INTRODUCTION Background to the Study The issue of quality in any education system cannot be compromised. The quality of educational administrators (principals), teachers and learners (students) in any nation determines the quality of its citizenry. The changes in the educational sector in Nigeria, especially in education district five (v) demands that the school principals play a bigger and more important role in educational supervision. (Grauwe and Carron, 2004) states that principal supervisory roles in schools particularly on its teaching and non teaching staff services is an important concern because it plays an important role in the quality of education that the school provides to its students. Ajayi (1985) describes school principal’s opinion of school inspectors as that of a feeling of superiority on the part of inspectors whose interest is only in the well-being of students with no consideration for teachers. Principal’s supervisory role is a critical issue in educational leadership. It involves lots of leadership aspects, identifying, supervision, teacher’s skills, students’ performance, the effectiveness of the types and technical skills. The National Policy OF Education (2004) under the Ministry of Education revealed how the principal prime role of educational leadership, must be effective. Principals should be efficient and spend most of their time in organizing learning activities in schools. Maintaining an effective school supervision, acting as consultants, adviser and coordinator for teaching and learning activities in schools is one of their important job. They should spend more time in teachers and students’ professional activities, not only working in their rooms issuing memos and directive or circulars. In relation to that, Yunus (2012) found that educational supervision is a dynamic process in education aiming at improving the quality of teaching and learning. Nwankwo (2004) opined that supervision can be divided into categories. These are instructed and personnel supervision, instructional supervision has been defined as a set of activities, which are carried out with the purpose of making the teaching and learning purpose better for the learners. Personnel supervision on the other hand, deals with the set of activities, which are carried out by the supervisor with the basic aim of sensitizing mobilizing and monitoring staff in the school towards performing their duties ultimately in terms of achievement of the stated aims and objectives of the educational system. Principals are responsible for the administration of admission, health, lunchroom, textbooks, supplies, records and many other auxiliaries in the educational system. Therefore, the role of a school administrator or a principal is to supervise, planning, developed competitive strategies for the school. The principal is this faced with the responsibility of supervising teachers generally to improve their instructional effectiveness, make recommendations and also manage both human and material resources towards achieving the principal as the head of the school as the architect of the quality of activities in the school and the quality of academic achievement of students depends on the quality of instructional performance. Statement of the Problem The ultimate goal of Junior or Senior Secondary Education is to develop the individuals’ mental capacity and character for higher education and useful living within the society (FRN: NPE, 4th edition, 2004). In spite of the societal demand for quality assurance, that is, the process of ensuring effective resource output, control refining the process and raising the standards of output in order to meet the set goal and satisfy public accountability likewise, the need for thorough supervision instead, there is a growing concern about the realization of secondary education objectives due to doubt that many principals give little attention to supervision of instructional activities in secondary schools. Consequently, there have been steady decline in teachers’ instructional task performance and students’ academic performance which depicts non-realization of quality assurance in secondary schools (Ajayi 2002). It is against this nature, that the study sets out to examine principals supervisory task and academic performance of JSS 3 students in District V. Lagos State. The identified gaps and challenges include the followings. · Lack of commitment to supervision by many principals · Lack of proper monitoring and evaluation of students’ learning outcomes. · Inadequate training facilities to develop teachers for professional growth and increased productivity. · Lack of adoption of code of conduct for learners (students). Purpose of the Study The main purpose of this study is to examine the principals supervisory duties at large and the effect to academic performance to JSS 3 students in Lagos State District V. Specifically the study sets out to: · Examine the extent at which principals duties in the school system. · Find out whether principals’ supervision towards teachers will significantly influence teachers’ productivity. · Determine if principals’ administrative roles will enhance the teaching and learning in secondary schools. · Ascertain whether principal’s supervisory will influence teachers commitment to work in secondary schools. Research Questions The following research questions will be answered during the course of this study. · Will principal’s competency to work influence the learning habit in schools? · Will principal’s supervision towards teachers significantly influence teachers productivity? · Will principal’s administrative roles enhance the teaching and learning in secondary schools? · Will