TABLE
OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
ONE
1.1 Background
to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
1.4 Research
Questions
1.5 Research
Hypotheses
1.6 Significance of the
Study
1.7 Scope of the Study
1.8 Definition
of Terms
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The
Meaning of Supervision
2.3 Historical
Development of School Supervision
2.4 Types
of School Supervision
2.5 techniques
of Instructional Supervision
2.6 The
Principal and Instructional Supervision
2.7 The
principal and Records Keeping
2.8 Nature
and Forms of Records
2.9 Challenges
of School Supervision
2.10 Appraisal
of Literature Review
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
3.0
Introduction
3.1
Research Design
3.2
Population
of the Study
3.3
Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.4
Research Instrument
3.5
Validity of the Instrument
3.6
Reliability of the Instrument
3.7
Method of Data Collection
3.8 Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER
FOUR
DATA
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Test
of Hypotheses
4.3 Summary
of Findings
4.4
Discussion of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Sustainable
quality assurance in secondary education is a continuous process of the best
practices in the management and utilization of human and material resources,
facilities, finance, and development of positive corporate culture and
strategic supervision of teaching and learning activities, for the realization
of the set goals in schools (Ayeni,2010). Sustainable quality assurance in an
educational institution is also made possible when every member of the
institution contributes his/her quota to the quality process (Venkaiah, 1995;
Zuhari andSuparman, 2002). All these are required to ensure a complete
education and production of quality students and consistent improvement in
secondary school system.
The role of principal’s sustainability and
supervision cannot be over-emphasized. The principal as a leader of group of
teachers in the school system has the function of interacting with the teachers
in order to improve teaching and learning situations for the students through
instructional supervision. Instructional supervision is a process by which
school administrator attempts to achieve acceptable standards, performance and
results. It is a tool of quality improvement in the school system and a phase
in school administration which focuses primarily upon the achievement of
appropriate expectation of educational system (Peretomode,2004).
All
organizations including churches, corporate enterprises and schools exist
essentially to achieve certain stated objectives. To ensure the achievement of
the stated objectives, such organizations are guided by certain principles and
mechanisms in order to ensure success. One of such mechanisms includes
supervision. Secondary education is of course a very important segment of the
education ladder both in Nigeria and elsewhere. This is because secondary
education not only produces middle level manpower for the economy; it also
prepares its beneficiaries for tertiary education (Patrick & Leonard, 2012).
Education
is an instrument par excellence for effecting National development (Federal
Republic of Nigeria) (FRN) (2004), and the means of developing human intellect,
technical skills, character and effective citizenship for self-reliance and
national development. This underscores the value being placed on quality and
standards which encompass quality learning resource inputs, instructional
process, teachers’ capacities development, effective management, monitoring and
evaluation, and quality learning outcomes in secondary schools.
The
pursuit of quality improvement in ed ucation service delivery necessitated the
application of quality system management standards in the education sector. The
adoption of quality assurance in education as an emerging policy perspective in
the contemporary world emanated at the World Conference on Education for All
(EFA) led by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) at Thailand in 1990. Representatives of the international community
agreed that all countries should pay greater attention towards improving all
aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all. This is to
ensure achievement of recognized and measurable learning outcomes in schools,
especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills (UNESCO, 2002).
Quality assurance, therefore, is one of the most critical tasks facing every
nation’s educational institutions, so that the societal demands for improved
education service delivery would achieve the best learning outcomes that
enhance the quality of life of the citizenry (Ayeni, 2010).
The
World Declaration on Education for All was re-affirmed by the international
community in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. In pursuit of the goals set at the
Conference, the United Nations member states agreed to show maximum commitment
to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted at the
Millennium Summit held in New York in September, 2000. The United Nations
Millennium Declaration recognized education as a key component and the need for
every nation to use it as a veritable tool to significantly improve human,
social and economic conditions by 2015.
The current global moves towards ensuring that
educational systems meet the MDGs, the challenges of information and communication
technology (ICT), the evolution of the global digital economy, and the global
competition for technically skilled workers underscores the priority being
given to quality assurance in education as an instrument for achieving
sustainable development of human potential in particular and Nigeria’s economy
as a whole (FRN, 2004; Federal Ministry of Education (FME) (2009).
The
under-listed researchers have suggested that a number of factors contribute to
the establishment of quality education in schools. For example, Digolo (2003)
observed that the maintenance of factors such as curriculum, instructional
materials, equipment, school management, teacher training and resources are
some of the indicators of quality education. In addition, Gogo (2002) reported that
low performance could be attributed to inadequate finance which resulted to
inadequate supply of teaching and learning materials and equipment.
