Project Abstract

Abstract
This research project focused on the appraisal of supervision of instruction in secondary schools in North-Central Nigeria. The study aimed to assess the current practices of instructional supervision in secondary schools in the region and identify areas for improvement. A mixed-methods research design was employed, involving both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with school administrators, teachers, and education officials. The findings revealed a varied landscape of instructional supervision practices in secondary schools in North-Central Nigeria. While some schools had robust systems in place that focused on teacher development and student achievement, others lacked adequate supervision mechanisms, leading to inconsistent instructional quality. The study identified several factors influencing the effectiveness of instructional supervision, including leadership support, teacher motivation, and resource availability. The research also highlighted the challenges faced by school supervisors in carrying out their roles effectively. Limited training and professional development opportunities for supervisors, coupled with heavy workloads and administrative tasks, hindered their ability to provide meaningful support to teachers. Additionally, the study found that the top-down approach to supervision often stifled creativity and innovation among teachers, leading to a lack of engagement and ownership of the instructional process. Based on the findings, the study recommended several strategies to enhance the supervision of instruction in secondary schools in North-Central Nigeria. These included the need for continuous professional development for school supervisors, the implementation of a more collaborative and supportive supervision model, and the provision of adequate resources and support for schools. The research also stressed the importance of building a culture of trust and open communication between supervisors and teachers to foster a more conducive learning environment. Overall, this study shed light on the current state of instructional supervision in secondary schools in North-Central Nigeria and provided valuable insights for improving practices in the future. By addressing the challenges identified and implementing the recommended strategies, schools in the region can enhance the quality of instruction, support teacher development, and ultimately improve student learning outcomes.

Project 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.