principal’s supervisory influence teachers commitment to work in secondary schools? Research Hypothesis Ho1: There is no significant perception of principals towards the learning habit of the students. Ho2: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ job satisfaction and teachers’ productivity Ho3: There is no significant relationship between principals administrative roles and teaching and learning in secondary schools. Ho4: There is no cordial relationship between principal’s supervisory and teachers commitment to work in secondary schools. Significance of the Study This study will be of more benefit to various school administrators, ministries of education and other affiliated government agencies. It will help various school principals to understand the benefit of effective school supervision as a quality control measure at various levels of education especially, at Junior Secondary Schools in Education District V. It will enable school administrators to know the best school supervision techniques to adopt in order to maintain standard academic performance of the students and school effectiveness. This will also enhance school administrators to understand their position on their job towards effective routine supervision of teachers, non-teaching staff, registration, documentations, information and students’ academic performance. The ministry of Education will also benefit from this study through proper planning and implementation of supervision policies to various school management. This will also make the ministries to help in school supervision as a quality control measures through proper inspection and good interrelationship in the administrative duties and positive increase on academic performance of the students. It will also benefit the government agencies through provision of schools facilities, conducive academic environment and improve standard of education. The need to strengthen the principal efficient instructional supervision at secondary schools especially at JSS 3 is indispensable because it will aid to improve the students’ performance in Junior West African Certificate Examination. Scope of the Study As a result of several constraints, time limitations, this study emphasizes on the principal’s supervisory duties and academic performance of JSS 3 students in Education District V Lagos State. Operational Definition of Terms The following terms have been defined as they will be used during the course of this study · The Concept School: This is an environment where children go to be taught and educated. A typical example is a secondary school. In this study, school is the first factor to considered because it is a place where the principal will exercise his regular duties both on the teacher and the learners. · The Concept Principal: Principal refers to the head of a school or other educational institution. Fullen (1992:41) sees the principal as actively engaged as initiator or facilitator of continuous improvement in his school. In this study, the principal refers to somebody who, as head of the school, plans, initiates, supervises and organizes the teaching and learning activities in the school. To accomplish that he works co-operatively with the educators. · The Concept Supervision: This is a leadership role that entails coordinating and managing of the school activities concerned with teaching and learning Daresh (1982:2) sees supervision as a process of overseeing the ability of people to meet the goals of the organization in which they work. Wills & Bondi’s (1991:8) definition of supervision focuses on administration, curriculum, instruction, human relations, management and leadership. According to this study, supervision aims at the development of the teacher’s knowledge, skills and work environment, to facilitate pupil’s learning to achieve the goals of the organization. · The Concept Academic performance: They refer to the quality of education taught in the school system. In the aspect of learning habit of the students, they need to be very serious with their academics in order to obtain good grade at the end of the term. · The Concept Learning: Learning means acquiring knowledge, skills and information. Schmeeck (1983) defines learning as acquiring and retention of knowledge or as an interpretative process aimed in understanding of the lessons being taught. In this study, learning means acquiring knowledge on information, processing it and where possible applying it. · The Concept Teaching: Teaching means importing knowledge and skills to the learners. According to the Oxford Dictionary teaching means what is taught. Ubben & Hughes’ (1987:110) definition concurs with the above when they regard teaching as imparting content or information which learners need to improve their skills. In this study teaching means giving out knowledge to learners with a view to help them develop new skills.
Table Of Contents
Thesis Abstract
Thesis Overview
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Sustainable quality assurance in secondary education is a continuous process of the best practices in the management and utilization of human and material resources, facilities, finance, and development of positive corporate culture and strategic supervision of teaching and learning activities, for the realization of the set goals in schools (Ayeni,2010). Sustainable quality assurance in an educational institution is also made possible when every member of the institution contributes his/her quota to the quality process (Venkaiah, 1995; Zuhari andSuparman, 2002). All these are required to ensure a complete education and production of quality students and consistent improvement in secondary school system.
