generally recognised that student leaders could handle routine administrative tasks such as supervising classes and organising activities. However, they expressed serious concerns about the leaders’ ability to enforce discipline, mainly because of strong peer pressure and fear of losing popularity among fellow students. From the students’ side, many viewed the election process as reasonably democratic, but felt that student leaders had very limited real influence in important school decisions. There was also a widespread feeling that their efforts were not properly recognised or rewarded. The study concludes that meaningful student leadership requires more than just appointing leaders it needs systematic support. It recommends that schools and the District education office introduce structured leadership training programmes, establish formal mentorship relationships between teachers and student leaders, create regular student administration forums for collaborative decision-making, and develop clear recognition and reward systems. These measures, the study argues, would improve discipline, enhance student engagement, and contribute to better academic performance across Kisarawe secondary schools.