Impact of Leadership Qualities of Public Secondary School Principals on Teaching and Learning

Impact of Leadership Qualities of Public Secondary School Principals on Teaching and Learning

ABSTRACT

This study entitled “Impact of leadership qualities of public secondary school principals on teaching and learning in Kaduna North and South Local Government Areas” was carried out to unravel the causes of growing discontent over the poor performance of students in Public Secondary Schools in Kaduna State in particular, and pinned to the administrative leadership styles of School Principals and the teachers who were the major respondents.

To effectively carry out the study, three research objectives, questions and hypotheses were formulated and all centered around the doggedness of principals’ administrative styles; instructional delivery of teachers; and process learning. The hypotheses were stated in null forms, a scenario that is normal in both scientific and social research conventions.

Literature that relates to the topic of the study were reviewed and a particular framework (Hallinger’s ‘Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS)) was identified which has been tested elsewhere and found to have worked effectively in finding solutions to the contextual of the environment it was conducted. The processes by which the study was conducted was similarly articulated in chapter three where the sample of 747 respondents (total of school principals, teachers and students) were randomly selected from a total population 72,316 using the Krejcie and Morgan Table of Sampling (1970) in order for the work to be properly guided as well, three different research instruments, one each for the three respondents were designed, validated and tested against validity and reliability indexes and later administered to the respondents to generated their opinions that were collated, organized and analyzed using Analysis of Variance and Chi-Square Statistics, all at 0-05 alpha level of significance.

The results of the first two hypotheses were rejected, while the last was upheld which clearly showed some kind of insincerity of opinion of one part of the respondents against the other. This was attested by the post-hoc analysis (multiple comparison). this notwithstanding, the recommendations suggested in the last chapter of the study were far-reaching and it is believed that if they are ardently implemented, the problems of poor performances of students in final school examinations arising from school administration would be curtailed a new dawn of excellence would be witnessed in the performances of secondary school students not only in Kaduna North and South Local Governments of Kaduna State, but elsewhere in Nigeria as a whole.

Impact of Leadership Qualities of Public Secondary School Principals on Teaching and Learning

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The world is already a global village and is witnessing tremendous changes almost every minute (by minute). National and international organizations are growingly being interlinked through wide distribution of knowledge and sharing of experiences thereby making them interdependent with the immense help of science and technology.

(Gomez, 2007, p. 280), observed that “Globalization is increasingly giving institutions and organizations of the world the required inter-linkages and cooperation they need to provide purposeful leadership to their institutions and is having dramatic impacts on the workforce and leadership needs of different organizations”.

Secondary schools in the Kaduna metropolis need to be intimately connected (at pal) with these best global practices of leadership mentioned above, and that there’re issues surrounding leadership and its attendants’ effects on the academic performances of students that need to be critically researched into with a view to bringing them up to the required international practice. This will enable informed decisions to be taken such that the leadership and its processes follow the uniqueness of the changing patterns of leadership in the global arena.

Leadership plays important roles in school effectiveness and improvement in all educational systems around the world as can be inferred from various research experts such as Hargreaves, 2003; Nkata, 2005, etc.

Nkata (2005) for example, “recognized the importance of leadership as the engine of survival of the schools, policy makers, school administrators, teachers and the students, and that this is coming at a time when the challenges of education development worldwide are increasingly becoming more demanding than ever especially with the rapid growth of educational institutions and the continuous increase in enrolment which requires improved management practices”.

School principals are expected to coordinate administrative tasks well so that countries can achieve formal education goals (UNESCO, 2005). Education is a vital point in all initiatives for the establishment of a civilized social system. It gives awareness and identity. It provides the tools for the struggle against poverty, ignorance, diseases, and all other vices. Education furnishes the instruments for the creation of protective values, norms and the required goods and services (Okumbe, 2001).

School principals must be on the front-line of the battle to create an environment for quality education and good performance. Bush and Bells (2003) noted that there is a need for effective leadership behavior to provide schools with vision, and explicit philosophies based on consultation and teamwork that would lead to success in national examinations

As principals plan, organize, direct, control, co-ordinate, report, and budget at the school administration level, teachers are responsible for the administration of classrooms (Omemu, 2015).  Consequently, for effective management of the secondary educational system, certain essential leadership and administrative skills are required of the principals at the secondary level. They are the hub of the academic proceedings, the driving wheels of knowledge and abilities and in the management of their students’ teaching/learning processes.

The odious cry over the poor quality of our school system can only be addressed by asking these pertinent questions:

1. How innovative are the school principals in carrying out their managerial tasks;
2. How do they ensure that teachers under their leadership initiate and execute innovations in their teaching methods to enhance the quality of the school operations?

School Principals need to be competent in personnel management and must pride themselves as administrators to deal with staff personnel issues according to Oboegbulem (2004). The personnel being talked of here include not only teachers but non-teaching staff, clerks’ security men, laborers, laboratory attendants, etc. All these are the most important weapon in the hands of the principal in achieving educational objectives.

Furthermore, school principals require communication competencies as it constitutes one of the indispensable aspects of administration. Ekwue (2008) noted that with effective communication in school, principals will make teachers and students know the duties they are expected to perform.

1.2 Statement of Problem

There is growing discontent over the poor performance of students in public secondary schools in Nigeria and Kaduna state in particular among the public in recent times.  Schools have come under heavy criticism for their failure to equip students with the appropriate knowledge and skills necessary for development. Teachers are being blamed for failing in their responsibilities to their students and principals are accused of poor administrative as well.

If the principals and teachers are being accused of failing the education system in their schools, it rightly means that the whole education industry is being jeopardized by both of them. This will lead us to believe that the reason for which the school is established can never be achieved. It will also mean that government spending on education is a colossal loss and of no significance at all. This cannot be allowed to continue.

