Thesis Abstract

Abstract
The supervision of instruction in secondary schools is a critical component of ensuring quality education delivery. This study aimed to appraise the supervision of instruction in secondary schools in North-Central, Nigeria. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. A sample of teachers, school administrators, and education officials was selected from various secondary schools in the region. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather data on the current practices of supervision of instruction, challenges faced, and suggestions for improvement. The findings revealed that while there were existing structures for supervision of instruction in place, there were several challenges hindering its effectiveness. These challenges included inadequate training for supervisors, lack of resources, and high workload for supervisors. Additionally, there were discrepancies in the implementation of supervision practices across different schools. The study also highlighted the importance of feedback and support in the supervision process, emphasizing the need for constructive feedback and professional development opportunities for teachers. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to enhance the supervision of instruction in secondary schools in North-Central, Nigeria. These recommendations included the need for continuous training for supervisors, provision of necessary resources, clear guidelines for supervision practices, and regular monitoring and evaluation of supervision activities. By addressing these recommendations, it is expected that the quality of instruction in secondary schools in the region will improve, leading to better learning outcomes for students. Overall, this study contributes to the existing literature on supervision of instruction in secondary schools and provides valuable insights for educational policymakers, school administrators, and other stakeholders involved in the education sector in Nigeria.

Thesis Overview

This study appraised supervision of instruction in secondary schools in North- Central, Nigeria. The study investigated the extent: qualifications of supervisors of instruction; frequency of supervisory visits to secondary schools; supervisors’ adoption of approved supervision techniques in carrying out their assignment; and supervisors’ observation of teachers in the classroom are in line with Supervisors’ guidelines. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Four research questions and three null hypotheses, tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. The study population comprised 11,285 respondents, made up of 678 supervisors, 1,228 principals and 9,379 teachers. Adopting stratified random sampling technique, 40 percent of the supervisors, principals and teachers from Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States were selected to give a total sample of 2,297 respondents (148 supervisors, 252 principals and 1,897 teachers). A structured questionnaire with two sections: I and II was used for data collection. Section I addressed the bio-data of the respondents while section II had four clusters with each cluster addressing each research question. The instrument was face validated by five experts, three from educational administration and planning and two from measurement and evaluation, all from University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The instrument was trial-tested on 120 respondents who are not part of the study population. The reliability coefficients of the instrument were determined using Cronbach Alpha method. The results were 0.91, 0.85 and 0.79 for crlusters B, C, and D respectively with overall index of 0.87. Frequency count and percentage were used to answer research question 1, while mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions 2, 3 and 4. The three null hypotheses were tested using analysis of variance and supported using Scheffe’s test. The major findings include: Qualifications of supervisors of instruction are to a very great extent (90.54%) in line with Supervisors’ guidelines; frequency of supervisory visits to secondary schools is to a great extent (2.98 ± 0.68) in line with Supervisors’ guidelines; supervisors to a great extent (2.90 ± 0.65) adopt supervision techniques in carrying out their assignments in line with Supervisors’ guidelines; and supervisors to a less extent (2.15 ± 0.71) observe teachers in the classroom during supervision in line with Supervisors’ guidelines. From the findings, four recommendations are put forth, one of which is that Government should sponsor workshops, seminars, symposia and various in-service training programmes for the supervisors to update their knowledge and skills.