Description
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background to the Study
The concept of principals’ leadership in Nigerian secondary schools is often used to express the overall school effectiveness in relation to the attainment of both normative and summative values in students as spelt out in the National Policy on Education (FGN, 2013). The school principal is the accounting officer of the school who is either praised or blamed depending on the degree of his/her effectiveness in influencing the relevant orders in and outside school to enhance teaching and learning. Mohammed, Ogunode, Yahaya (2021) submits that school leadership is very vital to the actualization of the school objectives. Leadership has been identified as a crucial factor in instructional effectiveness. It is a major factor in determining the success and progress of an institution. It is the key to success in every organization because it can either influence the climate of the school positively or negatively. Without effective leadership, even an institution full of talented teachers will surely drift without purpose. It is therefore key to achieving collective excellence. It is the leader who most greatly affects the organizational climate and provides direction, motivation and inspiration for the school (Dubi 2014).
In other words, the success of any institution depends largely on the ability of the leader to maintain a conducive environment for the development of its members. Wanyoko, & Muchanje, (2021) states that school leadership is important as it provides direction for the institution. For school leaders to achieve the set goals, great cooperation is required between teachers and the administrator. Principals steer the schools in the direction they want them to go because they are the major decision-makers in the school. School administrators have opportunities to adopt different leadership styles or skills that best suit the situation of their schools.
Leadership skills are very important in school management and administration. It provides opportunities for school leaders to solve pressing school challenges. According to Muhammed and Ogunode (2021), no school can be greater than its leader. School administrators must be able to incorporate and balance all tasks entrusted to them.Leadership skills are very important in school management and administration. It provides opportunities for school leaders to solve pressing school challenges. Ogunode (2021) ascertains that pubic secondary school in Nigeria are plagued with different challenges that require the adoption of different leadership styles and skills to solve them. Poor students’ academic performance has been identified as a major problem facing majorities of schools in Nigeria while Ogunode, Olowonefa & Ayoko (2023) identifies poor job performance of teachers in most public educational institutions across the country. Many scholars have suggested different leadership skills that principals can adopt to provide quality leadership and to enhance teachers job performance in the schools.
Motivational skills have been mentioned as one of the modern day leadership skills school principals can use. Today, motivating students to study and staff especially teachers to perform their jobs in secondary school hinge on the shoulders of the principal who is in charge of students’ administration and staff administration. The school principal needs motivational skills to be able to do these complex tasks. Motivation is defined as a driving force that compels an individual to take some actions in order to achieve certain goals. Motivational level of everyone is different just like perception and attitude of everyone is different. For example a person feels hungry, and as a response that particular person eats so the feelings of hunger get diminished. Adelabu (2015) found that in Nigeria teacher’s motivation is very poor and teachers are also dissatisfied with their work environment and salary conditions. The reason behind the poor motivation of teachers is that they have low salaries as compared to other professionals, poor work environment, no decision making authority, and also do not have the opportunity of developing their career. In order to boost the teachers’ morale in the schools the principals need knowledge of how to motivate the teachers. Musa (2018) adoption of motivational skills by school leaders in Nigeria is an option because teachers whose moral and job performance is poor needs someone to motivate them to work. Micheal (2019) suggests that one of the ways to improve teachers’ job performance in schools is for the school leaders to adopt effective motivational strategies leadership skills.
Instructional supervision’s skills is another leadership skills principals can adopt to enhance teachers’ job performance in the secondary schools. Ogunode, & Ibrahim, (2023) defines instructional supervision as a programme of instruction designed to improve teachers’ job performance and students’ academic performance in schools. Instructional supervision is a combination of activities meant to advance the work effectiveness of teachers and other personnel in the school business. Instructional supervision is the process of improving teaching and learning in educational institutions for the purpose of realizing the goals of education. Instructional supervision is critical to the development of education. Abubakar (2017) notes that instructional supervision is one of the processes by which school administration attempts to achieve acceptable standards of performance and results. It’sthe tool of quality control in the school system. Ekundayo, Oyerinde, & Kolawole (2013), agrees that the essence of instructional supervision in schools is to ensure things are done the way they should be to achieve the stated objectives. Hence, the purpose of supervision of instruction includes: directly influencing the behaviour of teachers and the teaching process employed to promote students’ learning; and to ensure that each teacher within the school system has been performing the duties to which he was scheduled, and cooperatively develop a favourable climate for effective teaching and learning.
