Abstract:
The study examined the supervisory practices of headteachers and how these supervisory
practices relate with teacher motivation in public basic schools in the Anomabo Education Circuit
of the Mfantseman Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. Quantitative approach of the
cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Using purposive and stratified random sampling
techniques, 69 respondents, made up of 15 headteachers and 54 teachers were used for the study.
Two sets of questionnaire (one each for headteachers and teachers) were used to collect data. A
test-re-test method was used and to establish the reliability of the instruments, and correlation
coefficients of 8.45 and 8.72 were obtained for headteachers and teachers questionnaires
respectively. The data obtained were analysed using mean, standard deviation, and Pearson
Product Moment Correlation. The results indicated that headteachers in the Anomabo Education
Circuit often used all the instructional supervisory practices outlined in the study and they
performed above average. However, orientation of new teaching staff was the dominant
supervisory practice among the headteachers while the least practiced was provision of in-service
training for teachers. Generally, teachers in public basic schools in the Circuit were highly
motivated, and there was a statistically significant positive but weak relationship between
headteachers’ supervisory practices and teacher motivation. The study concluded that pupils’
performance had not been encouraging even though the teachers were adequately motivated. It
was therefore recommended among others, that, the Mfantseman Municipal Directorate of Ghana
Education Service should organize regular in-service training programmes for headteachers in
public basic schools in the Anomabo Education Circuit to improve their skills to effectively
balance and practice their instructional supervisory practices to enhance very high teacher
motivation.
Keywords: Instructional supervision, Practices, Headteachers, Teachers, Motivation
