Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the teachers’
perception of the supervisory behavior of school inspectors in Uhunmwonde LGA
of Edo State.
Three research questions were raised and hypothesised.
The
sample population was based on 84 subjects selected from 12 public secondary
schools out of the 21 secondary schools in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of
Edo State. Seven (7) subjects were selected from each of the sampled schools.
The simple random sampling method was used.
Analysis of
findings in this study revealed that:
I.
The difference between the responses of male
and female teachers about the perception of the supervisory behavior of school
inspectors of education was
significant at 95% confidence level using a two-tailed test. t-critical value
of 1.980 was less than t-calculated value (X2-cal=2.2178).
II.
HO
was significant at 95% confidence level using a two-tailed test since t-critical
value of 1.980 was greater than t-calculated value (X2-cal=2.346) for the difference in the
responses of experienced and non-experienced teachers about the perception of
the supervisory behavior of school inspectors of education.
III.
the responses of teachers serving in rural
and urban areas about the perception of the supervisory behavior of school
inspectors of education was
non-significant at 95% confidence level using a two-tailed test at a t-critical
value of 1.980 was less than t-calculated value (X2-cal=0.352). .
Based on the findings, it could
be concluded that difference in supervisory role perception among school
teachers in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State, may be attributed to the teachers’ sex. It
could be concluded that the teachers’ years of experience and rural or urban
location of schools are probable reasons for their perceptual differences. Experienced
teachers are likely to have a better understanding of supervisory roles. They
are likely to have confidence in their profession as a result of many years of
teaching. These could have led to the difference in their perception of
supervisory roles when compared with the less experienced ones. Also, though schools
that are located in urban areas enjoy certain facilities more than the schools
in rural areas, yet the teachers perceive the behavior of supervisors in
similar manner. The recommendations of the study were that: There should be regular meetings of supervisors and
supervisees through workshops and seminars. These could foster positive
relationship and better understanding of their interdependent roles. Teachers
of different categories and in different locations should be given adequate
assistance by the supervisors. In doing this, supervisors should concentrate on
activities that are meant to improve teaching and learning in schools rather
than focusing attention on teachers’ personalities. Finally, supervision should
be conducted regularly in all schools in order to enhance interaction among
teachers and supervisors.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Chapter
one 1
Introduction 1
Background to the Study 1
Statement of the problem 7
Research questions 8
Hypotheses 8
Purpose of the study 9
Significance of the study 10
Scope and Delimitation 11
Definition of Terms 11
Chapter
two 13
Review of Related Literature 13
Introduction 13
The concept of supervision 13
Purpose of supervision 13
Models and theories of supervision 22
Organizational
environment and
Climate
for supervision in schools 22
Perception
of supervision 28
Perception
of Male & Female teachers of supervisory behavior 32
Perception
of experienced & non-experienced
teachers of supervisory behavior 33
Perception
of rural and urban teachers of supervisory behavior 34
Classroom
visitation and observation 34
Post-Instructional
supervision conference 36
Summary
of reviewed literature 38
CHAPTER
THREE 39
Research design 39
Population 39
Sample
and sampling techniques 40
Research instrument 40
Validity of instrument 41
Reliability of instrument 41
Administration of research instrument 41
Administration of instrument 41
CHAPTER
FOUR 43
Data Analyses 43
Testing of Hypotheses 46
Hypothesis One 46
Hypothesis Two 47
Hypothesis Three 48
Discussion of findings 48
CHAPTER
FIVE 53
Summary 53
Findings 54
Conclusion
55
Recommendation
56
References 57
Appendix
61
Appendix I: Questionnaire 61
Appendix II: sampled schools
62
List
of tables
Table I: Distribution
of Respondents by location of school 43
Table II: Distribution
of Respondents by Sex 43
Table III: Distribution
of Respondents by Age 44
Table IV: Distribution
of Respondents by Qualification 44
Table V: Distribution
of Respondents by Length of service 45
Table VI: Distribution
of Respondents by Schools. 45
Table VII: t-test statistics showing difference
in the
responses of male and female teachers 46
Table
VIII:
t-test statistics showing difference in the responses of experienced and
non-experienced teachers 47
Table IX: t-test statistics showing difference in the
responses of
teachers serving in rural and urban areas 49
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
It is generally accepted that a major
purpose of educational supervision is to help teachers improve instruction
(Doll, 1983; Sergiovanni and Starratt, 1983). In the Nigerian school system,
there are two popular types of educational supervisors, namely internal
supervisors and executive supervisors.