The role of supervision in secondary school education according to Ogunode & Richard (2021) include: a. deciding the nature and content of the curriculum, b. Selecting the school organizational patterns and materials that will enhance educational growth c. Improvement of teacher effectiveness, d. Ensuring that teachers are performing their duties as scheduled, e. Improvement of the incompetent teachers, f. Providing a guide for staff development, g. Determining the effectiveness of the teachers’ classroom management, h. Determining the ‘tone’ of the school, i. Determining special abilities possessed by teachers and deciding who to be transferred or retained, promoted, demoted or disengaged. Effective instructional supervision helps in the attainment of school objective and also helps to improve teachers’ job performance. Akinwumi (2018) maintains that effective instructional supervision in school leads to effective teachers’ job performance that also leads to improved academic performance of students. Faith, (2017) suggests to school principals to adopt leadership skills that are supervisory inclined. Effective instructional supervisory skills such as classroom visitation, classroom observation, mentorship, workshops and micro-teaching supervisory techniques are key in the development of teachers and the school in general. The duty of ensuring that effective teaching and learning takes place lies with the principal who employs various supervisory strategies such as classroom visitation, classroom observation, mentorship, workshop and micro-teaching to ensure effective and efficient service delivery (Mark 2016).
Communication skill is another important leadership skill that school leaders need to inspire the teachers to work. It is the process of conveying messages or information from one person to another, it is also a cardinal skill used by school principals in managing educational institutions. According to Asemah (2018), communication is a very important tool used by management to exchange ideas, thoughts and opinions with employees. This can provide a basis for dismantling any element of distrust in employees. Communication is therefore, the only way in which the school principal can eliminate suspicion and promote confidence in the staff. The principals’ effectiveness to some extent is perceived to hinge on the manner in which decisions and policies of school management are communicated to teachers and students in the school organization. If the decisions and policies are communicated effectively through the appropriate channels, the principal may be perceived to be effective in the discharge of his/her duties, but if not, he/she may be perceived otherwise (Egboka, & Alike, 2018).
Provision of instructional materials is another critical responsibilities of the school principals which required effective leadership skills. Ogunode & Josiah (2023) views instructional materials as educational resources assembled by the teachers to implement teaching programmes in the classroom. Instructional materials are special educational resources that aid the teachers to deliver the lesson.Oluwagbohunmi & Abdul-Raheem (2014) posits that instructional materials are used by teachers to aid explanations and make the learning of subject matter understandable to students during the teaching-learning process. Abdu-Raheem (2016) stated that instructional materials are essential and significant tools needed for teaching and learning of school subjects to promote teachers’ efficiency and improve students’ performance. They make learning more interesting, practical, realistic and appealing. They also enable both the teachers and students to participate actively and effectively in lesson sessions (Nomigo, 2014).
Ogunode & Josiah (2023) notes that deployment of instructional materials in school for teaching and learning improves teachers’ job performance. Teacher job performance is the degree to which the teacher achieves the set goals and objectives within the school. Teacher job performance is the extent to which the teachers have attained the objectives of teaching in the schools. Teachers’ job performance is the level at which the instructor has been able to execute the assigned functions in the school environment. The job performance of teachers is very important to the school because the success or failure of the teachers affects the school system. Teacher job performance affects the performance of a student in an examination and the general performance of the school. Teacher performance at both individual and collective levels is one of the toughest determinants of student achievement. The performance of students is the performance of the teachers in the school system.
Decision making skills of school principals’ matters in the realization of school goals. Walson, Hart, Ajikere & Kasi, (2020) posits that decision making is a critical aspect of an administrator’s responsibility in the management of secondary schools. It is simply the process of choosing from among alternatives ways of providing a solution to a problem towards achieving objectives. Decision making involves making choices. In the school system, the principal makes informed decisions that guide whatever the school does. Oboegbulem and Onwurah (2019) point out that decision making is vital in such managerial functions as planning, organizing, influencing and controlling. Participatory decision making in a collaborative form with stake holders in school usually improves the quality of decisions since diverse organizational experience is drawn and this increases the understanding of the group as well as their commitment to the decisions. This ownership perception motivates them to successfully implement the decisions. A good decision could reduce tension in schools. As a fundamental process in an organization, decision making is the central responsibility of the educational administrator (Peter, 2013). It involves choice and entails cost although not an end in itself but a means to achieving organizational goals and objectives.