The role of principal’s sustainability and supervision cannot be over-emphasized. The principal as a leader of group of teachers in the school system has the function of interacting with the teachers in order to improve teaching and learning situations for the students through instructional supervision. Instructional supervision is a process by which school administrator attempts to achieve acceptable standards, performance and results. It is a tool of quality improvement in the school system and a phase in school administration which focuses primarily upon the achievement of appropriate expectation of educational system (Peretomode,2004).
All organizations including churches, corporate enterprises and schools exist essentially to achieve certain stated objectives. To ensure the achievement of the stated objectives, such organizations are guided by certain principles and mechanisms in order to ensure success. One of such mechanisms includes supervision. Secondary education is of course a very important segment of the education ladder both in Nigeria and elsewhere. This is because secondary education not only produces middle level manpower for the economy; it also prepares its beneficiaries for tertiary education (Patrick & Leonard, 2012).
Education is an instrument par excellence for effecting National development (Federal Republic of Nigeria) (FRN) (2004), and the means of developing human intellect, technical skills, character and effective citizenship for self-reliance and national development. This underscores the value being placed on quality and standards which encompass quality learning resource inputs, instructional process, teachers’ capacities development, effective management, monitoring and evaluation, and quality learning outcomes in secondary schools.
The pursuit of quality improvement in ed ucation service delivery necessitated the application of quality system management standards in the education sector. The adoption of quality assurance in education as an emerging policy perspective in the contemporary world emanated at the World Conference on Education for All (EFA) led by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at Thailand in 1990. Representatives of the international community agreed that all countries should pay greater attention towards improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all. This is to ensure achievement of recognized and measurable learning outcomes in schools, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills (UNESCO, 2002). Quality assurance, therefore, is one of the most critical tasks facing every nation’s educational institutions, so that the societal demands for improved education service delivery would achieve the best learning outcomes that enhance the quality of life of the citizenry (Ayeni, 2010).
The World Declaration on Education for All was re-affirmed by the international community in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. In pursuit of the goals set at the Conference, the United Nations member states agreed to show maximum commitment to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted at the Millennium Summit held in New York in September, 2000. The United Nations Millennium Declaration recognized education as a key component and the need for every nation to use it as a veritable tool to significantly improve human, social and economic conditions by 2015.
The current global moves towards ensuring that educational systems meet the MDGs, the challenges of information and communication technology (ICT), the evolution of the global digital economy, and the global competition for technically skilled workers underscores the priority being given to quality assurance in education as an instrument for achieving sustainable development of human potential in particular and Nigeria’s economy as a whole (FRN, 2004; Federal Ministry of Education (FME) (2009).
The under-listed researchers have suggested that a number of factors contribute to the establishment of quality education in schools. For example, Digolo (2003) observed that the maintenance of factors such as curriculum, instructional materials, equipment, school management, teacher training and resources are some of the indicators of quality education. In addition, Gogo (2002) reported that low performance could be attributed to inadequate finance which resulted to inadequate supply of teaching and learning materials and equipment.
Olembo (1992) also suggested that provision of quality education requires that the principal be involved in translation of education policies and objectives into viable programmes within the school; w hile Shiundu and Omulando (1992) emphasized that on a daily basis, principal have the responsibility to ensure that teachers implement the set curriculum and also ensure that learning activities take place. In order to support teaching and learning processes, Doharly (2000) observed that the principal should ensure quality curricular supervision and provision of adequate physical resources. Neil and Kitson (2002) further maintained that the principal is responsible for selection of subject appearing in the school curriculum. This was necessary to ensure that a well- balanced education is provided to students.
On the same point, Bound (2003) suggested that the quality of principals is a relevant indicator of quality schools, and therefore underscored the importance of principals in school administration. Given this background, the aim of the current study was to investigate the strategies employed by secondary school principal in the supervision of the curriculum and the challenges they faced in their attempts to provide quality education.
