An Evaluation of Principals' Administrative Strategies for Enhancing School Management in Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Administrative Strategies, School Management, Principals, Secondary Schools, Rivers StateAbstract
The study evaluated principals' administrative strategies for enhancing school management in government-owned senior secondary schools in Rivers State. The study formulated three research questions alongside three hypotheses. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A total population of 350 principals, consisting of 241 males and 109 females, was used in the public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. A sample of 140 principals, representing 40% of the population, was selected using a simple random sampling technique. The instrument was a structured questionnaire titled An Evaluation of Principals' Administrative Strategies for Enhancing School Management Questionnaire (AEPASESSMQ), developed by the researchers, and was subjected to validation by two experts in management and evaluation for content modification and correction. The instrument was administered by the researcher with the assistance of trained research assistants. Of 140 instruments administered, all were retrieved, giving a 100% retrieval rate. A reliability coefficient of 0.88 was obtained for the instrument using the Cronbach alpha method. A modified four-point Likert scale of Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree was used to structure the instrument. Mean and standard deviation served as statistical tools for answering the research questions, while a z-test was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 alpha level. The findings of the study revealed that instructional supervision and staff development by principals improve teaching quality, student outcomes, and overall school effectiveness. When principals motivate staff effectively, it leads to increased productivity in lesson delivery and other responsibilities. Also, when principals delegate, it reduces the workload for principals and makes staff feel trusted and more accountable for their duties in government-owned senior secondary schools in Rivers State. Conclusions made include that school management is indispensable for healthy school functioning and the success of educational institutions, and that principals play a key role in this process. Recommendations made include (1) the Ministry of Education should intensify efforts to regularly re-orientate teachers in the various areas of discipline. (2) Principals should always supervise teachers in both content and methodology and make provision for staff development. (3) Principals should learn to motivate teachers and delegate functions; this will make them feel trusted and more accountable for their duties.
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