TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF SUPERVISORS’ ROLES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MINNA EDUCATION ZONE NIGER STATE.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Organizations are established essentially to achieve their stated objectives or targets. Such objectives cannot be achieved without putting in place strong mechanisms. One of such mechanisms is supervision. Supervision of educational activities generally and in particular classroom instructions is not only necessary but important to evaluate teachers’ performance and their effectiveness in the discharge of their duties as transmitters of education. Education is the transmission of what is worthwhile from generation to generation. It is the process of assisting learners to acquire knowledge, skills and acceptable attitudes and moral behaviours that would make them responsible citizens able to take care of themselves, their families and contribute  to  society  (Chukwu, 2011).  In agreement  with this,  Joseph  (2014)  stated  that education  is the  principal  method  through  which  society  transmits  knowledge  from  one generation to another. Education can be described therefore, as a very strong weapon used by the society to instill in learners its norms and values that they can use to appreciate the past, reshape the present in order to advance the future of their societies. It is the means through which individuals acquire relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes that would  help them fit well into the society and shape their lives for the better and enable them contribute toward the general development of their society.

The essence of education is to change positively, the behaviour of the learner and to make  him  a  better  citizen  of  his  society  who  can  contribute  to  national  development. Education  is  a  vital  instrument  ‘par  excellence’  for  effecting  and   achieving  national development (Federal Republic of Nigeria, FRN, 2004). In line with this, the second Nigeria philosophy  of  education  states  that  education  fosters  the  worth  and  development  of the

individual for each individual’s sake and for the general development of the society. Kimani,

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Kara and Njagi (2013) stated that education helps societies fashion out and model individuals to  function  well  in their  environment.  Education  serves  a lot of purposes.  It equips  the citizenry to reshape their society and eliminate inequality (Boit, Njoki and Chang’arc (2012) as mentioned  by Kimani et- al (2013).  The Government  of  Trinidad and Tabago  (2005) regards education generally as a tool for bringing about a relative change in behaviour of the learner as a result of learning. According to Ekundayo, Oyerinde and Kolawole (2013), the behavior change can only occur in learners based on the quality of instructions given to them at any level of education  vis-à-vis how such instruction is delivered  during the teaching- learning process. However, no matter how well packaged an instruction may be at any level of education,  particularly at the primary school level, if there is no effective supervision, especially during the delivery period, such instruction may fail to achieve the expected or desired results.

Primary education, as stated in the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004), is the education given in institutions for children aged six to eleven years plus. The policy states that this level of education  is the basic foundation upon which the rest  of the education system is built. It is therefore the key to the success or failure of the whole education system. This is because, if the foundation is solidly laid, the main building, that is, the rest of the system (of education) would equally be solid and would stand the test of time. The level is of six  years duration.  Primary  education  is meant  to  achieve  certain  goals.  These  goals as contained  in the  NPE  are  to: inculcate  permanent  literacy  and  numeracy  and  ability to communicate  effectively;  lay a sound  basis for scientific and reflective thinking and give citizenship education as a basis for effective participation in and contribution to the life of the society. Others include, to mould the character and develop sound attitude and morals in the child; develop in the child the ability to adapt to the child’s changing environment; give the child  opportunities  for developing  manipulative  skills  that  will enable  the child  function

effectively in the society within the limits of the child’s capacity and finally provide the child with basic tools for further educational advancement,  including preparation for  trades and crafts of the  locality.  Teaching  at the primary level of education  in  Nigeria shall be by practical,  exploratory and experimental methods (FRN, 2004). For  effective  teaching and learning at this level, the policy stipulates that teacher-pupil ratio shall be 1:35. It also states that the advancement  or promotion of pupils from one class  to another shall be based on continuous  assessment.  This  calls  for  the  supervision  of  the  entire  school  programme including the teachers.