Olembo
(1992) also suggested that provision of quality education requires that the
principal be involved in translation of education policies and objectives into
viable programmes within the school; w hile Shiundu and Omulando (1992)
emphasized that on a daily basis, principal have the responsibility to ensure
that teachers implement the set curriculum and also ensure that learning
activities take place. In order to support teaching and learning processes,
Doharly (2000) observed that the principal should ensure quality curricular
supervision and provision of adequate physical resources. Neil and Kitson
(2002) further maintained that the principal is responsible for selection of
subject appearing in the school curriculum. This was necessary to ensure that a
well- balanced education is provided to students.
On
the same point, Bound (2003) suggested that the quality of principals is a
relevant indicator of quality schools, and therefore underscored the importance
of principals in school administration. Given this background, the aim of the
current study was to investigate the strategies employed by secondary school principal
in the supervision of the curriculum and the challenges they faced in their
attempts to provide quality education.
Mobegi
(2010) submitted that quality assurance has been conducted in District IV of
Lagos State to find out why the quality of education has remained low. Due to
the persistent poor academic performance in District IV of Lagos State, there
is a need to identify strategies which can be laid down by principals as
regards their roles as Quality Assurance agents in order to bring about improved
performance in national examinations.
The
quality of education being offered in our secondary schools in Nigeria today is
being questioned and the issue of declining standard of education is constantly
discussed in mass media. In-spite of the national, state and local efforts to
invest heavily in education, the provision of adequate and effective
educational administration and service remain a challenge in the Nigerian
educational system. The extent to which the quality of education offered in our
educational institution is being discussed now is astyonishing (Johnson, 2002).
In
the words of Moorar as cited in Kochhar (2005), supervision includes those
activities which are primarily and directly concerned with studying and
improving the conditions which surround the learning and growth of pupils.
Supervision according to Igbo (2002) is therefore, that which helps to improve
the teaching function.
It
is against this background that this study examines Principal Supervisory Role
in Quality Assurance in secondary schools.
Statement of the Problem
The
role of supervision in enhancing quality education at all levels of education
cannot be overlooked; neither can it be under-estimated. There is a general
belief that there is a great decline in the quality of secondary education.
This is evident in the performance of students in external examinations, where
students perform woefully. For example, the 2014 West African Senior Secondary
Certificate Examination (W.A.S.S.C.E) released by the West African Examinations
Council (W.A.E.C), shows that a total of 529,425 candidates, representing
31.28% obtained credits in five subjects and above, including English Language
and Mathematics. When compared to the 2012 and 2013 May/June W.A.S.S.C.E diets,
there was a marginal decline in the performance of candidates as 38.81% was
recorded in 2012 and 36.57% in 2013. Consequently, the observed decline in the
quality of education could be assumed to be as a result of the type and nature
of supervision that is present in the various secondary schools.
The
need to investigate the relationship between supervision and enhancement of
quality education at the secondary schools has therefore necessitated this
study.
Purpose of the Study
The
general purpose of this study is to examine Principal Supervisory Role in
Quality Assurance in Secondary Schools. Specifically, the study sought to:
1.
examine the
relationship between instructional supervision and quality of education;
2.
examine the
relationship between infrastructural supervision and quality of education;
3.
find out whether
adequate record keeping is related to the quality of education; and
4.
examine the
relationship between principal’s supervisory styles and quality of education.
Research Questions
The
study provides answers to the following questions:
1.
To what extent does
instructional supervision relate to the quality of education?
2.
What is the nature of
relationship that exists between infrastructural supervision and quality of
education?
3.
How does adequate
record keeping relate to the quality of education?
4.
What is the
relationship between principal’s supervisory styles and quality of education?
Research Hypotheses
The
following hypotheses guided this study:
1.
There is no significant
relationship between instructional supervision and quality of education.
2.
There is no significant
relationship between infrastructural supervision and quality of education.
3.
There is no significant
relationship between principal’s record keeping skills and quality of
education.
4.
There is no significant
relationship between principal’s supervisory styles and quality of education.
Significance of the
Study
The
findings of this study will be of huge significance to the principals, the
students, educational policy makers and the government. Firstly, it will help in
enhancing the quality of education in secondary schools, also it will enable
school principals to have insight into the nature of supervisory practices that
will promote quality in all aspects of the school. Similarly, it will
facilitate quality service delivery. The educational policy makers will also
have share of the benefit, as it will enable them to put necessary machinery in
place for ease of supervision in school. To the students, it will enable them
to have a conducive learning environment where quality education is enhanced.
To the government, it will help to justify the huge resources expended in
education, since quality education is attained.
Scope of the Study
The
study covers public secondary schools in District IV of Lagos State where supervisory
practices were examined as they are related to quality assurance in public
secondary schools.
Definition of Terms
The
following terms have been defined operationally as follows:
·
Supervision:
This as to do with activities relating to the over-seeing of programmes and
events in schools.
·
Quality
Education: This has to do with
effectiveness of teaching/learning process.
·
Principal:
A person with the highest authority or most important position in an
organisation (most especially of a school system).
·
Quality
Assurance: Is regarded as a
process and practice primarily concerned with conformance to mission
specification and goal achievement within the publicly accepted standards of
excellence.
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