The Influence of Instructional Supervision by Quality Assurance and Standards Officers’ on Teachers’ Instructional Competences in Schools
Abstract
The primary function of external instructional supervision of teachers is
to establish the status of instruction among teachers and consequently
improve it. The gist of this study was to examine the influences that
instructional supervision by Quality Assurance and Standards Officers
(QASOs) has had on the teachers‟ instructional competences in Nairobi
and Machakos Counties, Kenya. The study sought to find out whether
QASOs instructional supervisory activities in public schools had
enhanced teachers‟; pedagogical skills, ability to use available
instructional materials while teaching, and ability to conduct effective
internal evaluation and assessment of pupils. From a target population
of 21 QASOs, 360 School principals and 1095 Heads of Departments
(HoDs), the study sampled; 110 School principals, 329 Heads of
Departments and 21 QASOs . Questionnaires and interview guide were
used to collect data from the respondents. The study revealed that
QASOs‟ instructional supervisory practices in schools had improved
teachers‟ instructional competences in assessment and evaluation of
pupils. However, hardly had QASOs‟ instructional supervisory
practices improved teachers‟ pedagogic skills, and their ability in
preparation and utilization of teaching aids while teaching. The study
therefore recommends that MoEST should organize comprehensive
capacity building trainings for QASOs in the domains of pedagogy and
instructional materials.