Influence of headteachers’ instructional supervisory roles on pupils’ performance in Kenya certificate of primary education in Kahuro district Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to determine the influence of headteachers’ instructional supervisory role on pupils’ performance in KCPE in Kahuro District. The objectives that guided the study were classroom observations, professional documents preparation, assessment of pupils’ notes and provision of teaching and learning materials. The target population for the study was the headteachers and teachers in all primary schools in the district and the District Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. They were all one thousand one hundred and twenty six in number. The stratified random sampling method was used to pick the teacher population and the simple random sampling method was used to access the headteachers based on the tables of samples for finite populations. The sample size for the teachers was ten percent of the teacher population across the different strata. One hundred and six teachers, while sixty three headteachers and one Quality Assurance and Standards Officer were included in the sample size. The study employed the descriptive survey design. Data was collected by use of questionnaires, interview schedules and interrogation of secondary data. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics and thereafter presented by use of statistical means. The results were subjected to statistical tests which entailed chi-square tests. The study found out that the headteachers rarely engaged in class observation visits. All the headteachers confirmed that teachers in their schools prepared lesson plans. The teachers equally confirmed that the headteachers supervised and observed the activity of lesson plan preparation in their schools. The headteachers confirmed that they assessed pupils’ notebooks regularly. The responses by the headteachers showed that most of them deemed the teaching and learning materials provision for the schools as inadequate. The study thus concluded that headteachers’ engagement in class observation visits was infrequent; professional documents preparation was enforced and adhered to; and that assessment of pupils’ notebooks was done regularly. In addition the study determined that the provision of teaching and learning materials was deemed inadequate by many headteachers. The study recommended that the headteachers should enhance classroom observation as an instructional supervisory tool, they should supervise the preparation of professional documents by the teachers, ensure they assess pupils’ notebooks more frequently and seek out engagement with the stakeholders charged with the mandate of learning and teaching materials provision to ensure good performance in the KCPE examination by the learners. The study suggested that a study with a bigger scope like a nationwide survey should be carried out to find out if the factors in Kahuro District are applying to other areas.