Relationship between Instructional Supervisory Practices by Principals and Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Nakuru Municipality, Kenya

Abstract

Institutional supervision is a component of general supervision .This is one of the activities that educational supervisors are supposed to carry out in teaching and learning. Its' primary function is to improve instruction and its' outcomes. It is aimed at enhancing teaching and learning. Principals in secondary schools are the immediate supervisors in the schools that they head. The aim of this research was to investigate instructional supervisory practices used by School Principals in Nakuru Municipality, Nakuru County, Kenya. It sought to find out the academic and professional qualifications and training of such supervisors, the extent of their involvement in carrying out supervisory activities, adequacy, frequency and methods of carrying out clinical supervision, attendance of in-service courses and the relationship between instructional supervision and performance of public Secondary schools in national examinations. The study employed an ex-post factor design targeting a population of nineteen Principals in public Secondary schools in Nakuru Municipality. Purposive sampling was used to get the respondents. A questionnaire with three sections of personal data, professional training, preparation, supervisory activities carried out and effect of those activities on performance in national examinations was used to collect data. The findings established that majority of principals in public Secondary schools were male, most of them had inadequate professional training, were ill prepared for clinical supervision hence handled it poorly and inadequately. In-service courses offered were inadequate of poor quality and that instructional supervision did not have a significant influence on schools' performance in national examinations .The study recommended that more females be appointed as Principals ,the Principals be given specific professional training and preparation before appointment to the position of Principalship ,in-service courses be more frequent ,and relevant topics covered to equip Principals with knowledge and skills on instructional supervision and that instructional supervision ought to be restructured and be more frequent so as to positively influence performance of public Secondary in national examinations .