Supervision  in  the  school  system  refers  to  any  effort  carried  out  by  individuals particularly designated officials to ensure that educational activities are  carried out well or effectively through provision of guidance and direction to the teachers. Supervision focuses on  instructional   improvement   (Nwangwu,   2008).   According   to   Chike-Okoli   (2005), supervision is the process of improving all elements and conditions surrounding teaching and learning  to  produce  better  learning  by   providing  the  leadership   necessary  to  effect improvement in the work of teachers. Similarly, Glickman, Gordon and Rose-Gordon (2007) posit that supervision is a cycle of activities between a supervisor and a teacher with the aim of improving classroom performance.

Also, supervision is a process of interaction between supervisors and teachers. It is an interaction in which individuals or supervisors work with teachers to improve instruction with the main aim of making learning better for the learner (Wadesango,  2009). According to Onasanya  (n.d),  supervision  is essentially the  practice  of  monitoring  the performance  of school staff, noting the merits and demerits thereby increasing the standard of schools and achieving educational goals. Supervision makes it possible to understand whether educational activities are in harmony with specified principles and rules (Ahmet and Izzet, 2013). To this end, Mblanga, Wadesango and Kurebwa (2012) define supervision as a process of facilitating

the  professional  growth  of teachers  primarily  by giving  them  feedback  about  classroom interactions  and helping them make use of the feedback in order to make  teaching more effective.

Although other personnel within a school like the head teachers, the assistant  head teachers and heads of departments do perform supervisory functions, supervisors from the Local  Government  Education  Authorities  (LGEAs),  the  State  Universal  Basic  Education Board (SUBEB) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) are the focus in this study. Ogunnu (2002), says these officials, that is, the supervisors are also referred to as school inspectors. There is no single definition of a supervisor. A supervisor, according to Hazi (2004), is any certified  individual  assigned  with the  responsibility of directing and guiding the work of members of a teaching staff.

Above  definition  shows  that  the  supervisor  is  saddled  with  the  responsibility  of assisting the teachers do their work better through collaborative efforts between the two of them.  Kiadesi  (2000) describes  a supervisor  as a person who, by virtue of his  functions carries out duties which deal with managing both human and material resources within the school system and how they can best be utilized. Contributing to  the concept, Chike-Okoli (2005) says that a supervisor is an education officer that is responsible for making sure that teachers do their work effectively. The supervisor helps teachers to teach in such a way that the child would understand so that the child can, at the end acquire the abilities, attitudes and skills that are stated  in the objectives  of the  instruction.  The researcher  sees the School supervisor  as that person that is officially  appointed  by the Local Government  Education Authority or State Universal Basic Education Board or the Ministry of Education to assist schools  to  maximize  the  available  resources  to  them  (human,  financial  and  material)  to achieve the set goals and objectives of the school.

School supervisors are appointed in order to carry out certain roles or functions in the school. These include leadership and advisory roles, among others. Kolawole (2012) says the work of supervisors revolve around professional guidance of teachers, identifying problems in schools, proffering  solutions and helping professional  colleagues to perform the job of teaching to maintain the   required and adequate  standard. School supervisors do not only supervise instructions in schools in order to ensure high academic standard, they also serve as links between  the schools  and  the  supervisory  bodies.  They communicate  Government’s educational  policies to schools.  They also give professional  advice to schools’ heads and supervisory agencies on the problems confronting teachers.

For  a  supervisor  to  be  able  to  carry  out  his  supervisory  roles  effectively  and efficiently,  he needs to possess certain qualities. A supervisor needs intelligence,  a  broad grasp of the educational process in society, a likeable personality and great  skill in human relations (Chike-Okoli, 2005). Also, Olorunfemi (2008) states that the supervisor should be honest, objective, fair, firm, open, democratic, approachable, imaginative, innovative, a good listener and observer, friendly, courteous and consistent in his interactions with teachers and others.  The  supervisor  should  also  be  an  education  facilitator,  should  possess  sound knowledge and technical know-how in his area of specialization and have positive attitudes toward management. Good communication skills and good leadership style are also among the qualities of a good supervisor. Looking at the qualities of the supervisor, it is clear that the supervisor facilitates, assists, encourages and motivates teachers and pupils alike. He uses his  knowledge and experience to make teaching and learning a worthwhile experience for both teachers and pupils. Despite all these good attributes of the supervisor, teachers seem to have varying perceptions of the activities of the supervisor in the school system, particularly at the primary school level.

