Influence of head teachers burnout on pupil academic achievement in public primary schools in Kenya: a case study of butula sub-county

Burnout among workers negatively affects their performance at work. School factors such as lack of physical facilities, inadequate rewards and school insecurity increase level of burnout which has been linked to underperformance by head teachers and translate to poor academic performance in schools. In Butula Sub-county, preliminary survey on five head teachers indicated that head teachers were experiencing burnout. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of head teachers’ burnout on pupil academic achievement in public primary schools in Butula Sub-County, Kenya. A conceptual framework showing the relationship between independent variable (burnout among head teachers) and dependent variable (pupil academic achievement) were used to guide the study. The findings of the study was that influence of burnout among head teachers on pupil academic achievement in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education but was low, negative and not significant. The study concluded that burnout among head teachers does not significantly influence pupils academic achievement. This is because head teachers serve as staff personnel while teachers serve as line personnel and therefore head teachers have little direct effect on pupils academic work. The study recommended that other factors should be investigated so as to establish which factors were influencing pupils’ academic achievement because burnout among head teachers was found not to influence pupils’ academic achievement. The findings of this study are significant to stakeholders in education as they provide information on the way forward.