Headteachers' instructional supervision- practices and the challenges they face in public primary schools in Asego division - Homa bay county, Kenya
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Date
2014-10-01
Authors
Opoko, Joseph Arot
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Abstract
One of the objectives of primary education is to provide quality education to children
so as to acquire the basic skills, knowledge and values that enable them to fit well into
the society after they graduate from school. The nature and quality of instructional
supervision is presumed to have effects on teaching and learning in schools but very
little is known about the practice and challenges head teachers face in instructional
supervision in public schools in Asego division. The purpose of the study was to
determine how instructional supervision is practiced in public primary schools in
Asego Division and the challenges head teachers face in the course of undertaking
their instructional supervisory roles. The study objectives were to determine the extent
to which instructional supervision is practiced by head teachers in public primary
schools in Asego division; determine the challenges, and suggest how instructional
supervision can be improved in public primary schools in Asego division. The.study
reviewed related literature focusing on the aspect, purpose, the practices and
challenges of instructional supervision. The study adopted a descriptive survey'
method. Open and closed ended questionnaires were used to collect data. Two schools
that were not included in the study were randomly selected for piloting. The study
was carried out in 20 schools randomly selected out of the targeted population of 60
public schools in Asego Division. A total of 20 head teachers of the selected schools
were included in the study. Data collection process began with permission from the
National council for science and innovation, the county commissioner and county
director of Education-Homa Bay before familiarization tours to schools and
preparation of enough questionnaires to the head teachers. Questionnaires were
administered to the respondents by the researcher. The data collected were analyzed
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, frequency
and percentages were used to present the data. Findings from the study revealed that
instructional supervision practices were inadequate with majority of head teachers
16(89%), and 15(83%) indicating that they were not regular in lesson observation in
class and induction of new teachers respectively. It further revealed that 16(89%) and
15(83%) face challenges like role overload and negative attitude by teachers towards
instructional supervision. A majority of head teachers 17(94%), and16(89%)
suggested the need to organize in-service training for teachers and head teachers'
motivation respectively as some of the strategies to improve instructional supervision
in public schools. It is recommended that head teachers be relieved some of the
administrative duties to devote more time to instructional supervision. It is also
recommended that regular in-service training be organized in schools to sensitize the
teachers on the importance of instructional supervision and positively participate in
instructional supervision activities for professional growth. The Teachers Service
Commission should post enough teachers in schools to alleviate the problem of
understaffing and relieve the head teachers the current teaching load to enable them
dedicate most of their time to instructional supervision. The Ministry of Education,
Science and Technology should allocate more funds to cater for the buying of
Teaching/Learning materials.
Description
Masters of Education 83p. May 2014