Perceived headteachers’ curriculum leadership practices and teachers’ performance in basic schools in Awutu-Senya East Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

The overarching aim of this study was to assess the effect of head teachers’ curriculum leadership practices on teachers’ performance in public basic schools in Awutu-Senya East Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. The study employed descriptive survey and a quantitative approach grounded on the positivists’ paradigm to achieve its objectives. The study’s target population was all teachers and headteachers in public basic schools in the Awutu-Senya East Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. The accessible population was made up of 360 professional teachers and 41 headteachers who had been at post for at least one year. A sample of 401 consisting of 41 headteachers and 360 basic school teachers were drawn from Awutu-Senya East Municipality using census sampling technique and stratified random sampling technique respectively. Closed ended questionnaires were used to collect data for the study. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) to achieve objectives one and two. Multiple Regression analysis was used to examine the effects of headteachers' curriculum leadership practices on teachers' performance. The findings indicate that the headteachers have played their curriculum leadership roles effectively and efficiently in the Awutu-Senya East Municipality. This is because all the indicators such as Curriculum Development and Instruction, Planning and Preparation of Schemes of Work and Staff Development, Monitoring of Teaching and Learning across the Curriculum, Teacher Professional and Curriculum Development Improvement, Teacher Support and Development have all been adjudged to be very effective. Also, teachers in the Awutu-Senya East were found to have been very efficient in performing their duties. This was evident in the four dimensions of teachers’ performance such as Classroom Management, Students’ Academic Achievement, Teachers’ Instructional Management and Improved Teachers’ Professional and Curriculum Development. Again, headteachers’ curriculum leadership was also found to have statistically significant and positive effect on teachers’ performance. It is thus, recommended to the government of Ghana and other key stakeholders in the educational fraternity to ensure adequate resourcing of the headteachers of public basic schools in a bid to supporting them to continue to deliver on their mandate as curriculum leaders. Institutional arrangements should be revitalized to enhance monitoring of schools and ensure regular training of headteachers in a bid to continually sharpen their curriculum leadership skills.