The effectiveness of supervision of instructions in the junior high school (JHS) level, a case study of the Dichemso and Ashtown circuit in the Kumasi metropolis

Abstract

These notwithstanding Kirui (2012) posits that the importance of supervision can only be realized if the supervisor and the system of supervision are effective. A lazy or unmotivated supervisor exerts a demoralizing effect on the teachers he supervises and causes the system to lose its positive effects on the school environment. An ineffective supervisor turns the instructional supervision exercise into a one-off event rather than a programmed progressive process (Abdille, 2012). Haileselasse (2004) in a study of the status of professional development programmes in Addis Ababa city administration opined that the attitude of supervisors is perceived to be directly correlated to the performance of teachers. In Ghana, some researchers have put forward analytical analysis on the instructional supervision effectiveness or lack of it. Afolabi and Loto (2008) posits that the present system of engaging circuit supervision puts unnecessary pressure on teachers and take teacher attentions away from classroom activities for days till the period of supervision is over, thereby refocusing the objective of supervision from improving learning outcomes to satisfying circuit supervisors. Amuzu-Kpeglo (2005) in his treatise on approaches to administrative theory in education criticized the effectiveness of supervisory methods employed by circuit supervisors in executing their supervisory roles and encouraged a move from external supervision to continuous internal supervision by school managements. Afful-Broni (2004) added to this analytical debate, positing that circuit supervisor supervision methods were deficient in influencing instructional quality and teacher attitudes positively. Baffour-Awuah (2011) in a published article on effectiveness of supervision in primary schools in Ghana, rejects these criticism, asserting University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh strongly that the Ghanaian supervision system is generally effective, needing just a little fine-tuning here and there to perfect it. Despite these intellectual debates, actual studies on the effectiveness of supervision in Ghanaian government schools have been few, with most of them focusing on basic and tertiary levels. This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of supervision of instructions in the Junior High School (JHS) level using a case study of the Dichemso and Ashtown circuit in the Kumasi Metropolis.