Transcript of "Effective supervision of instruction in nigerian secondary schools issues, challenges and the way forward."
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.orgISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)Vol.4, No.8, 2013185Effective Supervision of Instruction in Nigerian SecondarySchools: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward.EKUNDAYO, Haastrup T. Ph.D.e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.orgTel: +234 (0) 803 220 2792OYERINDE, David O.e-mail: email@example.comTel: +234 (0) 802 255 8871Kolawole Adenike O.e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.orgTel: +234 (0) 7035732686Department of Educational Foundations and Management, Faculty of Education, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti.ABSTRACTEvery organisation either corporate or otherwise including the school exists essentially to achieve certain statedobjectives. There is no way the goals and objectives of an organisation can be achieved without putting in placecertain mechanisms towards ensuring its success. In the school system, one of the mechanisms to be put in placetowards achieving the goals of the school is supervision. This paper therefore examined the meaning ofsupervision, instructional supervision and the role of supervisor. The paper also, examined major challenges ofinstructional supervision in secondary schools and the way forward. Recommendations were made on how toensure effective supervision of instruction in secondary schools.Keywords: Supervision, Instructional supervision and Secondary education.IntroductionBusiness and corporations supervise and evaluate employee performance for a variety of reasonsincluding retention, promotion and accountability for completing job related tasks. Education is not different as itrequires supervision of classroom instruction to evaluate teachers’ effectiveness. Also, education aimed atbringing about the relatively change in behaviour of the learner as a result of learning. The behavioural changecan only occur in learners based on the amount of instruction given to them at any level of education vis-a-vishow such instruction is been delivered during the teaching and learning process. However, well packagedinstruction is at any level of education but without effective supervision during the delivery period, suchinstruction may fail to achieve its desired results.In Nigeria, education is on the concurrent list of government and this makes the issue of instructionalsupervision to vary from one state to another. However, some states have adequate arrangement in place toeffectively supervise instruction at all level of education particularly in secondary school whereas some statesfailed to put necessary machineries in place to effectively supervise instruction in their secondary schools. Forexample, Ondo State Government in 2009 created Quality Assurance Education Agency as a parastatal underministry of education to supervise instruction in both primary and secondary schools in the state. Secondaryeducation occupies a unique position among all levels of education. The broad goals of secondary educationinclude: the preparation of the individual for useful living within the society and higher education. Thus, in orderto achieve the stated goals, there is need for effective supervision of instruction in secondary schools. In general,instructional supervision is geared towards the improvement of the teaching and learning situation for the benefitof both the teacher and the learners. Evidence from previous studies conducted by scholars (Handal & Lauvas,1987; Gregory, 2005 & Bilesanmi, 2006) showed that instructional supervision has always been regarded as anessential and integral part of school administration and basically geared towards the improvement of all factorsin teaching and learning.Concept of Instructional SupervisionObilade (1989) opined that instructional supervision is a helping relationship whereby the supervisorguides and assists the teachers to meet the set targets. This definition described instructional supervision from thepoint of establishing the relationship with stakeholders in school system for the purpose of achieving the setobjectives. Similarly, Olaniyan (1996) described instructional supervision as a means to help, guide, stimulate
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.orgISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)Vol.4, No.8, 2013186and lead teachers through criticism, appraisal and practices in their education and procedures. This definitionfocuses much on teachers’ attitudes over other vital elements that present themselves during the teaching andlearning process.Instructional supervision is a service activity that exists to help teachers do their job better (Glickman,Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2001). Supervision is a cycle of activities between a supervisor and a teacher with themain aim of improving classroom performance (Patrick & Dawson, 1985). Also, Nwankwo (1984) in Ajani(2001) noted that instructional supervision is a set of activities which are carried out with the purpose of makingthe teaching and learning better for the learner. It has been observed that instructional supervision is an essentialactivity for the effective operation of a good school system.In addition, instructional supervision is a behaviour that is officially designed which directly affectsteacher behaviour in such a way to facilitate student learning and achieve the goals of the school system.Through the effective supervision of instruction, supervisors can reinforce and enhance teaching practices