Role of instructional supervision of quality education in secondary schools:A case study of Thika West District.

Abstract

The study set out to investigate the role of instructional supervision in provision of quality education in secondary schools in Thika West District. The specific objectives of the study were: to determine the role of instructional supervision in improving quality; to establish the methods used; to identify the personnel involved and to establish some of the challenges encountered in carrying out instructional supervision as well as how those challenges could be overcome. The study was guided by John Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development (1964) which emphasized that effective supervision assists to translate abstract concepts into concrete facts thereby enhancing performance. It was further guided by the Complex Theory within the social sciences as described by Siemens(2008). This theory requires institutional leaders to recognize that the change they hope to see is incremental and that determination of the various elements at work is vital in order to persistently promote the best approaches to improved learning achievement. The study was an ex- post facto survey study that used a descriptive survey design. The target population for the study was 30 secondary schools in Thika West District. The schools in the district were divided into two strata; good performers and poor performers. 30% of all schools in each stratum were selected at random. The respondents for the study were head teachers and teachers. Ten (10) out of thirty (30) schools were sampled. Questionnaires were given to 40 participants and the results were analysed using descriptive statistics that included frequency counts, percentages and means. The findings of this study established that there is a connection between supervision work that is mainly done by the principal and the improved quality of student learning that can be traced from teachers becoming better instructors. Effective instructional supervision provided insight into the degree of success based on the set goals and objectives. This helped in reflections and timely actions thereby improving quality of education. The study recommended that for secondary schools to fully benefit from instructional supervision, head teachers and teachers need to restructure their programs so as to fit each school’s unique circumstances in a way that the programs become part of a long term reform plan.