SCHOOL BASED SUPERVISION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF HARARI REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study sought to find out the contribution of school based supervision on students’ academic achievement in four public secondary schools of the Harari region. Three research questions were formulated to assess the extent of supervisory roles rendered by supervisors, principals and vice principals to teachers and identify the challenges faced by school based supervision. All the principals (N= 8), vice principals (N= 8), head teachers/department heads (N=48) and in built supervisors were sampled by using availability and purposive sampling techniques whereas teachers (N=91) were selected by stratified random sampling. The design adopted was the descriptive survey and the analysis of the data collected using a 20-Likert type of adapted questionnaire which involved the use of tables to display frequencies and percentages, Mean Scores, Standard Deviation, was obtained by the SPSS. The qualitative data were obtained through the use of semi-structured interviews that incorporated open-ended questions. Focus Group Discussion interviews were conducted with eleven survey respondents selected from each school. Participants’ responses were analyzed according to the research questions and recurring themes. The findings revealed that in all the schools well authentic types of supervisory approaches were not practiced. Supervisory activities lack participatory decision making procedures. Results indicated that in many instances principals, given many non instructional duties, did not have the time to undertake continuous and meaningful supervision. The study found that principals and supervisors in public secondary schools practice certain tasks of instructional leadership more than others. Teacher respondents expressed the desire to grow professionally and improve their instruction in order to provide quality education for better achievement of their students. From the survey result, it is possible to deduce that teachers and staff should give due attentions to what was being done in schools; and get adequate awareness about the roles of supervision. It was found that all schools are lacking the right types of supervisory manuals and the necessary budget and resources. The survey revealed that supervisors are not with the necessary experience and training that could help them contribute for teacher’s skills development and enhancement of students’ achievement. It was found that there is a gap between the roles of SBS and the instructional processes in the schools and that was manifested by higher number of student failures in Grades 9 and 10. Based on the findings, a number of implications were derived for theory, practice, and further research. Educational authorities should give due attentions to training to boost experiences, knowledge and skills to supervisors and the teaching staff, and to allot budget, equipments and other facilities.