INFLUENCE OF PRINCIPALS’ INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION PRACTICES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MANDERA EAST SUB-COUNTY, MANDERA COUNTY, KENYA
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Principals play an important role in ensuring that students register impressive academic grades in internal and national examinations. However, in public secondary schools in Mandera East Sub-county, the situation is quite different with academic performance of public secondary schools being low.
Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of principals’ instructional supervision practices on academic performance in public secondary schools in Mandera East Sub-county, Mandera County, Kenya.
Methodology: The study adopted mixed methodology and concurrent triangulation design. Target population was 214 respondents comprising 16 principals and 198 teachers from which a sample of 138 respondents was selected using the Yamane’s Formula. Stratified sampling was used to create two different strata based on the number of zones in Mandera East Sub-county. From each zone, five (5) principals were sampled using purposive sampling. However, from each zone, simple random sampling was applied to select 64 teachers. This sampling procedure enabled the researcher to obtain a sample size of 10 principals and 128 teachers. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically based on the objectives and presented in narrative forms. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferentially using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Analysis with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 23) and presented using tables and charts.
Findings: The study established that, in many public secondary schools, performance of students in KCSE has been on a downward trend with a progressive decrease in the number of students who scored grade C+ and above for the last five years (2017 to 2021). However, principals’ instructional supervision has not been effective in improving students’ academic performance.
Recommendations: The study recommends that principals must create time to provide sound instructional leadership by undertaking instructional supervision activities geared towards improving teachers’ classroom pedagogy.
Keywords: Principals’ instructional supervision practices, academic performance, public secondary schools.
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