Influence of headteachers’ instructional supervision practices on pupils’ performance in Kenya certificate of primary education in Loitokitok sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of headteachers’ instructional supervision practices on the performance of pupils’ in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in Loitokitok Sub-County. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to determine the extent to which headteachers’ frequency of checking teachers’ professional records; holding model teaching session for; undertaking of classrooms observation; and target setting influence pupils’ performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in Loitoktok Sub-County. This study is hoped to provide information that may help management trainers such as the Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) formulate teachers’ education management programme that will be translated in improved pupil’s performance. The study was based on and guided by Symbolic Interactionism theory coined by Blumer (1969). The target population of the study included a total of 118 headteachers and a total of 1600 teachers in public primary school from the three zones within Loitokitok Sub-County. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 10 schools. Purposive sampling technique was then used to select one headteacher and eleven teachers in each of the sampled schools. A sample size of 30 headteachers and 320 teachers was used. Questionnaires tools were used as the main data gathering instruments. Collected data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The key findings from the study revealed that majority of the primary school head teachers (95%) do check teachers’ professional records termly, which is not frequent to help improve pupils’ academic performance. Majority of the headteachers (69%) do not hold model teaching to inspire their teachers’ instructional process development, though most of them (33%) undertake classroom observation this supervisory practice is done in passive mode to avoid conflict with teachers who have a negative attitude on the same. However an overwhelming majority (91%) set targets for their teachers to ensure improved academic performance. The study concluded that regular monitoring of professional documents was the most critical area that headteachers should lay emphasis on, especially on schemes of work, lesson plans, lesson notes and class registers since the documents reflect the plan for syllabus coverage and also assist in monitoring the progress on syllabus coverage. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education through Directorates of Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (DQASOs) emphasizes on the regular monitoring of professional documents by the headteachers and that the Ministry of Education ensures availability of adequate teaching and learning resources including physical resources to ensure that pupils are adequately prepared by their teachers for the national examinations. The study suggested further research on whether teachers’ attitude towards headteachers’ role in instructional supervision would be the reasons behind the persistent poor performance of schools in KCPE in the Sub-County since this study ruled out the headteachers’ supervisory skills as the possible cause of the poor performance