Headteachers’ instructional supervision practices influencing pupils’ academic performance in public primary schools in Kangundo sub county Machakos County

Abstract

Instructional supervision is an educational process that ensures that educational goals of a learning institution are achieved through overseeing the implementation of learning programmes and empowering teachers to provide meaningful learning experiences to the learners. Institutional heads use instructional supervision to enhance teaching and learning by providing support to teachers and guidance after their initial teacher training. The goal of this research was to investigate the influence Headteachers’ Instructional Supervision Practices Influencing pupils’ academic performance in primary schools in Kangundo Sub County Machakos County. The study was guided by four research objectives which sought to; determine the influence of head teachers’ checking of teachers’ professional documents, head teacher’s classroom visits, headteachers checking of pupils’ exercise books and head teachers’ monitoring of educational standards on pupils’ academic performance in primary Schools in Kangundo Sub County Machakos County The study used psychological theory of supervision. The target population comprised of 68 headteachers and 940 teachers. The study used slovins’ formulae to identify a uniform sample of 289 teachers and proportionate sampling to select 144 teachers. The sub-county was stratified into 4 zones to select 32 schools and corresponding headteachers. Data was collected using questionnaires. Content Validity of research instruments was ascertained using a pilot study and expert judgment by the supervisors while reliability of instruments was ascertained using Test-Retest technique. Quantitative data was analyzed using percentages and reported using graphs, charts and frequency distribution tables. The study findings had 74.1% and 69.4% of the headteachers and teachers confirming that checking of teachers’ professional documents by headteachers influenced pupils’ academic performance. Likewise, equal percentage of 69.4% for both of headteachers and teachers confirmed that headteachers class visitation influenced pupils’ academic performance. Similarly checking of pupils by headteachers and monitoring of academic programmes was confirmed as having influence on pupils’ academic performance by 77.87%,73.5%,81.5% and 66.3% of headteachers and teachers respectively. The study concluded that headteachers instructional supervision practices influenced pupils’ academic performance in public primary schools in Kangundo Sub County. Based on the study findings, the study recommended that headteachers should increase the frequency and diligence of checking of professional documents, pupils exercise books, conduct frequent class visitation and beep up monitoring of academic standards in public primary schools in Kangundo Subcounty.