The decisions principals makes and how they make them have a direct impact on working conditions of staff (teaching and non-teaching staff), and students’ academic achievement (Ayeni, 2018). Principals have to involve staff in making decisions affecting their jobs and reinforcements for school effectiveness. They also need to involve teachers in making decisions that will contribute to the development of schools as well as generate more positive influence on students ((Peter, 2013). Principals’ performance in decision making is how well or frequently the principal carries out his roles in decision making by involving teachers and other stakeholders for school effectiveness (Walson, Hart, Ajikere & Kasi, 2020). Femi (2018) examines the influence of teacher participation in decision-making on their morale in Ondo schools. The study established that insignificant teacher participation in critical school issues result in low staff morale and this culminates in stressful school governance. Talatu (2015) also posits that teachers’ participation in school decision-making can increase creativity and information available for planning. When principals involve teachers and students in decision-making, it increases their understanding, acceptance, commitment and performance. Femi (2018) also observes that teachers’ participation in decision-making is one of the key characteristics of an effective school principal.
School principals’ relationship with teachers is of great concern in the educational administration. The school principal is expected to demonstrate positive human relationship with the teachers to move the school forward. Human relationship skills have been adjudge as one of the most important skills school principal should have. Gemuchu, (2014) observes that with the schools facing increased pressure to improve teaching and learning, the duties of the school principals expand further to include the responsibility of adopting effective leadership style that focus on human relationship with staff. Effective human relation skills includes relating with the teachers in the best ways they can understand their tasks and perform them better. Principals are also expected to interact with teachers on the basis of solving their various challenges in the schools. Principal human relations or inter-personal relationship refers to the cohesion that exists between a school principal and his teachers, students and other personnel within and outside the school environment.
Principles must relate well to build effective team in the school. Interpersonal relationship skills is concerned with the ability of school managers to interact and work together with the subordinates to achieve school’s set goals and objectives. Giami and Obiechina (2019) asserts that human relationship skills includes the ability to work with people in order to motivate and inspire them. The interpersonal skills applied by principals enable them to associate well with their subordinates and this provides the opportunity for the smooth running of the school’s affairs. Werang (2014) stated that human relationship skills enables a leader to influence team or groups to work together to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. Interpersonal skills enables principals to become sensitive and empathetic to what motivates teachers, create an atmosphere of trust and put into consideration the needs of teachers when deciding on how to achieve the school objectives. A study by Muraina (2014) states that there is no significant relationship between principals’ supervisory skills and administrative and teachers effectiveness. Giami and Obiechina (2019) reports there was a high positive significant relationship between principals’ interpersonal relationship skills and teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools. The agreement between the findings may be due to the fact that the two studies were conducted in the same country where similar managerial skills are applied by principals. Ojo (2015) investigates human relation between teachers and between principals and teachers and discovered that teachers and principals’ positive relationship leads to the students’ achievement in schools.
The teacher is answerable to the principals, so to an extent the job performance of the teachers depends on the leadership skills of the principals. Ogunode & Atiga (2021) views teachers as strong stakeholders in the educational institutions. Also, Atiga & Ogunode (2021) observes that the teachers are very important factors in the management of educational institutions especially the secondary schools. The teachers’ roles cannot be replaced in delivering of teaching programme. Ogunode & Atiga (2021) outline teachers’ roles to include; preparation of lesson plan, organization of instructional materials, presentation of lesson, evaluating students, marking of answer scripts and preparation of report sheet. The roles of professional teachers in the development of education cannot be underestimated. Atiga & Ogunode (2021) notes that the functions of the teachers include to teach, prepare lesson note and lesson plan, to evaluate the students, sets exam questions and marks answer sheet. Their functions also include providing leadership in classes perform academic services, relate with parents on feedback on students’ progress and sometime carry students for excursion with school permission.
The teachers’ job performance is paramount to the school principals. Secondary school administration is aimed at improving teachers’ job performance and students’ academic performance in the schools. Teachers job performance refer to the level of attainment of instructor’ tasks and assignments in the school (Zaifada, Olowonefa, & Ogunode2023). Teachers’ job performance is the extent to which the instructor carry out the assigned responsibilities in the school. Teachers’ job performance is the act or process by which the teachers execute the official responsibilities in the schools. Teachers’ job performance include writing of lesson note, lesson plan, organization of instrument materials, assigning of test and examination, marking, representing of school, extra–curriculum activities and motivation of students. The teachers’ job performance are all activities and programme the teachers carry out in the school and the extent to which the activities are achieved (Zaifada, et al 2023). Ogunode (2021), states that the job performance of teachers is very crucial because the success or failure of the school system depends on it. The job performance of the teachers is very important for the school development, the teachers are key to the attainment of school objectives.