Perception has been defined variously by different people. To some, it is a way of regarding, understanding or interpreting something. To some others, it is a kind of awareness. In line with this, Brignall (2012) defines perception as the process by which people become aware of the world around them through their senses. That is, perception is a set of processes by which an individual becomes aware of and interprets information about the environment. It is a way by which we interpret our experiences (Otara, 2011). Otara went further to say that what people often observe or assess as your ability to be  a leader and your effectiveness becomes their perception. This therefore means that what teachers observe and assess as the ability of supervisors to effectively or otherwise  carry out their official assignments in the school system is the teachers’ perception of the supervisors’ roles.

One thing common to all these definitions is ‘senses.’ All show the important role senses play in perception. They do not only allow people to perceive their environment, they also enable them to act in response to what they perceive. This means that whatever meaning an individual gives to a situation or attaches to something will affect or shape the choice and action the individual takes in response to the situation. The researcher sees perception as the vision of the mind. In the context of this study therefore, perception means how primary school teachers  in Minna Education  Zone  visualize  or see as the roles of supervisors  in primary schools. In essence, perception  here refers to the particular  way one understands somebody or something. Teachers’ perception in this regard therefore, refers to the particular way primary school teachers understand the roles or activities of supervisors in the primary school system.

Teachers are very important people in the life of a nation. They train school children or students and equip them with appropriate knowledge and skills that will enable them to face  the  challenges  of  life  as  they  grow  up  and  subsequently  take  over  the  mantle  of leadership  of their societies  in their later years. Rosado (2012)  says  teachers are the gate

keepers to the doors of education and ultimately to the doors of personal advancement and of the well being of the society and the nation. According to Webster (2011), the teacher is that person who instructs and directs others and preaches without ordination. Teachers, as stated by Maduewesi (2005) exert a lot of influence on the character formation and socialization process of the children within the learning environment.  There must be good and cordial relationship between the people that hold the key to the doors of knowledge (teachers) and the people (supervisors) that are responsible for the supervision of how the door is opened and what takes place inside the room (the classroom), that is, teaching.

As earlier mentioned, it seems however, that classroom teachers perceive supervision and the roles supervisors play in schools differently. Some teachers perceive supervision as being autocratic especially in the traditional form of supervision. This form of supervision, as stated  in Ogoda (2013)  makes  the supervisor  look scary to teachers  because  of his high handedness. This form of supervision is strongly criticized for not only being autocratic and coercive  but  also  ineffective  and  is  contrary  to  the  interest   of  the  education  system (Opadokun,  2004).  On the  other  hand,  other  teachers perceive  the  supervisor  as playing democratic roles. Democratic supervision, according to Daku (2006), is a form of supervision that eliminates from the minds of the teachers, the feelings that the supervisor is superior to them and even the head-teachers. This type of supervisor carries out his roles democratically by carrying  every  one  along  and  encouraging  the  use  of  motivation,  understanding  and harmonious working relationship for the achievement of the set objectives of the school.

There are yet others who perceive the supervisor as exhibiting laissez-faire attitudes in the way he performs his professional roles. Opadokun opines that the  laissez-faire kind of supervisor allows teachers and head teachers to do what they like with little or no correction, assistance or direction from the supervisor. Ityav (2009),  states that many teachers see the supervisor  as a fault-finder,  autocratic,  lacking  pragmatism  and dynamism and capable of

intimidating teachers for no just cause. Some supervisors,  according to Ayeni (2012),  are aware of this negative perception of their roles. And in a bid to change, become laissez-faire thereby creating room for other negative habits like absenteeism, lateness to school, truancy, laziness and so forth on the part of the teachers and even the pupils. These attitudes in turn make the teaching-learning process ineffective as both the teachers and the learners are left to do what they want.

