Saturday, 13 December 2014

CORRELATES OF PRINCIPALS’ LEADERSHIP CAPACITY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ JOB EFFECTIVENESS IN ABEOKUTA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF OGUN STATE, NIGERIA. PROJECT CODE: BED EDM002

CORRELATES OF PRINCIPALS’ LEADERSHIP CAPACITY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ JOB EFFECTIVENESS IN ABEOKUTA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF OGUN STATE, NIGERIA


A BSC RESEARCH PROJECT


DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT



CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1      Background to the Study
             Leadership capacity is the ability and manifestation of competence of leaders in the discharge of their duties and skillful performance of functions in accomplishment of school objectives. According to Lambert (2000), leadership capacity is the broad-based, skillful participation in the work of leadership that leads to lasting school improvement. Achieving educational objectives therefore, is a function of the capacity of the principal of the schools Peleyeju, 2007. If the principal lacks competencies in managerial function of school organization, such always results in poor job effectiveness which in turn affects students’ academic performance.
               Educational expectation In Nigeria today has posed many questions in the heart of our leader regarding the poor leadership qualities, capacities and output of secondary schools’ standard. Principals’ leadership qualities include good sense of humor, self discipline, initiative, integrity, academic and professional qualification, motivational and human relation skills and so on Obadara, 2006. The societal expectation seems higher on the leadership capacities in many parts of Nigeria educational sector. Leadership capacity has been described by researchers as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Alan Keith (2004) states that, "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. Principals’ leadership capacity can be measured from various dimensions; from the perceptions of school vision, capacity building and collaboration in policy making, motivation, curriculum leadership and school discipline delegation, executive behavior, managing time, resourcefulness, communication and leadership principle. For instance, the dimensions of principals’ leadership capacity has been viewed by many researchers as parts of the variables that affect teachers’ job effectiveness in educational sectors Peretomode 2007 . Hunter-Boykin and Evans (2005) further contends that perceptions about principals as leaders by their teachers indicate an important dimension to evaluate the leaders capacities. According to him, understanding how teachers perceive their principals leadership capacities has a great significance and providing evidence for improvement of school leadership. Public opinion poll has also revealed the teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ capabilities and their working conditions is effective in determining the organizational climate and culture of a school. Such perceptions will also impact on the performance of the school.                                                                                                                                                                           
           School system’s accomplishment of its goal seems to be dwindling over the years, based on observation of students’ poor performance, students’ poor attitude to learning, and general apathy of teachers to their work. It appears the roles of school leaders are becoming more cumbersome with the introduction of the new technology, inadequate resources available for the job at hand, and the need for curriculum innovation to meet the global trend. However, the school leadership seems to be saddled with more roles and assignments to meet the challenges ahead. The question one would ask at this point is whether the principals have ability to supervise and perform the functions associated to such titles for the overall process of education system.     

1.2 Statement of the Problem
           In spite of the different approaches adopted by different researchers over the years to improve the standard of education in Nigeria, educationists are still struggling towards getting an antidote for     improving the standard of education. In a study conducted by Peleyeju (2007), only organizing and supervising managerial capacity skills of the principals’ account for poor academic achievement of secondary school students in Lagos state, Nigeria, without any due examination of the indirect relationship of these factors of teachers’ motivation on their effective job performance. Consequently this study attempts an examination of the extent to which principals’ leadership capacity factors influences teachers’ job effectiveness in secondary schools in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state.

1.3     Hypotheses
             The hypotheses formulated for the study are stated as follows:
HO1: There will be no significant relationship between principals’ academic qualification and teachers’ job effectiveness. 
HO2: There will be no significant relationship between principals’ length of services and teachers’ job effectiveness.
HO3: There will be no significant relationship between principals’ gender and teachers’ job effectiveness.
HO4: There will be no joint significant relationship between principals’ academic qualification, length of service, gender and teachers’ job effectiveness.

1.4      Purpose of the Study
             The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlates of principal’s leadership capacity and secondary school teachers’ job effectiveness.
               As a result of the above, the researcher will be paying attention to identifying the leadership capacity prowess obsessed by the principals of junior secondary schools. The outcomes of the research will be used to determine the influences of principal leadership competences on their teachers’ job effectiveness.

1.5     Scope of the Study
               This study focuses only on leadership capacities and how they affect teachers’ job effectiveness in selected secondary school in Abeokuta North Local Government of Ogun State Nigeria.
               The principal leadership capacity skills were limited to three such as academic qualification, gender and length of service.
            Teacher’s job effectiveness was considered in terms of their ability in development of lesson, class control, class arrangement, clarity of voice, appropriate use of language, suitability of assessment and questioning techniques.

1.6     Significance of the Study  
                The results of this study will provide the basis for developing the appropriate managerial prowess and strategies that will be emulated by school principal and secondary school teachers towards job effectiveness, so that, low motivating factor, inability for the principal to delegate duties, poor teacher’s welfare, freedom of expression and decision making these days will be checked.
            More so, the study will assist the government to improve in service training of principals, so as to help the principals understand their roles and capacities as the head. It will also help them to understand the fact that their managerial abilities go a long way in affecting the teacher’s attitude to work and subsequently the cognitive and affective development of the students.
            This study will particularly showcase the influence of the leadership competence of school principals on secondary school teachers’ job effectiveness. Thus; the information derived will accustom them with the cause of poor principals’ leadership capacity and the teachers’ non-dedication to work. The research findings will also stimulate government to adopt certain policy decisions in the terms of principals’ leadership capacity as regards the findings of the research.
1.7     Operational Definition of Terms
·        Leadership capacity; This refers to principals’ academic qualification, gender and length of service.
·        Secondary school: This refers to the second tier of the 6-3-3-4 system of education operated in Nigeria.
·        Teachers job effectiveness: Ability of teachers to develop lesson, class control, class arrangement, clarity of voice, appropriate use of language, suitability of assessment and questioning techniques.


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