thatwill contribute to improved student learning. The foregoing suggested that instructional supervision particularlyin secondary schools is basically concerned with supporting and assisting teachers to improve instructionthrough their changing behaviour.Who is a Supervisor?Supervisor, according to Hazi (2004), can be described as any certified individual assigned with theresponsibility for the direction and guidance of the work of teaching staff members. This implies that supervisorhas the role of assisting the teachers to do their work better through collaborative efforts. Ogunsaju (1983)defined supervisor as the mediator between the people and the programme. He designs various methods inperforming his function of supervision in order to achieve educational objectives of the institutions under hiscontrol.Also, Olele in Kiadese (2000) defined supervisor as a person by virtue of his functions, carry out duties,which deal with managing both human and material resources within the school system and how they can be bestutilized. In other words, supervisor is expected to assist in the learning environment to maximize the availableresources to achieve the set goals. Eya & Leonard (2012) defined a supervisor as anyone assigned the function ofhelping others (teachers) to improve on their instructional competencies.In view of the functions of supervisors in instructional supervision, there is need to discuss the qualities of agood supervisor in a school system. Ogunsaju (1983) identified the following as qualities of a good supervisor,namely:- He should be honest, objective, fair and firm.- He has to be opened and democratic;- He should be approachable;- He has to be creative, imaginative and innovative;- He has to be a good listener and observer;- He should be friendly, courteous and consistent in his interactions with teachers and others;- He should be an educational facilitator.Similarly, Eferakeya & Ofo in Olorunfemi (2008) highlighted the following qualities of an instructionalsupervisor which include:- He must have enough energy and good health;- He must have good leadership style;- He must possess ability to get along with people;- He must possess sound knowledge and technical in his own area of specialization;- He must develop positive attitude towards management; and- He should have good communication skills.Roles of SupervisorsIn general, the major function of the supervisor is to assist others to become efficient and effective inthe performance of the assigned duties. Apart from this general function, supervisors also perform the followingroles in the school system especially at the secondary school level.- Instructional leader: Instructional leadership is one of the most important roles of supervisor.Supervisor leads other teachers in instruction to make them as effective as possible. They also leadteachers in developing and implementing an effective plan of instruction. Supervisors have to adapt tomeet the needs of the people and the particular environment rather than practice a normative kind ofleadership. Instructional leaders improve the quality of instruction by furthering professional growth forall teachers. Supervisors should be flexible enough to deal with any situation and should maintain a
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.orgISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)Vol.4, No.8, 2013187good relationship with their staff.- Assessing student progress: A supervisor assesses students progress toward the established standardsby the regulatory agencies, and also facilitates the planning of various types of instruction. Supervisorsensure that teachers are utilising information from a variety of valid and appropriate sources before theybegin the planning of lessons or teaching. Supervisors determine if teachers are using the numerousevaluation processes available to assist in planning meaningful instruction.The Supervisors ensure that teachers are preparing and maintaining adequate and accurate records ofstudent’s progress. This will include the regular and systematic recording of meaningful data regarding studentsprogress on specific concepts and skills related to the standards for each subject for the grade level they areteaching.In addition, Aderonmu and Ehhiemetalor in Kiadese (2000) identified the following roles of supervisorin the school system.Planning: The supervisor needs to apply the planning principles to the supervision from the beginning in orderto ensure the aims of supervision are attained. The planning principles involve the articulation ofobjectives, selecting of the best strategies, mapping out of policies, programmes and procedures thatwould best help in achieving the stated objectives.Staffing: supervisors are expected to identify through the process of supervision, staff vacancies in terms ofgrades and disciplines in accordance with the organisation structure of the school.Coordination: The supervisor is expected by this function to co-ordinate the efforts of all participants and ensurethat by so doing, decision making becomes a collective responsibility.Observation: Supervisors are expected to observe management, staff and students at work during a typicalsupervision session. Thus, in a bid to help improve observed habits and standards, the supervisor shouldthrough consultation, offer advice to the participants in the school system.Curriculum development: In view of the level of involvement of supervisors in the school activities, they canhowever through observations make useful suggestions which can help the process of curriculumdevelopment in the country.Similarly, Kathleen (2006) summarized