HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AS CORRELATES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES OF PRINCIPALS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

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ABSTRACT

The study investigated human resource development and demographic variables as correlates of quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria. Eight research questions and seven null hypotheses guided the study.  The correlational survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 1,247 principals in public  secondary schools in South East, Nigeria. The sample sizes for the study consist of 819 principals. Cluster sampling technique was used to draw three states out of the five states that constitute South- East states. All the principals in these drawn states were used. The instrument for data collection was a researcher developed instrument titled

: ‘Human Resource Development Questionnaire, Principals Demographic Variables and Quality Assura

nce Practices Questionnaire (HRDPDVQAPQ)’. The instrument was face  validated  by  three  experts: two from Educational Administration  and Planning unit and one from Measurement  and  Evaluation unit,  all  from  the  Faculty  of  Education,  University  of  Nigeria,  Nsukka.  The  internal  consistency reliability  coefficients  of the (HRDQ)  were  obtained  through  Cronbach  Alpha  method.  This  gave reliability values of 0.68, 0.76 and 0.85 for clusters I, II and III (Section B) and 0.85, 0.77 and 0.69 for clusters I, II and III respectively (Section C). The overall reliability index of 0.87 was obtained. The questionnaire was administered  and 797copies were  retrieved, well filled and used for analysis. The data collected were analyzed using Pearson r to  answer the research questions while Simple Linear Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Cohen’s interpretation of correlational studies was used to interpret the effect size. It was found among others that principals engaged  frequently  in  activities  which  indicated  high  quality  assurance  with  respect  to  quality assurance practices indicators which were monitoring, supervision of instruction and evaluation. There were significant relationships between qualification, years of experience and quality assurance practices with respect to monitoring, supervision of instruction and evaluation. However, only human resources development  correlated  quality assurance  in all the quality assurance  practices  indicators.  Age and gender of the principals did not in any way correlate quality assurance in any of the quality assurance practices. One major implication of the findings was that human resource developments are critical to quality  assurance   practices   of  principals   in  secondary  schools.   Based  on  these   findings   and implications,  recommendations  were  also  proffered    among  which  was  that  the  government  in collaboration with the school board should intensify effort  to provide human resource development programmes for principals to improve their  quality assurance practices in different task areas.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Education is widely acclaimed as the focal point on which the wheel of the development of any nation depends.  This  is because  education brings  new  knowledge  and development  in the  society. According to Federal Republic of Nigeria (2008), education is the most important instrument of change since any fundamental change in the intellectual and social outlook of any society has to be preceded by an  educational  revolution  and  educational  administrators  are  at  the  focal  point  of  the  revolution. Educational administrators ensure that the resources that will facilitate the achievement of educational goals in institutions are available in primary, tertiary and especially in secondary schools. Resources in secondary schools include financial, material and human resources. This study is interested in human resource  development  and  demographic  variables  as  correlates  of  quality  assurance  practices  of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

Human resources are the individuals working in an organization who are endowed with a range of abilities, talents and attitudes. According to Out (2015), these employees working in the organization set overall strategies and goals, design work systems, produce goods and services,  monitor quality, allocated  financial  resources  and  market  the  products  and  services  of  the  organization.  These individuals in the organization therefore, become “human resources’ by virtue of the roles they perform in the organizations and their participations in the achievement of the organizational objectives. Yepwi (2009) defined human resources as people and their characteristic at work either at the national level or organizational level.

In  addition,  human  resources  are  the  skilled  and  trained  manpower  available  in  every organization  and  educational  institutions  inclusive.  Human  resources  are the  quality of  workforce available in an organization that combines financial and material resources towards the achievement of

organizational goals. According to Hunter (2006), human resource is the pivot on which other resources

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move  around.  Other  resources  are  being  provided  to  complement  the  efforts  of human  resource. Okonkwo (2016) opined that human resource constitutes the active agents that harness and combine financial  and  material  resources  towards  the  realization  of  educational  goals.   This  means  that individuals’ collective abilities and experiences make significant contribution towards the success of an organization.

Human resources can also be defined as the personnel division of an organization. According to Ekundayo, Conwea and Yusuf (2009), human resources are unique in any organization because every human being needs their attention. Armstrong (2006) opined that skillful individuals and their abilities make  recognized  useful  contributions  to  the success  of the  organization  and  constitute  significant source of competitive  advantage  to the organization.  Human resource are the key operators in any educational  institution as an organization  which  ensure and sustain unfettered  access and equity in education  for the total development  of  individuals.  In this  study,  human  resources  can also  mean individuals working in an organization endowed with knowledge, skills, creative abilities, talents and attitudes  to achieve  the predetermined  objectives  of the organization.  There  are different  kinds of human resources  in secondary schools which include principals,  teachers, students and non-tutorial staff.   This  study focused  on human resources  in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria which include  principals  who  need development  professionally  for effective  and efficient  achievement  of educational goals.

