ABSTRACT
The dynamic nature of the world today makes it almost incredible for any individual of either gender or preferred leadership style to have all the insight, knowledge or power to realize success. The old form of School Supervision that gave power and a title to one or to a small number of individuals is quickly becoming dysfunctional. Thus, this study sought to investigate the influence of school supervision on pupils’ academic performance in public primary schools in Port Harcourt. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of headteachers’ classroom lesson observation, headteachers’ engagement in conferences with teachers, headteachers’ evaluation of teachers’ lesson plans, headteachers’ evaluation of teachers’ records of work, and influence of syllabus coverage on pupils’ academic performance in Port Harcourt. The reviewed literature related to concept of instructional supervision, classroom visitation, evaluation of record of work, headteachers’ holding conferences with teacher, evaluation of pupils’ exercise books, and evaluation of teachers’ lesson preparation. The study employed a descriptive survey design to target 329 teachers and 27 headteachers from 27 public primary schools in Port Harcourt. Simple random sampling method was used to select 15 schools. All headteachers from selected schools were involved in the study. Simple random sampling method was used to select four teachers from each school to come up with a total of 60 teachers. This study employed questionnaires as data collection instruments. There were two sets of questionnaires used to collect data from headteachers and teachers. The questionnaire for head teachers was used to collect data from headteacher on the supervision activities. The questionnaire for teachers was used to collect data relating to supervisory practices used by headteachers. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to analyse the data obtained. The process of data analysis required the use of a computer spreadsheet, and for this reason the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used. The study findings indicate that headteachers’ engagement in conferences with teachers positively influences pupils’ academic performance. The study findings indicate that headteachers’ evaluation of teachers’ lesson plans affects pupils’ academic performance. The study finding also indicated that syllabus coverage positively influences pupils’ academic performance. It is recommended for the ministry of education to increase budgetary allocation to public primary schools in Port Harcourt to help schools acquire materials and equipment’s required in preparation of lesson plans and records of work. It is also recommended for the ministry of education in the State to increase financial support to public primary schools in Port Harcourt to ensure headteachers get adequate facilities required in undertaking supervision practices.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the Study
In the current world, education is an essential investment. Education empowers individuals and offers opportunities for active contribution in development activities by instilling skills, knowledge and attitudes that are in agreement with sustainable development (Republic of Nigeria, 2002). The dynamic nature of the world today makes it almost incredible for any individual of either gender or preferred leadership style to have all the insight, knowledge or power to realize success. The old form of School Supervision that gave power and a title to one or to a small number of individuals is quickly becoming dysfunctional (Okech, 2004). Headteachers in primary schools should go through in-service training in order to adapt to the changing society and make every effort to communicate the style of instruction which will most successfully lead the institution into realizing its goals.
The government of Nigeria allocates a substantial amount of the budget to education, every year. This money is used to develop and implement curriculum programs that will ensure that learners in schools acquire the required skills and competencies that lead to development. Free Primary Education (FPE) was introduced in the year 2003 with the aim of ensuring that all children enrolled in schools receives quality Education. Despite the effort made by the government to improve education in Nigerian public primary schools, for many years, there has been significant disparity in NECO performance between private and public schools. Due to this disparity many parents and other stakeholders are not sure whether the huge investment made in public primary schools yields an appropriate return. Many reasons have been proposed to explain this disparity. Lack of enough learning materials, lack of teachers’ motivation in public schools, better salaries for teachers and enough materials in private schools are some of the proposed reasons. Head teacher’s supervisory practices, has not received enough attention as a factor that can contribute to the disparity in performance.
Supervision is recognized as essential to improving teachers’ instruction (Nolan & Hoover, 2011) and the quality of teachers’ instruction is related to student achievemen. Supervision practices that enhance improvement in performance should be a core duty of the school leaders. According to the available data for public and private schools in Nigeria it is plausible to assume that there is a difference in the way the head teacher carries out their supervisory obligations, which on the other hand could contribute to the difference in performance. If the assumption holds true, it could also be in order to conclude that pupils from private schools have an added advantage in accessing higher education and subsequent job placement.