the roles of supervisor in this way:i. Monitoring or providing for mentoring of beginning teachers to facilitate a supportive induction into theprofession.ii. Bringing individual teachers up to minimum standards of effective teaching (quality assurance andmaintenance functions of supervision).iii. Improving individual teachers’ competencies, no matter how proficient they are deemed to be.iv. Working with groups of teachers in a collaborative effort to improve student learning.v. Working with groups of teachers to adapt the local curriculum to the needs and ability of diverse groupsof students, while at the same time bringing the local curriculum in line with state and nationalstandards.vi. Relating teachers’ efforts to improve their teaching to the larger goals of school-wide improvement inthe service of quality learning for all students.From the forgoing, it is evident that the role of supervisor in a school system especially in the secondaryschools in Nigeria is very crucial. Thus, for effective supervision of instruction, supervisors should be able todischarge their functions as expected if the goals of education are to be attained.Purpose of Instructional Supervision in Nigerian SchoolsIt must be noted that the essence of instructional supervision in schools is to ensure things are done theway it should be in order to achieve the stated objectives. Hence, the purpose of supervision of instructionincludes:i. To directly influence the behaviour of teachers and the teaching process employed to promote studentslearning;ii. To ensure that each individual teacher within the school system has been performing the duties to whichhe was scheduled; and to cooperatively develop favourable climate for effective teaching and learning.Others purposes of supervision of instruction according to Ogunsaju (1983), Olatoye (2006) and Chike-Okoli (2006) are:- To know the performance of the teachers recruited to teach in the school system.- To determine whether a teacher should be transferred, promoted, retrained or dismissed.- To provide professional information to teachers.
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.orgISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)Vol.4, No.8, 2013188- To improve the incompetent teachers.- To discover special abilities or qualities possessed by teachers in the schools.- To guide teachers to the sources of instructional materials.- To provide a guide to staff development.- To know the effectiveness of classroom management by the teachers.In summary, supervision of instruction must be built on the supervisor’s thorough understanding and in-depth knowledge of instructional theory and not on a check list of what should be in a lesson.Challenges Militating Against Effective Instructional Supervision in the Secondary SchoolsOnoyase (1991) stated that supervision is an organisational behaviour system, which has the function ofinteraction with teaching behaviour system for the purpose of improving learning situation for students. However,instructional supervision has to be carried out within the school system and every system has various forces thatpresent themselves as challenges that may affect effective functioning of the entire system.However, there are challenges facing instructional supervision in Nigerian schools particularly thesecondary school education. These challenges present themselves in form of problems and they are discussedhereunder:- Poor incentive: Supervisors at times are dissatisfied with their job because of motivating factors thatare minimal. In Nigeria context, several people who are not directly involve in a particular process or agiven assignment may receive more compensation and reward more than those who actually carried outthe assignment due to the high level of corruption in the country. This singular act may at times affectthe way in which instructional supervision is being done in the secondary schools.- Limited educational resources: The issue of scarce resources is an economic one that attempts torationalise spending in order to avoid waste. Effective instructional supervision however would bedifficult to carry out if the funds that are supposed to be available are not there. School administrators aswell as instructional supervisors would require certain resources to put things in order beforesupervision; non-availability of such resources would affect the supervision exercise.- Administrative issue: Administrative inadequacies emerge when planning fails to specify the scope ofresponsibilities and results that instructional supervision is expected to bring about in a school. Thus,detail planned visits should be made known to the supervisee and the agreement reached between thesupervisor and supervisee on the objectives and the procedures. In other words, both instructionalsupervisor and school administrators must come to term if the instructional supervision is to achieve itsobjectives.- Lack of pre-professional training for supervisors: Technical issue: One of the major challenges facinginstructional supervision in Nigerian secondary schools is the issue of competence and technicalknowledge of the instructional supervisors. Most often than not, in Nigeria, political affiliation at timesdictate who get a particular assignment without recourse to the technical competence of the person.Evidence from previous studies (Ajayi & Ayodele, 2006 and Eya & Leonard, 2012) revealed that someinstructional supervisors lack knowledge and competence to carry out the exercise. Some instructionalsupervisors were appointed based on their level of involvement in the government of the day and not asresult of their skills they possessed.