Leadership or Resources? Reassessing the Institutional Drivers of Inquiry-Based STEM Learning in Nairobi's International Schools

Abstract

This study examined the relative associations of teacher-related factors, school-related factors, student-related factors, and instructional strategies with performance in STEM subjects in international schools in Nairobi, Kenya. Little is known about how strongly school leadership-related conditions relate to STEM performance compared with teacher-related, student-related, and instructional factors. The study employed a quantitative correlational design. Sample sizes were derived using Yamane’s (1967) formula (16 schools from a population of 47 at a 20% margin of error) and Fisher’s formula for proportions (about 67 students and 67 teachers at a 90% confidence level and a 10% margin of error), with the confidence levels and margins of error set for feasibility. Inferential analyses used the student-level dataset (N = 57) and employed Pearson correlation and multiple regression. The study found that teacher-related factors (β = .329, p = .001) and school-related factors (β = .318, p = .003) had the largest standardised coefficients, followed by instructional strategies (β = .266, p = .007) and student-related factors (β = .200, p = .040). The study concluded that school-related factors were positively associated with STEM performance among international schools in Nairobi, suggesting that leadership and institutional capacity may support inquiry-based STEM learning. It recommends that school leaders embed inquiry in lesson-planning requirements, supervision, and appraisal, and that policy bodies consider instructional leadership preparation as a complement to teacher training. The study provides comparative evidence on the relative associations of school-related conditions with STEM performance in a comparatively well-resourced African setting.