School Leadership Practices and Teacher Retention in Secondary Schools: Evidence from Ngoma District, Rwanda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53983/ijmds.v15n05.003Keywords:
school leadership practices, teacher retention, mentorship, peer collaboration, professional development, Rwanda, secondary schoolsAbstract
Teacher retention remains a critical challenge in Rwanda's secondary education system. This study examined the relationship between school leadership practices and teacher retention in secondary schools in Ngoma District, Rwanda, specifically investigating the influence of teacher collaboration under leadership support, leadership mentorship and peer collaboration, and leadership seminars and training programmes. A cross-sectional mixed-methods descriptive survey design was employed. The target population comprised 55 school leaders and 1,774 teachers across nine public day secondary schools, from which a stratified random sample of 322 teachers and a purposive sample of 10 head teachers were selected (total n = 332). Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides. Reliability was confirmed via Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.930), and content validity was established using the Content Validity Index (CVI = 0.89). Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS (v.21), employing descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis; qualitative data were analysed thematically. Findings indicate that all three leadership practice dimensions significantly and positively predict teacher retention. Teacher collaboration explained 36.5% of the variance in retention (R = 0.604, β = 0.604, p < .001); leadership mentorship and peer collaboration explained 32.7% (R = 0.572, β = 0.572, p < .001); and leadership seminars and training programmes explained 39.3% of the variance (R = 0.627, β = 0.627, p < .001). Correlation analysis further confirmed significant positive relationships between all three predictors and student academic achievement (r = 0.658, 0.614, and 0.687 respectively, p < .01). The study recommends that school leaders institutionalise structured mentorship programmes, strengthen collaborative decision-making, and ensure continuous professional development as strategic retention interventions.
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