IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 24, Issue 11, Series. 7 (November. 2019) 80-90 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0837-2411078090 www.iosrjournals.org 80 |Page Perceptions Toward Principals’ Mentoring Role in Professional Development of Newly Posted Teachers in Public Secondary Schools in Kisumu East District, Kenya Dr. Obura, Elizabeth Atieno(PhD) Educational Administration and Planning The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya Corresponding Author: Dr. Obura, Elizabeth Atieno Abstract: Among educational policy makers, researchers and practitioners, there is an emerging consensus that teacher professional development is vitally important to educational reform. This assertion is necessitated by the fact that the teacher pre-service training cannot be expected to prepare teachers for all the challenges they are likely to face throughout their careers. Besides, every school has its unique characteristics which the new teacher, whether posted for the first time or transferred from another school, has to adapt to. It is important to note that all educational reforms should be student-driven. However, for any educational reform to succeed, it must begin with the recognition of the importance of teachers in realizing it. From the reviewed literature, there is a gap in the principal’s role in mentoring professional development of the Newly Posted Teachers (NPTs) in their schools. Therefore, this study sought to answer the question: What are the perceptions toward principals’ mentoring role in the professional development of NPTs in public secondary schools in Kisumu East District, Kenya? The sample consisted of one national school, three county schools and six district schools. Participants comprised of 75 NPTs, 37 heads of departments, 10 principals and 3 District Education Officers (DEOs). The researcher used questionnaires and interview guides to gather data from the field. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, independent T-test and Analysis of Variance. Qualitative data was analyzed into themes and presented in narrative and verbatim forms. The study revealed that principals’ involvement in the professional development of NPTs in public secondary schools in Kisumu East District is moderate and that the mean perception towards principals’ mentoring role is not influenced by NPTs’ years of teaching experience. The study concludes that the principal has a role to play in the professional development of NPTs in their schools; the NPTs are receptive about the mentoring offered to them by their school principals; all NPTs require mentoring irrespective of their years of experience in the teaching profession; and that compulsory induction and team work positively influence the professional development of NPTs. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education (MoE) enforce the principals’ mentoring role in all public secondary schools to achieve a standardized mentoring approach for the whole country; principals should constantly and consistently supervise mentoring programmes for all NPTs irrespective of their years of experience; Heads of Department (HODs) should demonstrate professionalism while handling issues affecting NPTs in their departments; and NPTs should be open to team work. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 13-11-2019 Date of Acceptance: 27-11-2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION Although schools are busy places with students, educators, administrators and activity, teachers often spend their days surrounded primarily by students and isolated from colleagues. Many teachers, according to Finnigan and O’Day (2003) describe early professional time as lonely. They add that thi s isolation has been a causal factor in many teacher-identified professional struggles. Considering that teachers can be transferred from school to school from time to time, then the teacher can be perceived as facing greater isolation every time they arrive in a new school. The concern of this thesis is how this loneliness can be addressed. In United States, surveys have revealed that lack of a collaborative school climate is one of the major reasons why many teachers choose to leave the teaching profession within their first five years of employment (Southeast Center for Teaching Quality, 2004). Cookson (2005) likens the organization of schools to an egg- crate; the compartmentalization of classrooms and subjects often make professional collaborations difficult. The issue of isolation is particularly problematic for beginning/novice teachers as it is during the early stages of one’s teaching career that support systems are most critical. If beginning teachers do not receive support from colleagues and administrators, many opt to leave the profession (Schlichte, Yssel, & Merbler, 2005). They