With these varied perceptions of teachers toward the roles of supervisors in the school system, it goes without contradiction that the way supervisors’ roles are perceived by both male and female teachers may go a long way in creating a workable relationship between the two. This would obviously affect positively or negatively the work of the supervisor which is essentially to assist teachers in the teaching – learning process. This is because gender appears to be a factor in the way supervisors’ roles are perceived by teachers.

Gender  could  simply be described  as being  male or female  by natural  make  up. Features that are distinct characteristics associated with being a male or a female. According to Palan (2001), gender is the classification of characteristics distinguishing male masculinity and female femininity. In support of Palan, Favrel and Sterba (2008) assert that gender is the social  attributes  and  opportunities  with  being  male  or  female  and  relationship  between women and men, girls and boys. These distinguishing characteristics between the two could result into males and females thinking or perceiving something or situations differently. It is therefore not out of place to say that there could be a disparity between the way male and female teachers perceive supervision generally. Ekundayo et al (2013) opined that while male teachers are having challenges of bullying, extortion and intimidation from supervisors, the female ones are  complaining of sexual harassment and undue financial demands from the male supervisors.

Location and qualification seem to be among other factors that shape the perception of teachers on supervision  and the role of supervisors.  According to  Chike-Okoli (2005), teachers in the urban areas have more positive perception of the  roles of their supervisors than the rural area teachers. It seems the ones in the urban areas are more enlightened and exposed and seem to know what a supervisor ought to do and otherwise. Fasasi (2011), posits that teachers in urban and rural schools tend to be different in their perception of supervisory roles. Fasasi further  states that those  teachers  whose schools were located  in urban areas expressed a significant difference in their perception of supervisory roles from the teachers whose schools were located  in rural areas, that urban schools enjoy certain facilities more than rural schools. Such facilities, are easy communication, adequate and relevant teaching – learning   materials,   qualified   personnel   and   conducive   academic   environment.   Fasasi therefore  concludes  that  primary  school  teachers’  perception  of  supervisory  roles  was influenced  by the location of schools, among other things. Chike-Okoli  asserts that  most teachers in the rural areas engage in farming and so, based on this, they can likely believe that supervision is meant to witch hunt, intimidate and extort money or food items from them.

Professional  qualification  acquired  by the  teacher  such  as  Nigeria  Certificate  in Education (NCE),  Bachelor  of Education  (B.Ed),  Bachelor of Art in Education  (BA.Ed), Bachelor of Science in Education (B.Sc. Ed), Master in Education (M.Ed), Master of Science in Education (M.Sc Ed), among others seem also to be another strong indicators of teachers’ perception of supervisors. Hazi (2004) opines that teachers with higher qualifications seem to have total disregard for supervisors with the belief that they even know what the supervisor does not know. The supervisor on the other hand, feels threatened by such teachers thereby creating an unnecessary and avoidable rivalry between them. Also, teachers with minimum and non-professional  qualifications like  NCE, TC II and Higher National Diploma (HND)

tend to be more submissive to supervisors. This may be attributed to the fact that some of them lack the necessary professional skills to carry out their teaching functions effectively.

However,  there  are  strong  indications  that  despite  the  fact  that  the  relationship between the supervisor and the teacher ought to be cordial, of a partnership and collaboration between the two, teachers in the zone are seen and heard discussing supervisors in manners that suggest that there is no good relationship between these two. It appears supervisors are still intimidating and harassing teachers, while teachers are usually scared whenever there is a supervisory visit. Such situations have adverse consequences on the achievement of schools’ targets (Yildirim, 2013). It is doubtful therefore, if the teaching-learning process would enjoy the expected growth if the scenario is allowed to persist, considering the fact that supervisors and teachers are important stakeholders in the teaching-learning process.