Pupil’s performance in examinations is attributed to several factors. These include effective school discipline policies, provision of physical facilities, classroom size, administrative support, and effective leadership (Pashler, McDonald & Bjork, 2009). These are factors that determine pupil’s performance in examinations. Discipline policies implemented in the school greatly influence the level of students’ engagement in educational matters. Provision of physical facilities ensures that student have all the required resources important in teaching and learning process (Konchar, 2008). The size of the classroom determines the attention that every student gets from the teachers. Administrative support and effective leadership is important in school since it ensure that teaching and learning processes run effectively.
Many researchers conducted detailed studies about the factors contributing student performance at different study levels. Mushtaq (2012) suggested that student educational success contingent heavily on social status of student’s parents/ guardians in the society. Karimi (2009) noticed the same that parent’s income or social status positively affects the student test score in examination. Bosworth, Ford & Hernandaz (2011) observed that the measurement of students previous educational outcomes is the most important indicators of students future achievement. This means that the higher previous appearance, the better the student’s academic performance in future endeavours.
There are many studies, for example Karimi (2009) and Farooq et al. (2011), which have been conducted in the area of students’ achievement. These studies focused on identify and analyze the factors that affect the academic performance of the student at school, college and even at university level. Their finding identify students’ effort, previous schooling, family income, age of student, parent’s educational background, self-motivation of students, learning preferences and entry qualification of students as important factors that affect student’s academic performance in different setting. The utility of these studies lies in the need to undertake corrective measures that improve the academic performance of graduate students.
It is generally assumed that the students who showed better or higher performance in the starting classes of their studies also performed better in future academic years (Magati, Bosire & Ogeta, 2015). Everyone can be surprised with this assumption if it could be proved scientifically. From the last two decades it has been noticed significantly that there is great addition in research literature and review material relating to indicators of academic achievement with much emphasis on this dialogue, whether traditional achievement measures of academic performance are best determinants of future student’s academic performance.
Parent’s socio-economic condition, which includes parents’ academic and professional qualification, revenue and occupational affiliation, is also associated with students’ academic achievement. The results of many studies, for example, Mushtaq (2012) confirmed that academic achievement of students is contingent upon parent’s socio-economic condition. So the students belonging from higher social economic backgrounds will perform better than other students associated with low social economic backgrounds. According to
Mushtaq (2012), social and economic status of student is generally determined by combining parents’ qualification, occupation and income standard. Among various research studies conducted on academic achievement, it is not very surprising to observe that Socio-economic status is one of the core elements studied while predicting academic performance.
Farooq et al. (2011) Carried out a study on socio-economic status of the parents of students and concluded that the socio economic background has a great impact on student’s academic performance, main source of educational imbalance among students and student’s academic success contingent very strongly on parent’s socio economic standard. Mushtaq (2012) also having the same views as Farooq et al. (2011), in their study on the effect of social and economic disadvantage in the academic performance of school students noticed, where the parents or guardians have social, educational and economic advantage definitely strengthen the higher level success in future. But it is also noted that these parents make available sufficient psychological and emotional shore up to their children by providing good educational and learning environment that produce confidence and the improvement of skills needed for success.
It is also assumed that children learning outcome and educational performance are strongly affected by the standard and type of educational institution in which students get their education. The educational environment of the school one attends sets the parameters of students’ learning outcomes. Magati, Bosire and Ogeta (2015) showed that schools environment and teachers expectations from their students also have strong influence on student performance. Most of the teachers working in poor schools or schools having run short of basic facilities often have low performance expectations from their students and when students know that their teachers have low performance expectations from them, hence it leads to poor performance by the students. Farooq et al. (2011) approved that performance of the students is also influenced by the school in which they studied but he also said that number of facilities a school offers usually determine the quality of the school, which in turn affect the performance and accomplishment of its students. Mushtaq (2012) argues that schools influence educational process in content organization, teacher and teaching learning and in the end evaluation of the all. All these educationists and researchers agreed with this principle that schools put strong effect on academic performance and educational attainment of students.