- Corruption among major stakeholders in the school system: Both the school administrators as well asinstructional supervisors are found guilty in this regard. Unholy collaboration between the supervisorand the school administrators on account of funds meant to procure necessary materials for the schoolsystem would not augur well for instructional supervision in secondary schools. When funds aremisappropriated in schools, instructional supervisors are in the best position to identify this problem butif they are been duly rewarded, such problem will continue unabated which would affect the standardsthat should to be achieved in the school system.- Political instability: The frequent change of government usually brings about incessant change ofgovernment policies regarding instructional supervision. In Nigeria, it is a common thing that thesuccessive administration always discontinues the policy and programmes put in place by the previousadministration. This singular act usually affects the effective supervision of instruction in schools. Inother words, inconsistent policies on how instruction in schools should be supervised and the categoriesof people to be involved would adversely affect and pose a big challenge to instructional supervisionespecially in secondary schools in Nigeria.- Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education: This involves theuse of modern technological equipment and computer devices for the teaching and learning process.Anderson (2008) stated that technologies and internet offer students an alternative to traditional
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.orgISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)Vol.4, No.8, 2013189education in a classroom in a physical school building. This innovation has broken the traditional wayof teaching and learning at all levels of education. However, with the current innovation in teaching, itis difficult for instructional supervisor to have access to how teaching is being conducted in the schoolsystem. The process of instructional supervision has generally occurred in a face-to-face setting withteachers and administrators physically present in the same location (Glickmein, et al, 2001). Thistraditional model of instructional is being threatened by online learning opportunities that are changingthe delivery of instruction to a virtual environment (Anderson, 2004). Thus, since the use of ICTpermits individual student to learn at their own convenient time (asynchronous learning), therefore thecurrent innovation in education pose a challenge to instructional supervision in the school system.The Way ForwardThe primary objective of the supervision process in secondary schools is to offer teacher directassistance to improve their performance toward the goal of increasing student learning. To achieve the goals ofinstructional supervision in secondary schools, efforts must be geared toward overcoming most of the challengesfacing instructional supervision.In addition, if education would be one of the tools to realise the goals of transformation agenda of thepresent government in Nigeria, there is need to improve upon the quality of learning in secondary schoolsthrough effective supervision of instruction in the following ways:- Adequate funding: Government at all level must strive to make adequate fund available to educationsector in order to procure the necessary materials that will aid effective supervision of instruction insecondary schools. This can be done by way of increasing the grant usually allocated to school ontermly basis. Government can also seek public private partnership in funding education since it hasbecome clear that government alone can no longer provide necessary funds that are required in theeducation sector. The United Nations resolution was that 26% of nation’s budget should go to educationsector. Implementing this resolution would equally boost the fund available to the education sectorwhich will afford all agencies and parastatals in education to carry out their educational activitieseffectively.- Capacity building among major stakeholders: In order to ensure adequate and effective supervision ofinstruction in secondary schools in Nigeria, government need to embark on capacity building ofsupervisors, administrators as well as teachers to enable them perform their duties effectively. This canbe done through regular training, induction programmes, seminars and workshops to equip them withnecessary skills and keep them abreast of the current trends in the school system. They can equally begiven opportunities to participate in international conferences in other to acquit themselves with whatoperates in the school system outside the shores of Nigeria.- Selection of qualified supervisors: One of the ways of ensuring effective supervision of instruction is toselect or appoint personnel who have technical skills about education especially at the secondaryschools level. Government should not sacrifice the merit and competence on the altar of politicalaffiliation. Qualified personnel in the field of education with sufficient knowledge, skills and experiencein secondary school education should be appointed as supervisors in order to exhibit all senseprofessionalism in carrying out their functions in the school system.ConclusionSupervision requires the leader to oversee, assess, evaluate and direct teachers as well as schooladministrators to ensure an educational institution is meeting its goals. Also, successful supervision promotes avision to implement change in the school system that facilitates improvement. The supervision