It is obvious that without supervisors to oversee the general activities of schools, the set objectives of schools could hardly be achieved easily. This is because the teachers, the pupils and perhaps,  the management  might be doing what they like and  when they like. Obviously,  personal  observation  shows  that  though  the  rate  of  punctuality  to  school  by primary  school  teachers  and  pupils  in  Minna  Education  Zone  is commendable,  there  is equally high rate of lateness, truancy, absenteeism, indolence on the part of both the teachers and pupils. Primary School pupils are also seen roaming the streets in uniforms during school hours. Cheating and other forms of social vices are common among pupils. These situations call for concern of stakeholders in education and any well meaning individual because, if the above trend is ignored, the teachers in these primary schools would lose grip of laying good and very solid foundations for pupils and this could affect the performance of the pupils at other  levels of  education.  It is  also  observed  that  teachers  are  normally  not  happy and comfortable  when they see supervisors  in their  schools and do not hide their  displeasure

about it. It is common to hear them asking what the supervisors have come to do or that the head teacher should just ‘see’ them and let them go.

Statement of the Problem

Ideally, it is expected that teachers and supervisors perform complementary roles in ensuring effective initiation, performance  and sustenance of educational process. As  such, supervisors  contribute significantly in conjunction with teachers to ensure that  the aim of education  is actualized.  Unfortunately,  it  has been observed  that  in most  public primary schools  in Minna  Education  Zone,  it is fast  becoming  a tradition  to  see teachers  panic, question or grumble when they see supervisors deployed to their schools for their supervisory functions. Such attitudes might not be unconnected with the fact that many of the teachers particularly those in the rural schools find themselves in unconducive learning environment as  a  result  of  either  inadequate  classroom  blocks  and  furniture  or  total  absence  of instructional materials like text books,  teaching aids among others which do not facilitate their work and so militate against their optimal performance. And perhaps, in their view or thinking, rather than making things easy for them, the supervisors would be on their necks. As such, some even try to avert the supervision. In the extreme, it has been reported severally that some teachers unfortunately go to the extent of bribing supervisors in order to present biased supervisory report.

It is pertinent that this situation cast a doubt on teachers’ understanding of supervisory roles  of  the  supervisors  in  ensuring  effective  and  efficient  educational  system  in  their localities. It should be noted that if this situation is allowed to persist, one could wonder on the future, quality and reality of educational  process in public  primary schools in Minna Education Zone. It is based on this that the researcher took it as a worthwhile responsibility to engage in a study that will try to establish the true position of these teachers on supervision with a view to determining some clear remedial strategies to ensure that the ideal relationship

and understanding between teachers and supervisors are strengthened. Therefore, establishing the true perception of primary school teachers on the roles of supervisors in primary schools in Minna Education Zone of Niger State was the concern of this study.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to assess primary school teachers’ perception of supervisors’  roles/activities  in public primary schools in Minna Education Zone of  Niger State. Specifically, the study sought to:

1.        Ascertain primary school teachers’ perception of supervision  in primary schools  in

Minna Education Zone.

2.        Ascertain  the supervisory  activities  that are carried  out by supervisors  in  primary schools in Minna Education Zone.

3.        Find out the influence of supervisory activities on teachers’ performance.

4.        Find  out  the  influence  of  gender  on  primary  school  teachers’  perception   of supervision in Minna Education Zone.

5.        Ascertain the influence of teachers’ qualification on their perception of supervision in primary schools.

6.        Find out the influence of location on teachers’ perception of supervision.

Significance of the Study

This study has both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the study was based on two supervision theories. These are: Clinical Supervision Theory of Morris Cogan and Human Relations Theory of Mary Parker Follet.

