INFLUENCE OF STAFF ATTITUDE ON PRINCIPALS’ INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN CHEPALUNGU SUB-COUNTY, BOMET COUNTY, KENYA
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Staff attitude is a key determinant of effective instructional supervision by principals in schools. However, in public secondary schools in Chepalungu Sub-county, the situation is quite different, with ineffective instructional supervision being undertaken by principals.
Purpose of the Study: To assess the influence of staff attitude on principals' instructional supervision in public secondary schools in Chepalungu Sub-county, Bomet County, Kenya.
Methodology: The study adopted a mixed methodology, using both descriptive and phenomenological research designs. The target population was 735 respondents, comprising 76 principals and 659 teachers in public secondary schools. A sample of 258 respondents was obtained using Yamane's Formula. Stratified sampling was applied to create six (6) strata based on the number of zones in Chepalungu Sub-county. For each zone, four (4) principals were selected using purposive sampling. However, from each zone, 39 teachers were selected using simple random sampling to avoid bias. This procedure enabled the researcher to realize a sample size of 24 principals and 234 teachers. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data from teachers, whereas interviews were used to gather qualitative data from principals. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically based on the objectives and presented in narrative forms. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages 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.
Findings: The study found that many principals in public secondary schools in Chepalungu Sub-county rarely provide effective instructional leadership. Many principals rarely undertake teachers' classroom observation, rarely check whether teachers have professional documents such as schemes of work, lesson plans, and notes, rarely assess whether they participate in co-curricular activities, nor do they regularly monitor the disciplinary approaches they apply in their classes. This is due to negative staff attitude.
Recommendations: The study recommends that principals make teachers aware that the success of instructional supervision is meant to benefit them and improve their classroom pedagogy and not a punitive exercise. Principals should also believe in the efficacy of instructional supervision as a tool for improving teaching and learning processes.
Keywords: Staff Attitude, Principals’ Instructional, Supervision, Public Secondary Schools, Chepalungu Sub-County
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