Abstract:
These notwithstanding Kirui (2012) posits that the importance of supervision can
only be realized if the supervisor and the system of supervision are effective. A lazy or
unmotivated supervisor exerts a demoralizing effect on the teachers he supervises and
causes the system to lose its positive effects on the school environment. An ineffective
supervisor turns the instructional supervision exercise into a one-off event rather than a
programmed progressive process (Abdille, 2012). Haileselasse (2004) in a study of the
status of professional development programmes in Addis Ababa city administration
opined that the attitude of supervisors is perceived to be directly correlated to the
performance of teachers.
In Ghana, some researchers have put forward analytical analysis on the
instructional supervision effectiveness or lack of it. Afolabi and Loto (2008) posits that
the present system of engaging circuit supervision puts unnecessary pressure on teachers
and take teacher attentions away from classroom activities for days till the period of
supervision is over, thereby refocusing the objective of supervision from improving
learning outcomes to satisfying circuit supervisors. Amuzu-Kpeglo (2005) in his treatise
on approaches to administrative theory in education criticized the effectiveness of
supervisory methods employed by circuit supervisors in executing their supervisory roles
and encouraged a move from external supervision to continuous internal supervision by
school managements. Afful-Broni (2004) added to this analytical debate, positing that
circuit supervisor supervision methods were deficient in influencing instructional quality
and teacher attitudes positively. Baffour-Awuah (2011) in a published article on
effectiveness of supervision in primary schools in Ghana, rejects these criticism, asserting
University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh
strongly that the Ghanaian supervision system is generally effective, needing just a little
fine-tuning here and there to perfect it.
Despite these intellectual debates, actual studies on the effectiveness of
supervision in Ghanaian government schools have been few, with most of them focusing
on basic and tertiary levels. This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of supervision
of instructions in the Junior High School (JHS) level using a case study of the Dichemso
and Ashtown circuit in the Kumasi Metropolis.
Description:
A Project Report in the Department of Educational Leadership, Faculty of
Education and Communication Sciences, submitted to the School of Graduate
Studies, University of Education, Winneba, in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for award of the Master of Arts (Educational Leadership) degree
AUGUST, 2016