Students from elite schools are expected to perform good because these schools are usually very rich in resources and facilities. Some researchers have the view that school ownership and the funds available in schools do indeed influenced the performance of the student. Mushtaq (2012) noticed that school ownership, provision of facilities and availability of resources in school is an important structural component of the school. Public schools due to the inadequate funding, poor management, and less access to resources such as computers perform poorer compared to public schools. It is concluded that the type of schools in which students studies greatly influence the educational performance and academic achievement of the students.
In Nigeria, the education system is mainly examination oriented (Waweru, 2012). The education quality tends to be gauged in terms of the number of pupils passing national examination (Konchar, 2008). Educators and the members of community continuously voiced over factors that affect pupil performance in national examinations. The most exceptional factor has to do with the School Supervision. For instance, Okwiri (2006) maintains that to improve pupils’ performance headteachers are first required to adopt the appropriate instructional supervision practices in schools.
Instructional supervision refers to the process through which headteachers engage teachers in instructional dialogue for the purpose of improving teaching and learning and promoting learner achievement (Glanz, 2006). Instructional supervision, according to Alfonso, Firth and Neville (1981), refers to the behaviours designated by the school that affects teacher behaviour to facilitate pupils’ learning and achieve the goals of the school. The roles of instructional supervisors include guiding, directing, coordinating, budgeting, advising, evaluating, supporting in-service of teachers and providing pleasant, stimulating environment in which teachers will want to work and feel secure (Musaazi, 2002).
Instructional supervision has the potential to improve classroom practices, and contribute to pupils’ success through the professional growth and improvement of teachers (Sergiovanni & Starratt, 2002). Supervision is viewed as a co- operative venture in which supervisors and teachers engage in dialogue for the purpose of improving instruction which logically should contribute to pupils’ improved learning and success (Sullivan & Glanz, 2000). To achieve the objectives of supervision, instructional supervisors generally advise, assist and support teachers and also inspect, control and evaluate teachers (UNESCO, 2007). The outcome of these functions is seen through improved teaching and learning process that translates to improved academic performance.
A study conducted in Burundi by Eisemon, Schwille, Prouty, Ukobizoba Kana and Manirabona (1993) employed the model of school effectiveness using path analyses to establish what contributed to effective instruction at classroom level. Their findings demonstrated that the most powerful feature of school effectiveness had to do with instructional supervision in terms of school director visits, the direct impact of visits on learning outcomes as well as the indirect impact through teacher punctuality. Some instructional practices such as providing extra hours of instruction had a relatively weak impact on learning outcomes, both directly and indirectly as estimated through path models (Eisemon, Schwille, Prouty, Ukobizoba, Kana, & Manirabona, 1993).
Efforts to connect school, if not only instructional, leadership to student learning have recently been underway. Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom (2004) carried a research in Minnesota in order to ascertain the influence of School Supervision on students’ performance. The researchers drew the following conclusion: Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school.
Nike (2004) carried out a study on impact of principals’ supervisory roles on students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Kwande local government area of Benue State, Nigeria. The main purpose of this study was to determine the impact of principal’s supervisory roles on students’ academic performance in secondary schools. The finding of this study revealed that supervision of lesson notes and scheme of work, Principals’ supervision of Continuous Assessment, and Principals’ frequent visitations of teachers in the
There have been previous studies carried out to investigate the connection between School Supervision and students’ performance. For instance, Nzambi (2012) carried out a study on role of the headteacher in instructional supervision as perceived by teachers in secondary schools in Kitui. They concluded that the headteacher provided teaching and learning materials necessary resources for learning in the school.
A study by Lloyd, Mensch and Clark (2000) in Nigeria found out that low performing school were characterised by inadequate school facilities, lack of active participation of students in the teaching-learning process, and poor overall school atmosphere in terms of organisation, rules and student-to-student interaction. This study aimed at investigating the influence of school supervision on pupils’ academic performance in public primary schools in Port Harcourt. The study covered the three general domains within which instructional supervisors operate.
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