School principals needs a lot of leadership skills to inspire and stimulate the job performance of the teachers in the schools. Effective deployment of rights leaderships by schools principals can help to revolve the crises facing the secondary school education in Nigeria. It has been observed that many teachers in many public secondary schools today are not interested in contributing their best to the schools due to frustration and unconducive working environment. This teachers attitudes may have to leads to poor job performance in many public secondary today that may have led to the current dwindling nature of students’ performance in external examinations. Some stakeholders are questioning the leadership skills of the principals that are supposed to motivate and propel the teachers in doing their job as expected as most teachers seem to be discontented with their teaching jobs and this invariably affects their productivity. The poor productivity of these teachers could be attributed to the poor principals’ leadership skills employed for schools supervision. It is against this background that the researcher is motivated to investigate the influence of principals’ leadership skills on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria in the areas of motivational, instructional supervision, communication, provision of instructional materials, decision-making and human relation skills.
- Statement of the Problem
Principals are supposed to be in charge of the day-to-day running of the secondary schools in Nigeria. Their guidance and direction are supposed to motivate and support teachers in carrying out their daily responsibility in the school. It has been however, speculated by relevant stakeholders in education such as teachers, parents and ministries of education officials that most school principals in North Central Nigeria are/may not be effective in their leadership functions. This is seemingly demonstrated in their inability to adopt leadership skills that would motivate and encourage their subordinates in carrying out their duties effectively. For instance, teachers are worried that school principals devote more of their time attending to visitors than supervising instructional activities in the school. It is also the observation of teachers that some principals do find it difficult communicating with their staff at the appropriate time and this may have affected their job performance. There is also the speculation by some teachers that principals do not like involving their subordinates in decision making as they feel their subordinates have no adequate knowledge to contribute to the development of the school; as a result, these subordinates may feel estranged and alienated and withdraw their contribution which may affect the proper coordination and discipline of students in the school to attained the stated goals. According to Ali (2018), some school principal due to lack of human relationship skills appear harsh and rude to teachers without regard to their human dignity and feelings. When teachers cannot change autocratic leadership in the school administration, they resort to absenteeism, lateness to school/classes, non-keeping of school records, indecisiveness, hostility, open confrontation and many more, and this would result in poor output of the secondary schools. Most principals with three or more vice-principals would not delegate duties to these sub-ordinates as a result of lack of trust, and this would affect task accomplishment of these school personnel. There has been a remarkable decline in the productivity of teachers as observed from the output of secondary school system who fail to meet university education requirement in recent years. Some teachers too, seems not to be comfortable with the leadership position of some secondary school principals in North Central Nigeria as they at times take decisions against them without informing/ involving their teachers. This seems to create riffle between the school principals and teachers Thus, affecting the job performance of the teachers. Despite the aforementioned speculations of stakeholders of influence of principals’ leadership skills on teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in North Central Nigeria, the researcher observed that not much has been done on influence of principals’ leadership skills on teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in the area of study. The problem of this study therefore is: What is the influence of principals’ leadership skills on teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in North Central Nigeria?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to investigate influence of principals’ leadership skills on teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in North Central Nigeria. Specifically, the study seeks to:
- Find out the extent to which principals’ motivational skills influence teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria.
- To ascertain the extent to which principals’ instructional supervision skills influence teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria.
- Find out the extent to which principals’ communication skills influences teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria.
- Examine the extent to which principals’ provision of instructional materials skills influences teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
- Ascertain the extent to which principals’ involvement of teachers in decision-making influences teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
- Find out the extent to which principals’ human relation skills influences teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
- Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study:
- To what extent to do principals’ motivational skills influence teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria?
- To what extent do principals’ instructional supervision skills influence teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria?
- To what extent do principals’ communication skills influence teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria?
- To what extent do principals’ provision of instructional materials skills influences teachers’ job performance in secondary schools?
- To what extent do principals’ involvement of teachers in decision-making influences teachers’ job performance in secondary schools?
- To what extent do principals’ human relation skills influences teachers’ job performance in secondary schools?
- Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses are formulated and will be tested at 0.05 level of significance:
- Principals’ motivational skills has no significant influence on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria.
- Principals’ instructional supervision skills has no significant influence on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
- Principals’ communication skills has no significant influence on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
- Principals’ provision of instructional materials skills has no significant influence on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
- Principals’ involvement of teachers in decision-making has no significant influence on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
- Principals’ human relation skills has no significant influence on teachers’ job performance in secondary schools.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study could be of immense value to principals, teachers, government, students and further researchers. First and foremost, the results of the study may enrich the knowledge and understanding of school principals on the relevance of using appropriate leadership skills to motivate and propel their employees towards job effectiveness. It could also provide information to principals on the need for involving their subordinates in the process of decision making to enhance their performance. The findings of the study would also expose principals to the advantages and disadvantages that non-use of appropriate leadership approaches would cause to the achievement of educational goals.