Internal
supervisors include head teachers of primary schools, principals and vice
principals of secondary schools as well as heads of department, since they all
perform supervisory functions in their schools (Obilade, 1989). External
supervisors also called Inspectors of Education are those formally designated
officers of the Federal and State Ministries of Education who are expected, as
their primary responsibility, to inspect or supervise schools and work directly
with teachers in order to improve the quality of instruction in schools.
The critical
tasks of these external supervisors/inspectors, such as helping teachers
improve instruction, curriculum development, and staff development require the
ability to apply interpersonal skills. The fact that supervisors and teachers
are interested in achieving the common purpose of improving instruction would
lead one to expect them to relate cordially at the professional level. In
reality, however, teachers and supervisors interact in terms of each group’s
negative preconception of the other.
The concept
of “supervision” was known as “inspection” which referred to the specific
occasion when the whole school was examined and evaluated as a place of
learning. Blumberg (1980) has described the working relationship between
supervisors and teachers as “a private cold war”. This is how supervision was
perceived by teachers. Whether teachers still perceive supervision in this way
is what this study will investigate.
Supervision may be seen as a positive
for programme improvement. Sergiovanni and Starrat (1983) defined Supervision
as a set of activities and role specifications specially designed to influence
instruction. This statement is supported by Martimore and Martimore (1991) who
point out that appraisal is a continuous systematic and purposeful two-way
communication between the appraisers and appraisees. From these definitions it
can be seen that appraisal or instructional supervision refers to the
improvement of instruction as well as teacher growth and the learning
activities of the students.
Wiles and
Lovell (1975) argue that teachers may view supervision or appraisal in
different ways. Some may view it as a positive force for programme improvement,
whilst some see it as a threat to the individuality of the teachers. Others still perceive it as a source of
inspiration, assistance and support.
Jones (1993)
points out that unless appraisal genuinely benefits the staff of the
organization, there is little point in embarking on the scheme. Staff must feel
that they are deriving some benefits from the process, rather than seeing it as
mere paperwork or a superficial exercise. One may therefore conclude that
appraisal should play a central role in the personal and professional
development of teachers, as well as the development of the institution at
large.
Basically,
there are four (4) images of instructional supervision: these are the
traditional scientific method image, the human relation image, the
neo-scientific management and the human resources image of appraisal. All these
images can be practiced at schools.
Cogan (1973)
gives another image of instructional supervision as the “… clinical
supervision… in class supervision that proves powerful enough to give
supervisors a reasonable hope of accomplishing significant improvement in the
classroom instruction”. Clinical supervision refers to face-to-face contact of
supervisors and teachers with the double intention of improving instruction in
the classroom and of improving professional growth, which is a form of staff
development.
Supervision
of instructions takes place in the classroom and more widely in the school as an
organization.
Squelch and
Lemmer (1994) emphasize the need to ensure that supervision takes place in a
comfortable, non-threatening environment. The success of the supervisory
programmes depends on the realization by both the supervisor and the teacher
that supervision does not take place in a vacuum, but in an organization. The
school is a complex and unique organization which has characteristics of both
bureaucracy and professionalism. Hence, it is very important for teachers to be
aware of this so that if certain supervisory activities are done in a
bureaucratic style they can understand that it is all part of the official and
accepted system.
Generally,
classroom observation or supervision is seen as a way of gathering information
for appraisal purposes. In this way, classroom supervision also improves the
quality of children’s education by improving the teacher’s effectiveness. Jones
(1993) also sees it as vital to look at what actually happens within the
classroom. He also emphasizes the need to have an agreed criterion so as to
avoid arbitrary judgment. Classroom observation appears to work best if set in
a cycle of preparation, observation and feedback, hence the need for the
appraiser and appraisee to work hand in hand before and even after the observation
process. In a study of supervision and teacher satisfaction, Fraser (1980) says
that “… the improvement of the teacher learning process was dependent upon
teacher attitudes towards supervision”. Unless teachers perceive supervision as
a process of promoting professional growth and student learning, the
supervisory exercise will not have the desired effect.
The need for discussing the lesson
observed by the teacher and the supervisor is also seen as vital. Kapfunde
(1990) says that the teachers usually associate instructional supervision with
the rating teachers.
