ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to appraise supervision of instruction in Okigwe education zone of Imo State. Four research questions were raised in line with what the study intended to find out. Four null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. A questionnaire consisting of 30 times validated and tested for reliability was used for date collection. The population of the study consisted of 78 supervisors both internal and external in Okigwe education zone of Imo State. All the 15 external supervisors from zonal and state head quarters and all the 63 internal supervisors (principals) from all the 63 secondary schools in Okigwe education zone. There was no sampling because of the smallness of the population size. Data collected were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation while t-test statistics was employed in testing the hypotheses. On the basis of the data analysis, the study found out that: (1). There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of internal and external supervisors with regard to techniques adopted in supervision of instruction I secondary schools. (2). There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of internal and external supervisors with regard to supervisory practices of supervisors during supervision of instruction in secondary schools. (3). There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of internal and external supervisors with regard to factors hindering effective supervision of instruction in secondary schools. (4). There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of internal and external supervisors with regard to ways supervision of instruction can be improved in secondary schools.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In order to achieve the aims and goals of education, supervision becomes necessary. Therefore, supervision is the process of enhancing and improving effective teaching and learning. Supervision exists for the primary purpose of instruction. According to Ndu (1997), supervision is defined as an assistance given in the development of a better teaching and learning situation. Through supervision, teaching problems are diagnosed, prescribed and treated for better improvement of instruction and in turn help students to perform better.
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Without proper guidance in our academic institutions, teaching and learning will not be fully conducted. Supervision is a service rendered to teachers which is directed towards controlling the quality of class instructions. Briggs (2000) lends credence to this assertion when he stated that supervision is the bedrock of teaching and learning. Neglect to carry out effective supervision practice is an assurance to failure of educational objectives. The vision of any secondary school is to provide effective instruction for students. To ensure that this take place on a consistent basis, the supervisors must work with the teachers, in a non threatening way, to move interaction from what it is not, to what it should be.
Supervision allows for objective feedback, which if given in a timely manner, will help to improve results. Acheson in Annick (2000) rightly stated that the ultimate goal of supervision is to improve teacher’s instruction. As teacher’s instruction improves, student will become motivated; classroom management will be improving and better atmosphere for promoting learning will exist.
The need for supervision cannot be over emphasized. According to Adesina (2001), supervision plays an important role in the improvement of teachers’ effectiveness as well as students’ performance. Supervision is channeled towards assisting others to become efficient and effective in the performance of their duties. Supervision do not exist to breed negative forms of expression in the supervisees such as fear, hostility and avoidance of the supervisor rather supervision is fashioned to provide opportunities where both supervisor and supervisee interact for the sole objective of improving teaching and learning process. Through effective supervision at all levels of education, defective teaching as well as problems militating successful implementation of the curriculum in the classroom can be identified (Umeoduagu, 1997).
The unfriendly attitude of supervisors to the teachers and students’ poor performance has necessitated the need for supervision of instruction (Akubue, 2010). Supervision of instruction is directed towards improvement of students’ performance as it relates to classroom instruction. This indicates that when all learning materials are made available for the students in the course of learning and the teacher is accorded necessary help needed teaching-learning situation will become more effective. According to Anuna (2004), supervision of instruction is the process of aiding teachers to grow professionally by assisting them to engage themselves in in-service training programme. Anuna stated that the fundamental aim of supervision of instruction is to help student learning through equiping the teacher with the current instructional technigues.
Supervision of instruction is all efforts of designated school officials directed towards providing leadership to teachers and other educational workers in improvement of instruction. In the light of this statement, Protos (2005:6) defined supervision of instruction as “the act of overseeing the teaching and learning process in an academic institution”. Therefore, institution should be administered, managed and lead in a effective manner, so as to come up with an effective learning instruction.
The essence of supervision of instruction is most glaring in its need in re-evaluating the student’s performances in class and public outcry against deteriorating learning standard in our secondary schools today. To this effect, there is need for improvement in the delivery of instruction. Teachers need to be helped, guided, encouraged and directed in order to cope with the problems in the system. Attesting to this, Misher in Mgbodile (1997) noted that education at all levels have become more intricate and complex and the need for increased and improved supervisory services become greater.
At secondary level, supervision of instruction becomes imperative because of the fundamental importance at that level of education. Secondary education is that form of education learners receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage. Education at this stage is aimed at preparing learners for education of high quality and for useful living within the society (FRN, 2004). In attempt to ensure that the value of education is achieved by students at the secondary school level, principals tries to monitor the performance of teachers in schools to find out or assess the extent of acheivement of the goals of education.
To achieve effective supervision of instruction appraisal becomes necessary. Kiefer (2009) viewed appraisal as the process of examining a subject and rating it based on its important and feature determinant of how much or how well functions may have been carried out to ascertain the success or failure of such work through value judgment. Therefore, appraisal of supervision of instruction seems to be special techniques and practices that can help secondary school educational system to achieve its goal if properly handled. Operationally, appraisal of supervision of instruction involves techniques adopted by supervisors to assess or evaluate the extent of teaching and learning in order to determine its success or failure and how it can be improved upon. Ajibade (1993) opined, the crucial areas within the school system that require appraisal are teacher’s personality, planning and preparation of the lesson, presentation of lesson, teacher’s knowledge of subject matter, teacher’s relationship with the students, students participation and maintenance of order in the class. Ajibade further stated that supervisors during the course of supervision of instruction evaluate how instructional materials and teaching methods are effectively used.
There are various techniques through which supervisors appraise supervision of instruction. Techniques according to Oki (2007), are ways of doing things. In this context, techniques include observation, classroom visitation, inter-school visitation, conference with teachers, demonstration and evaluation technique. Observation throws new light upon the quality of learning experience present in teaching situations. The supervisor observes teachers and students in action in the classroom so as to improve teaching and learning.
Classroom visitation is very crucial as it helps the supervisor to determine the physical learning environment in which teachers and students are working (Ogunu, 2000). Ogunu stated that through inter-school visitation, teachers learn new methods and be aware of the importance and the use of new materials. During classroom visitation, the supervisor has to assess or appraise teachers’ personality, planning and preparation of lesson, presentation of lesson, the quality of teacher’s voice, clarity and intelligibility, relationship with students, student’s participation and classroom management.