In  Clinical  Supervision  Theory,  the  supervision  is  directed  at  developing  a  less experienced  worker’s  skills through  the provision  of support  and  guidance  from  a  more experienced  worker  (supervisor).  The  clinical  supervision  is  characterized   by  regular, systematic and detailed exploration of a supervisee’s work with clients or patients. It seeks to

develop  collaboration  with an experienced  practitioner  and one or more less  experienced practitioner(s).  The theory therefore,  shows that a supervisor  should,  in  the  course of his work, develop a mutual and an understanding relationship with teachers under him so that the two would work collaboratively for the achievement of school goals and objectives and for the overall benefit of primary education. The findings of this study will therefore validate or invalidate whether the development of collaboration between teachers and supervisors will improve teachers perception of supervisory roles of the supervisors.

Equally significant to this study is the Human Relations Theory whose main tenet is the  welfare  of  workers.  The  theory  states  that  workers’  needs  and  interests  should  be considered and attended to by their employers or organizations if the organizational goals are to be greatly achieved. That is, the achievement of organizational goals is dependent upon the satisfaction and happy state of mind of the workers. This implies that the welfare of teachers will greatly affect their performance or output in particular and the attainment of the school goals in general. The theory is important to  this study because, it stresses the welfare of workers. If therefore, teachers’ welfare is taken care of and the general environment is made comfortable for them to work, it would boost their morale and serve as motivating factor for them in their effort to help schools achieve their set goals and objectives. The findings of this study will lend support to or disprove the tenets of the theory.

Practically,  the result of this study will be of immense benefit to teachers,  pupils, supervisors  and officials  of the State Universal Basic Education Board  (SUBEB) and the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs) who, directly and indirectly interact with teachers and supervisors for the overall interest of primary education.

Teachers would benefit from the result of this study as it would help them to cultivate cordial and workable relationship with their supervisors. This cordial relationship would help

the teachers learn new trends of teaching from the supervisors. This would surely translate into improved teaching and learning process.

The pupils are always at the receiving end when a misconception or misunderstanding exists between the teachers and supervisors.  But when there is  mutual understanding  and cordial relationship  between the two, the pupils would gain  as both the teachers  and the supervisors would work in collaboration with one another  toward effective and qualitative teaching benefiting ultimately, the pupils.

The result  of the study would  expose the supervisors  to good and varied  options available in relating with their supervisees (teachers). This would in turn result to both the supervisors and supervisees working as partners toward quality and sound education.

Also,  the result  of the  study would be of benefit  to the officials  of SUBEB  and LGEAs in the sense that they would be able to effectively mediate between the supervisors and teachers  in cases of friction. It would also expose them to see the  need  for regularly organizing training workshops and seminars where both the supervisors and teachers would be invited to rub minds on critical issues that affect  their work with the aim of cementing their relationship for the benefit of the primary education system.

Scope of the Study

The study is delimited to all public primary schools in the six LGEAs that make up Minna Education Zone of Niger State. These are: Bosso, Chanchaga, Munya, Paikoro, Rafi and Shiroro LGEAs. The study covered the following areas: role of supervisors in primary education,  teachers’  perception  of  supervision  and  the  influence  of  supervision  on  the teachers in particular and the teaching and learning process in general. It also covered the influence   of  gender,  location  and  teachers’   qualifications   on  teachers’  perception  of supervision.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1.        What  is primary  school teachers’ perception  of supervision  in primary  schools  in

Minna Education Zone?

2.        What supervisory activities are carried out by supervisors in primary schools in Minna

Education Zone?

3.        What is the perception of primary school teachers in Minna Education Zone of the influence of supervision on their performance?

4.        What   is  the  influence   of  gender   on  primary  school  teachers’   perception   of supervision?

5.        What  influence  does qualification  have on primary school teachers’ perception  of supervision?

6.        What  is  the  influence  of  location  on  primary  school  teachers’  perception  of supervision?

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide this study and were tested at

0.05 level of significance.

Ho1:  There is no significant  difference  in the mean perception scores of male and  female teachers on the activities of supervisors in primary schools in Minna Education zone.

Ho2: There is no significant difference in the mean scores of urban and rural teachers on their perception of supervision in primary schools in Minna Education zone.

Ho3 There is no significant difference in the mean responses of teachers on their perception of supervision based on the teachers’ qualifications.

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