ABSTRACT
The study evaluated the instructional supervisory role performance of principals in secondary schools in Benue State, Nigeria. The objectives included examining principals' roles in checking and marking teachers' lesson plans and notes, conducting classroom visitations, ensuring teachers' adherence to curriculum content, disseminating information via bulletins and communication, and maintaining facilities in secondary schools.
The study employed a descriptive survey design, addressing five research questions and testing five corresponding hypotheses. The study's population consisted of 2268 individuals: 88 principals, 88 vice principals, and 2092 teachers from seven educational zones in Benue State. A sample of 322 respondents was selected based on Research Advisor 2006 guidelines.
Data were collected using a validated instrument titled "Assessment of Instructional Supervisory Role Performance of Principals in Secondary Schools in Benue State" (ASRPPSSMBS), which had a reliability index of 0.85. The instrument utilized a modified Likert 5-point scale. Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed to test the hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05.
The findings indicated that principals were effective in roles such as checking and marking lesson plans, ensuring adherence to curriculum content, and disseminating information through bulletins and communication. However, classroom visitations and facilities maintenance were found to be ineffective.
Based on these findings, the study recommends that the State Ministry of Education, in collaboration with educational administrators, should organize seminars, workshops, and in-service training to update principals and teachers on lesson plan formats. Additionally, it suggests that the Ministry of Education should enhance classroom visitation by principals and ensure that ministry officials observe classroom teaching to improve instructional supervision and facilities maintenance in public secondary schools.