The findings of the study would also enable teachers to adopt measures that would sustain good relationship among them and their school principals as well as cooperate effectively for a better and efficient administration of the school. The findings of this study would expose the government and the various agencies that are responsible for staff recruitment, renumeration and posting to understand that the bulk of what happens in school rest on the shoulders of the school principals as they are the ones directly involved in motivating and propelling teachers to be effective in their duties. This knowledge may help them to organise trainings for school principals to expose them to modern leadership skills that will enhance their performance in achieving the goals of the school.
Finally, the findings of this study could serve as a reference point to students in North Central Nigeria and the nation at large, students will also have to support the principal to succeed as the achievement of the school depends solemnly on his/her leadership approaches. It may also provide a springboard for future researchers who may want to carry out studies in the same area, thereby increasing literature in knowledge bank.
Theoretically, the findings of the study could be beneficial because the results would provide further insights in relation to existing theories such as path-goal theory and human relations theory. This is because each of them provides an insight on leadership effectiveness of the leader. For instance, the study is hinged on the path-goal theory of leadership by House (1971) which postulates that for leaders to be effective, they must have the ability to clarify the path to successful achievement of goals for followers; they must also, be able to remove obstacles on the path to achievement of organizational goals for the followers. To clarify the path, the principal must know the processes involved and have the vision on how to achieve the goals of the school. To be able to remove obstacles for achievement of school goals from the path of the followers, the principal must have the necessary skills to know when there are obstacles, what to do and how to do it.
The human relations theory because it provides a thought on employees’ comfortability and job performance. The human relations theory postulates that employees are human being which deserve to be treated as such; and for employees to perform their jobs effectively, they deserve some kind of renumeration and inceptives that would enable them put their best to task.
1.7 Delimitation of the Study
This study focused on the influence of principals’ leadership skills on teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in North Central Nigeria. The variables under consideration include principals’ use of motivational skills, instructional supervision skills, communication skills, provision of instructional materials skills, involvement of teachers in decision-making skills and human relation skills. The main justification for choosing these variables is that literature review available in this regard is either foreign or in other geo-political zones of Nigeria with different variables and outcomes. The rationale for choosing North Central Nigeria is because the Zone also experiences principals’ leadership problems that could hinder the motivation and effective performance of secondary school teachers.
Teachers of public secondary schools will form the population of the study. The choice of this category of staff is justified based on the significant contribution that may be made by them because they are better educated, better qualified, informed, more experienced and are more directly involved with principals as far as the variables of the study are concerned. The study will cover all public secondary schools in North Central Nigeria. The states include Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau as well as Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The choice of public secondary schools is based on the fact that there exist more reliable data on the number of public schools and teachers in the area of study.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
For the purpose of clarity, the following terms have been defined as follows:
Influence: This refers to principals’ use of instructional supervision, communication, provision of instructional materials, involvement of teachers in decision-making, discipline, evaluation of students’ performance and community relationships to motivate secondary school teachers to enhance their performance in secondary schools in North Central Nigeria.
Principals’ Leadership Skills: It means the extent to which principal have succeeded in performing their administrative roles of instructional supervision, communication, provision of instructional materials, involvement of teachers in decision-making, discipline, evaluation of students’ performance and community relationships to enhance the smooth running of the school.
Teachers’ Motivation: Refers to the methods the principal uses such as compensation, better working conditions, training, recognition and appreciation to induce, support and encourage teachers to perform maximally.
Teachers Job Performance: This refers to teachers’ acts of accomplishing or executing a given task such elements including effectiveness, efficiency, economy, productivity, quality and behaviour.
Instructional Supervision: It refers to principals’ art of over-seeing the teaching and learning process in order to ensure that the school is administered, managed and lead in an effective manner to achieve the educational objectives.
Communication: This refers to principals’ process of conveying message or information to the teachers and students in secondary school that will make them feel that they are part and parcel of the school.
Provision of Instructional Materials: This refers to principals’ acquisition of teaching materials and devices such as chairs, chalk, chalkboard, tables chart to enhance effective teaching and learning.
Involvement of Teachers in Decision-Making: This refers to principals’ involvement of teachers in the identification of a particular problem and selecting among available alternatives in order to solve the school problem. Before the principal takes any decision concerning the staff, students and general running of the school, he/she must consult with the teachers to make them feel important and put in their best for the success of the school.
Human Relation: This refers to how principals collaborate with teachers, parents and other members of the host community to attract projects that will serve as motivation to teachers as well as development for the school.
North Central Nigeria: These are the states that form the area of the study. The states include Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
