Communication Culture and Customer Satisfaction in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Communication culture is a significant aspect that shapes behaviour, impacting on role clarity and influencing academic achievements of students in schools. This study examined the influence of communication culture on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was conducted based on five objectives, namely: to assess the influence of communication culture strength on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County; to determine the influence of corporate artefacts on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County; to investigate the influence of espoused values on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools; to assess the influence of basic underlying assumptions on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County and to determine the moderating effects of employee commitment on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County. Nairobi County was selected because it was cosmopolitan in nature. The study was informed by Schein Model and Social exchange theories. The study employed descriptive research design and examined both quantitative and qualitative data. The target population for this study was principals or deputies and students in public secondary schools in Nairobi County. The study population was determined by Yamane Taro formula. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used. Principals or their deputies were purposively selected. Questionnaires and interview guides were used as data collection tools for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The sample size for quantitative data was 369 respondents which consisted of 165 female respondents and 204 male respondents sampled using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling techniques while qualitative data was 12 respondents sampled using purposive sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. The analyzed data was then presented using graphs, tables and charts. Qualitative data derived from the objectives was analyzed thematically and presented in a narrative form. Both qualitative and quantitative data were merged to achieve triangulation. The study found out that communication culture strength had a statistically significant effect on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County. The study further found out that corporate artefacts had a statistically significant effect on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County. Espoused values had a positive statistically significant effect on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County. Further, the study concluded that basic underlying assumptions had a statistically significant effect on customer satisfaction in Nairobi County. This study concluded that communication culture had a direct influence on customer satisfaction in public secondary schools in Nairobi County. The study recommended that schools should build strong values through training and improve on feedback mechanisms influencing interactions with their customers. Secondly, the meaning of corporate artefacts should reflect the mission, vision and motto statement. Thirdly, values should be communicated regularly and aligned, fourthly, beliefs should be embedded into the communication culture to help boost trust and motivation among the stakeholders.