of instruction isby design a developmental process with the main purpose of improving the instructional programme, generallyand teaching specifically. Only when this process is carefully planned and executed can success be assured.The supervisory function is best utilised as a continuous process rather than one that responds only topersonnel problems. Thus, administrators with supervisory responsibility have the opportunity to havetremendous influence on the school activities and help ensure the benefits of a strong programme of instructionfor students. Successful supervisor should be knowledgeable about educational leadership, management andadministration. They should know the culture of the schools and communities in order to ensure effectivesupervision of instruction. Supervisors of instruction should be knowledgeable of real life issues.RecommendationsIn view of the importance of instructional supervision in Nigerian secondary schools, the followingrecommendations were made in order to make it achieve its desired results in the school system.- Government should organise training programmes for teachers as well as school administrators with
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.orgISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)Vol.4, No.8, 2013190greater emphasis on the need for supervision of instruction in the school system.- Necessary equipment and materials should be given to the instructional supervisors to enable themperform their functions effectively.- Instruction supervisors should be engaged in regular training to update their knowledge and skills andprovide them with useful information that will keep them abreast of the current trends in the educationalsystem.- Necessary facilities and instructional materials should be supplied to all secondary schools in order togenerate effective functional school system that would facilitate effective supervision exercise.- Parents as well as community should be properly involved in the supervision of instruction in the schoolsystem. This would form a synergy in the system to achieve greater effectiveness.REFERENCESAderonmu, W. O. & Ehiemetalor, E. T. (1985). Introduction to administration of school in Nigeria. Ibadan:Evans Brother Nigeria Ltd.Ajani, T. B. (2001). Educational administration and supervision: The challenges of the 21stcentury. Journal ofCurriculum Studies. 2(3): 16—31.Ajayi, I. A. & Ayodele, J. B. (2006). Introduction to educational planning, administration and supervision. Lagos:YYPS Publishers.Anderson, T. (2004). Theory and practice of online learning. Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University.Anderson, T. (2008). Theory and practice of online learning. (2nded). Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University.Bilesanmi, T. O. (2006). Educational planning and administration. Ijebu-Ode: Tonad Publishers.Chike-Okoli, A. (2006). Supervision of instruction and accountability. In J. B. Babalola, A. O. Ayeni, S. O.Adedeji, A. A. Suleiman & M. O. Arikewuyo (eds) Educational management: Thoughts and practice.Ibadan: Awemark Idustrial Printer. 187—216.Eya, P. E. & Leonard, C. C. (2012). Effective supervision of instruction in Nigerian secondary schools: Issues inquality assurance. Journal of Qualitative Education. 8(1).Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDCGlickman, C. D. (1990). Supervision of instruction: A development approach. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Glickman, C. D.; Gordon, S. P. & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2001). Supervision and instructional leadership.Needhan Height, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Gregory, C. F. (2010). Instructional supervision: A descriptive study focusing on the observation and evaluationof teachers in cyber schools. A dissertation submitted to postgraduate school at Indiana UniversityPennsylvania.Handal, G. & Lauvas, P. (1987). Promoting reflective teaching: Supervision in action. Milton Keynes: OpenUniversity Press.Hazi, T. Y. (2004). Theory and practice of educational administration: A new approach. Boston: Orientate andCo.Kathleen, M. O. (2006). Changing school culture through staff decisions development. Association forSupervision and Curriculum Development. 3(1): 10—22.Kiadese, A. L. (2000). Instructional supervision in business education in Nigeria. Journal of VocationalEducation. 6(1): 28—45.Nwankwo, O. C. (1984). An introduction to educational administration, planning and supervision. Onitsha: JojaEducational Research and Publisher Ltd.Obilade, S. O. (1989). Introduction to education administration. Ibadan: Odusote Books Ltd.Ogunsaju, S. (1983). Educational supervision: Perspectives and practices in Nigeria. Ile-Ife: University Press Ltd.Ojelabi, Z. O. (2005). Issues and challenges of instructional supervision in business education. Journal ofCurriculum Studies. 4(1): 72—89.Olaniyan, Z. T. (1996). Instructional improvement: Principle and processes. Journal of Educational Studies. 3(4):58—71.Olatoye, B. K. (2006). Supervision of instruction: A development approach. Ibadan: Gobek Publishers.Olorunfemi, D. O. (2008). Challenges of instructional supervision in the new millennium: Implication foreffective planning. Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies. 3(2): 68—80.Onoyase, D. (1991). Theory and practice of educational administration. Warri: Oklemrite and Co.Patrick, E. M. & Dawson, J. A. (1985). Case studies of fire teacher supervision/evaluation systems. (Report No.ED 376615). Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education.
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