Instructional supervisory role of headmasters and its’ influence on students academic acheivement in public senior high schools in the Bolgatanga Municaplity

Abstract

The purpose of instructional supervision is to improve the quality of teaching through bettering skills of teachers which in turn enhance students’ academic achievement. Informal discussion among the people in Bolgatanga suggests that poor students’ performance in public senior high schools is as a result of ineffective supervision of teachers by headmasters. This study sought to examine the influence of instructional supervisory roles of the headmasters on student’s academic achievement in Bolgatanga Municipality. A total of 117 participants were selected through probability and non probability sampling procedures. Questionnaires, interview guides and document analysis guide were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies were used to summarize information obtained from the field. It was presented in distribution tables of frequency, percentages and pie charts. Qualitative data was categorized into themes guided by research questions and presented in form of narratives and direct quotes. The findings established that principals’ orient new teaching staff supervise curriculum programs and monitor students’ academic progress. They were rated very highly as roles frequently performed. Headmasters were found to refrain from visiting classrooms for lesson observation and rarely provided in-service training for teachers. The major challenges that faced headmasters included lack of finances, in-adequate staffing, high turnover of teachers and inter-relationship challenges. The study recommended that headmasters should be setting enough time for instructional supervision in schools. They are also to encourage classroom visitation and giving of feedback to the teachers.