Headteachers’ Instructional Supervision Roles as Perceived by Primary School Teachers in Meru County, Kenya
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2017-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The research study sought to assess the effectiveness of head teachers’ instructional supervision roles as perceived by primary school teachers in Abogeta East Division, Meru County. The following objectives guided the study: (i) to establish the role played by primary school head teachers in instructional supervision in Abogeta East Division, Meru County; (ii) to determine the challenges faced by primary school head teachers while carrying out their instructional supervision roles; (iii) to identify strategies put in place by primary school head teachers to eliminate the challenges they face in their instructional supervision roles; and (iv) to assess the effectiveness of head teachers’ instructional supervision roles as perceived by primary school teachers.
The research project was based on Lineburg’s Theory of Change, which states that instructional practices applied by teachers can easily be changed through head teachers’ leadership strategies. The target population consisted of 17 head teachers and 153 teachers from 17 schools, making a total population of 170 respondents from the entire Abogeta East Division. From the total population, the study sampled five out of the 17 public primary schools using simple random sampling.
Before the actual data collection, a pilot study was conducted in two randomly selected schools, involving two head teachers and four teachers, to measure the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Closed-ended and open-ended questionnaires were used for data collection. The collected data were tallied and coded according to similarities in responses, then interpreted using percentages with the aid of scientific calculators. The data were later entered into the SPSS computer program, where they were analyzed and presented using percentage frequency tables.
The research findings showed that head teachers’ instructional supervision practices help teachers perform their duties effectively. This was achieved through checking schemes of work, reviewing lesson plans, improving supervisory strategies, developing new strategies to improve teaching and learning, evaluating students’ progress, improving curriculum and library materials, and setting mean score targets for teachers, among other practices.
The study recommended that the government should provide adequate teaching and learning materials in schools. Head teachers should also maintain a good and conducive learning environment. In addition, head teachers should inform teachers about the significance of instructional supervision in their career development, which would help them carry out their instructional roles more effectively.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the Department of Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Education in Educational Management at Kenyatta University, July 2017.
Supervisor
1. Dr. George A. Onyango
2. Dr. Charles M. Magoma