Supervisory practices of headteachers of Junior High Schools in the Kona Circuit of Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the supervisory practices of headteachers of Junior High Schools in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region. Objective of the study were to identify the supervisory practices of headteachers; to explore challenges headteachers face in performing the supervisory functions and to identify strategies that the headteachers use to improve supervision in Kona Circuit. The target population of the study was all the headteachers and teachers of the public junior high schools within the Kona Circuit. Purposive sampling was used to select all the 12 headteachers. Simple random sampling was used to select 64 teachers. The researcher used descriptive survey design for the study and closed ended questionnaire to collect data for the study. The data was processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software package version 26.0. The data was analysed with the use of frequencies and percentages. The reliability test yielded Cronbach Alpha of 0.81. The study revealed that supervisory role performed by the headteachers were orientation of new teaching staff, checking teacher’s record of work, provision of in-service training, monitoring punctuality of teachers and student, teacher motivation and lesson observation. Again, it was found out that teachers' resistance to supervision, inadequate teachers, poor human relations, financial constraints, lack of adequate training and support, and teachers’ perception of instructional supervision were the challenges the headteachers faced in performing the supervisory functions. The study therefore recommended that Government should intensify actions to ensure that Junior High schools teachers are provided the opportunities for re-training.