Influence of principals’ management competencies on supervision of instruction in public secondary schools in Homabay County, Kenya

Abstract

Principals’ supervision of instruction is vital as it ensures that all planned teaching and learning activities in a school are implemented and educational objectives achieved. Despite its importance, principals’ supervision of instruction in Homabay County over the years hasbeen below expectation as evidenced by poor performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Examinations (KCSE). This paper examines the influence of principals’ management competencies on supervision of instruction in public secondary schools in Homabay County, Kenya. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. A sample of 6 Sub County Quality Assurance Officers (SCQASOs) and 204 Heads of Departments (HODs) selected using purposive, proportionate and simple random sampling techniques were involved in the study. Data was collected using the HODs questionnaire and SCQASOs interview guide. The two instruments were validated and piloted for reliability before they were used to collect data. The influence of principals’ management competencies on supervision of instruction was determined using simple regression analysis. The results of the study revealed that the relationship between principals’ management competencies and supervision of instruction was significant (R = .429, p < .05). The results also revealed that a significant proportion of variance in supervision of instruction was explained by principals management competencies (ß = .426, p < 0.05). It is expected that the findings of this paper will provide school administrators and government education officers with an insight on the role of principals’ management competencies in supervision of instruction. The results may also be used by principals to develop policies and practices that enhance quality of supervision of instruction in their respective schools.