On the other  hand,  development  is the  framework  for helping  employees  to  develop  their personal and organizational skills, knowledge and abilities. This is the acquisition of knowledge and capabilities that are needed to perform the job or the future expected job. This is the task of getting result through other people’s developed efforts. According to Unachukwu and Okorji (2014), just as the heart  coordinates  and regulates  all human  activities,  school  administrators  coordinate  and regulate activities of various members of the organization including development.

Development is very crucial in every human endeavour and this deal with promotion from a less desiring position to a more preferable one and lead to personal and professional growth. According to Olorunshola  and  Bamijoko  (2005),  the  relevance  of  development  is  to  provide  opportunities  for workers  to  reach  their  potentials.  Such  opportunities  include;  conferences,  seminars,  workshops, observation visits, individual and collaborative research, mentoring, among others. These development opportunities may create positive impact on secondary school principals as some of the principals are unskillful  and  unproductive  on the  job  (Nkado,  2012).  Therefore,  in this study,  developments  are strategies which lead to acquisition of skills and knowledge required to fill the gap of ineffectiveness of the principals in monitoring, supervision  and evaluation of instructional activities in the school and result to elevation from less desiring position to a more preferable one. Such strategies include personal development, professional development and organizational development.

Personal development  refers to the development  of new knowledge,  skills, and/or  improved behaviors  that  result  in  performance  enhancement  and  improvement  related  to  one’s  current  job (training). Learning may involve formal programmes, but is most often accomplished through informal in-service training activities in form of conferences, seminars and workshops (Jerry and Seteven, 2017). In-service  training  refers  to  an  important  tool  for  development  of human  resource.  According  to Ugwoke and Chukwuma (2015), in-service  training in the school system refers to training given to school  administrators  which  include  principals,  head  teachers,  teachers,  and  all the  staff  who  are concerned with tasks that need special skill or development especially those ones that need high level of education. Nakpodia (2008) opined that in-service training is a process of continous upgrading of school workers’  skills, knowledge and interests in their areas of specialization. The training may be either full time or part time depending on the choice of the organization. The author further stated that this in-service training is geared towards improving upon worker’s performance with the ultimate aim of achieving set organizational goals. Therefore, in-service training of secondary school principals is aimed  at  enhancing  their  capabilities  so  that  they  can  effectively  handle  their   administrative

responsibilities   as  chief   administrators   in  secondary   schools   and   maintain   quality   assurance. Conference as a human resource development strategy can be considered.

Conference as one of the human resource development strategies is a way secondary school principals can develop professionally.  This can be internally organised within the  education zone or organized externally outside the zone. According to Onah (2003), conference is a planned programme in the school system which exposes principals and teachers to ideas of individuals who are experts in their areas of specialization. These conferences focus mainly on the areas of instruction, finances, new trend in education or new curriculum, quality assurance and evaluation (Okendu, 2009). In this study, conference refers to training given to principals to acquire necessary skills and develop their knowledge to effectively handle educational responsibilities in the school and maintain quality assurance. Seminar can also be discussed as a human resource development strategy.

Seminar is one of the above mentioned  human resource development strategy.  According to Rogers  (2014)  a seminar  is  a lecture  or  an academic  instruction  offered  either  in  an educational institution or in an organization which brings small groups together for recurring meetings, focusing on some important issues which every member is expected to actively participate.  Billings (2002) defined seminar as a class where a small group of learners and their  teacher discuss or carryout a particular study. In this study, seminar refers to a lecture given to school administrators or principals concerning their duties for professional development which can help them to achieve and sustain quality assurance in the system.  Workshop as a human resource development strategy can be discussed.

Workshop is another human resource development opportunity in the school system.

According to Okonkwo (2016), workshop refers to a group of academics engaged in discussions and practical work on a particular subject in which they share their knowledge and experiences  through participatory  and interactive  methods.   Billings  (2002) opined  that workshop  is series  of meetings emphasizing interaction and exchange of information among participants. Butler  (2002) also defined workshop  as a class of people engaged  in a study or work on a creative  project.  This means that

workshop can mean a room where things are made or repaired with the aid of tools or machinery. In this study, workshop  is a professional  programme  organized  for group of school  administrators  or principals to engage them in a study that will lead to their growth in career, school administration and quality assurance.

Professional development focuses on providing the analysis necessary to identify the individual interests,  values, competencies,  activities,  and assignments  needed  to develop  skills  for future jobs (development).  According  to  Jerry  and  Seteven  (2017),  professional  development  includes  both individual and organizational activities. Individual activities include career planning, career awareness, and utilizing career resource centers. Organizational activities include job posting systems, mentoring systems,  career  resource  center  development  and  maintenance,  using  school  principals  as  career counselors,   providing  career  development   workshops  and  seminars,   human  resource  planning, performance appraisal, career programmes and organizational development can also be considered.

Organizational development is directed at developing new and creative organization solutions to performance problems by enhancing congruence among the organization’s structure, culture, processes, and strategies within the human resources domain. In other words, the organization or institution has become  a more functional  unit as a result of a closer working  relationship  among these elements (Bradley,  2017). The ultimate  goal of organizational  or  institutional  development  is to develop the organizations or institutions ