ISSN 2329-9843
International Journal of Education Research and Reviews ISSN 2329-9843 Vol. 8 (8), pp. 001-008, August, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
The head-teacher’s instructional role in academic achievement in secondary schools in Vihiga district, Kenya
L. L. Musungu1 and J. W. Nasongo2*
1Department of Educational Planning and Management, Kenya.
2Department of Educational Foudations, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya.
Accepted 22 April, 2020
Abstract
The head teachers’ role is to promote academic performance. It is therefore important that the performance of a school is appraised against the performance of the person who leads it. The purpose of the study was to investigate the instructional role of the head-teacher in academic achievement in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in Vihiga district of Western province. The population of the study comprised 84 head -teachers and 1,280 teachers serving in the 84 secondary schools. Saturated sampling technique was used to select a sample from the high and average performing schools, while stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample from the low performing schools. The sample comprised 7 high performing schools, 17 average performing schools and 20 low performing schools. All the 44 head-teachers of the selected schools formed part of the sample for the study together with 8 teachers from each school sampled randomly. Data was collected by use of questionnaires, in-depth interviews and document analysis guide. Data was analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study showed that head-teachers’ instructional role included regular checking of teachers’ professional records, regular class supervision, and management plan for carrying out curriculum goals. Therefore, since the role of the head- teacher is associated with high student achievement, the study recommends that head-teachers should enhance internal supervision of teachers.
Key words: Academic achievement, effectiveness, efficiency, head-teacher, high performing schools, horizontal teaching, instructional supervision, performance, school size, staffing, supervision, vertical teaching.