Mobegi (2010) submitted that quality assurance has been conducted in District IV of Lagos State to find out why the quality of education has remained low. Due to the persistent poor academic performance in District IV of Lagos State, there is a need to identify strategies which can be laid down by principals as regards their roles as Quality Assurance agents in order to bring about improved performance in national examinations.
The quality of education being offered in our secondary schools in Nigeria today is being questioned and the issue of declining standard of education is constantly discussed in mass media. In-spite of the national, state and local efforts to invest heavily in education, the provision of adequate and effective educational administration and service remain a challenge in the Nigerian educational system. The extent to which the quality of education offered in our educational institution is being discussed now is astyonishing (Johnson, 2002).
In the words of Moorar as cited in Kochhar (2005), supervision includes those activities which are primarily and directly concerned with studying and improving the conditions which surround the learning and growth of pupils. Supervision according to Igbo (2002) is therefore, that which helps to improve the teaching function.
It is against this background that this study examines Principal Supervisory Role in Quality Assurance in secondary schools.
Statement of the Problem
The role of supervision in enhancing quality education at all levels of education cannot be overlooked; neither can it be under-estimated. There is a general belief that there is a great decline in the quality of secondary education. This is evident in the performance of students in external examinations, where students perform woefully. For example, the 2014 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (W.A.S.S.C.E) released by the West African Examinations Council (W.A.E.C), shows that a total of 529,425 candidates, representing 31.28% obtained credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics. When compared to the 2012 and 2013 May/June W.A.S.S.C.E diets, there was a marginal decline in the performance of candidates as 38.81% was recorded in 2012 and 36.57% in 2013. Consequently, the observed decline in the quality of education could be assumed to be as a result of the type and nature of supervision that is present in the various secondary schools.
The need to investigate the relationship between supervision and enhancement of quality education at the secondary schools has therefore necessitated this study.
Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of this study is to examine Principal Supervisory Role in Quality Assurance in Secondary Schools. Specifically, the study sought to:
1. examine the relationship between instructional supervision and quality of education;
2. examine the relationship between infrastructural supervision and quality of education;
3. find out whether adequate record keeping is related to the quality of education; and
4. examine the relationship between principal’s supervisory styles and quality of education.
Research Questions
The study provides answers to the following questions:
1. To what extent does instructional supervision relate to the quality of education?
2. What is the nature of relationship that exists between infrastructural supervision and quality of education?
3. How does adequate record keeping relate to the quality of education?
4. What is the relationship between principal’s supervisory styles and quality of education?
Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses guided this study:
1. There is no significant relationship between instructional supervision and quality of education.
2. There is no significant relationship between infrastructural supervision and quality of education.
3. There is no significant relationship between principal’s record keeping skills and quality of education.
4. There is no significant relationship between principal’s supervisory styles and quality of education.
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be of huge significance to the principals, the students, educational policy makers and the government. Firstly, it will help in enhancing the quality of education in secondary schools, also it will enable school principals to have insight into the nature of supervisory practices that will promote quality in all aspects of the school. Similarly, it will facilitate quality service delivery. The educational policy makers will also have share of the benefit, as it will enable them to put necessary machinery in place for ease of supervision in school. To the students, it will enable them to have a conducive learning environment where quality education is enhanced. To the government, it will help to justify the huge resources expended in education, since quality education is attained.
Scope of the Study
The study covers public secondary schools in District IV of Lagos State where supervisory practices were examined as they are related to quality assurance in public secondary schools.
Definition of Term
The following terms have been defined operationally as follows:
· Supervision: This as to do with activities relating to the over-seeing of programmes and events in schools.
· Quality Education: This has to do with effectiveness of teaching/learning process.
· Principal: A person with the highest authority or most important position in an organisation (most especially of a school system).
· Quality Assurance: Is regarded as a process and practice primarily concerned with conformance to mission specification and goal achievement within the publicly accepted standards of excellence.
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