Wiles and Lovell (1995) state that
teachers may perceive supervision as a worthwhile activity if supervisors give
teachers security; by backing their judgment even though at times a teacher’s
judgment can be wrong. Teachers must feel that the supervisor is more effective
teachers. Cogan (1973) states that teachers seem to have some ambivalence about
supervision because there is a “… dramatic contrast between a strong commitment
to the principle of supervision and a stubborn, deep-seated distrust of direct
supervisory intervention in the classroom”. However, Marks (1985) states that
the concept of the educational supervisors has changed over the years. Teachers
regarded traditional supervisors as inspectors, who came on a fault-finding
mission to the teacher’s classroom. However, when this opinion is contrasted
with modern supervision, some teachers manage to see the worthiness of the
whole programme if the supervisors are democratic and fair (Cogan 1973).
In education, the role of educators has
undergone dramatic shifts in the recent past. Many teachers, especially student
teachers and newly qualified teachers may not have the proper guide in
teaching. Hence, the need for instruction in the classroom to be supervised.
How these teachers perceive supervision is what this study will examine.
1.2
Statement
of the Problem
Since the attainment of independence in
Nigeria 1960, the ministry of Education has introduced many policies. Some of
them are as follows: Education for All (EFA); Vocational and Technical
Education and introduction of more practical subjects, thus expanding the
existing curriculum.
Educators
find it difficult to manage all these educational changes. Although many
in-service courses have been introduced coupled with some staff development
courses at individual institutions, the need for classroom instructional
supervision was seen as vital. Classroom instructional supervision was put in
place to monitor the implementation of the new changes, to correct and
practically adjust the new curriculum and also improve the education of both educators
and students.
The research therefore aims at finding
out the perception of teachers about the supervisory behavior of school
inspectors in secondary schools in Uhunwonde Local Government Area of Edo State.
1.3 Research questions
1. Is
there any difference between the responses of male and female teachers about
the perception of the supervisory behavior of school inspectors of education?
2. Is
there any difference between the responses of experienced and non-experienced
teachers about the perception of the supervisory behavior of school inspectors
of education?
3. Is
there any difference between the responses of teachers serving in rural and
urban areas teachers about the perception of the supervisory behavior of school
inspectors of education?
1.4 Research Hypotheses
In
view of the research questions raised above, the following hypotheses were also
raised:
HO1: There is no
significant difference between the responses of male and female teachers about
the perception of the supervisory behavior of school inspectors of education.
HO2: There is no
significant difference between the responses of experienced and non-experienced
teachers about the perception of the supervisory behavior of school inspectors
of education.
HO3: There is no
significant difference between the responses of teachers serving in rural and
urban areas about the perception of the supervisory behavior of school
inspectors of education.
1.5 Purpose of the Study
Educational
activities need supervision and inspection to achieve educational objectives.
Supervision and inspection are good machineries to up-grade teachers into
required standard. Teachers need supervision and inspection to work harder no
matter their level of experience and devotion. The supervisory behavior of
school inspectors have been a major challenge to the achievement of this goal. In
view of the important role of instructional supervision in education, this
study therefore focused on the following:
I.
To investigate teachers’ perception of the
supervisory behavior of school inspectors.
II.
To investigate the
perception of male and female teachers about the supervisory behavior of school
inspectors of education.
III.
To investigate the perception
of teachers serving in rural and urban areas teachers about the supervisory
behavior of school inspectors of education.
IV.
perception of experienced and non-experienced
teachers about the supervisory behavior of school inspectors of education.
1.5
Significance
of the Study
The study will be of importance in the
following ways:
The study will be invaluable to Government as
it will help it to initiate policies that will ensure that majority of school
inspectors employed go for in-service training on new knowledge and skills on
how to conduct successful school inspection and school inspectors who posses
bossing style to teachers should be counseled.
The study is also important to decision
makers in the standard control and curriculum development of the Ministry of
Education and Education Boards as it will also prove to be a repository of
knowledge in the provision of sounder grasp of what teachers want and how the
teachers perceive the supervisory activities.
This study will help teachers express
their views about supervision.
1.6
Scope
and Delimitation
The
research established the perception of teachers’ of instructional behavior of
supervisors. The study focuses on the teachers in Uhonwonde Local Government
Area of Edo State.
1.7
Definition
of Terms
School
inspection: School inspection is concerned with the
improvement of standards and quality of education.
School
Inspector: A
school inspector is one who inspects; directs; advises; guides; refreshes,
encourages; stimulates; improves; and over-see teachers and the instructional
process.
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