The situation among principals in the Kaduna metropolis appears to be far from desirable; they pay more attention to administrative matters than exhibiting leadership qualities that will enable the school climate to be suitable for the attainment of school goals and objectives. There is seemingly some kind of negligence of duties among principals of public secondary schools in Kaduna state; hence, the falling academic performance of students over the years.

Comparatively, assessing the leadership of schools in public and private secondary schools in Kaduna metropolis, shows a remarkable gap between the schools. The private school seems to be doing better in all ways. It is observed that leadership is better offered in private schools than in public ones

In order to nip the problem in the bud, it becomes necessary to undertake research to verify the thinking and come up with solutions from empirical perspectives so that the attention of the principals, teachers and supervising bodies is drawn to the needful that must be done to save the situation. Thus, the problem of this study is to determine how leadership qualities among principals affect student’s performance in public secondary schools Kaduna metropolis

1.3       Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to examine how the leadership qualities behavior of school principals affects the teaching and learning in public secondary schools in Kaduna metropolis. The study is carried out with the following specific objectives:

1. To assess the doggedness of principals’ administrative plans for public secondary schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments
2. To assess the impacts of principals’ administrative duties on instructional delivery of teachers in public secondary schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments.
3. To assess the impacts of instructional process learning in public secondary schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments

1.4       Research Questions

1. Do the School principals have elaborated administrative plans in public secondary schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments?
2. How has the plan influenced instructional process (teaching) for quality education delivery in public secondary schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments?
3. How has the instructional process of teachers influenced the learning processes in public secondary school secondary schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments?

1.5       Research Hypothesis

The following hypotheses have also been formulated to provide the necessary focus to the research study:

1. There is no significant difference in the opinions of Principals of Public Secondary Schools on the prime effects of administrative leadership practices on the implementation of school plans in public Secondary Schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments?
2. There is no significant difference in the opinions of Teachers of Public Secondary Schools on the effects of Principals’ Administrative Duties on Qualitative Teaching Processes in Kaduna North and South Local Governments?
3. There is no significant relationship in the opinions of Students on the Impacts of Teachers’ Instructional Processes on Learning in Public Secondary Schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments?

1.6       Significance of the Study

1. Educational stakeholders, policy makers, private school owners may use the study for further research as regards school leadership (management).
2. The public-school owners may use the findings of this research work to organize seminars for principals and school administrators to assist them improve the process of teaching and learning in their schools.
3. Serving principals may also use the findings to re-focus and appraise their leadership style, with the aim of leading their school effectively towards higher learning outcomes.

1.7       Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study titled: Assessment of the Impacts of Leadership Qualities of Public Secondary Schools’ Principals on Academic Performance of their Students in Kaduna Metropolis was carried out with a view to revealing how leadership behaviours of public secondary school principals impacts on teaching and learning in Kaduna North and South Local Government Areas).

The three main respondents in the study were the School Principals, teachers and students of public secondary schools in Kaduna North & South Local Governments academic performance of students.

1.8       Limitation

The limitations of the study are:

1. Difficulties in getting objective responses from the respondents for fear of the unknown, could affect the findings of the study;
2. students could provide vital responses on school principals’ leadership qualities but for their shallow perceptions on the theme of the research;
3. The findings are limited to those who voluntarily complete and return the survey.
4. constraints of time and resources.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Principal: -The school principal is the highest-ranking administrator in a secondary school.

Teacher: – A person who educates and manages all associated teaching activities in secondary schools and is under supervision of the school principals

Secondary School: -A secondary school is both an organization that provides secondary education and the building where this takes place is an intermediary between primary and tertiary education.

Kaduna metropolis: – This is the urban part of Kaduna state comprising of Kaduna south, and Kaduna North local government area.

Leadership qualities (behavior): – It‘s the processes or activities of an individual or group in efforts toward achieving goals in a given situation. It follows the premise that leadership includes the function of the leader, the follower, and the other situational variables

Academic performance: – is the extent to which a student has achieved their short or long-term educational goals.

Impact of Leadership Qualities of Public Secondary School Principals on Teaching and Learning

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction

Nenty (1999) argues that during a literature review a researcher’s activities are those of quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and evaluating. Each of these should be done in such a manner as to protect the rights of the author and avoid plagiarism. In this chapter, only sources that support this research work have been quoted, and duly acknowledged through standard referencing.

Hence, this chapter treats the review of related literature on the assessment of public secondary school principal’s leadership qualities (behavior) in Kaduna north and south local government area of Kaduna state and covers the following areas:

2.2 Conceptual framework

2.2.1 The Concept of leadership

2.2.2 The Concept of school administration

2.2.3 The Concept of Principalship

2.2.3.1 The Qualities of the desired school principal

2.2.4 The decline in learner performance in the national examination

2.2.5 Principal and their management effectiveness

2.2.6 Principals leadership practice and Students achievements

2.2.7 Principals leadership behavior as perceived by Teachers

2.3 Conceptual model

2.3.1 Hallinger’s instructional leadership model

2.3.2 First instructional leadership dimension: Defining the school mission

2.3.2.1 Framing school goals

2.3.2.2 Communicating school goals

2.3.3 Second instructional leadership dimension: Managing the instructional program

2.3.3.1 Supervising and evaluating instruction

2.3.3.2 Coordinating the curriculum

2.3.3.3 Monitoring students’ progress

2.3.4 Third instructional leadership dimension: Promoting a positive climate

2.3.4.1 Protecting instructional time

2.3.4.2 Promoting professional development

2.3.4.3 Providing incentives for learning and incentives for teachers

2.3.4.4 Maintaining high visibility

2.4 Theoretical framework

2.5 Summary of literature review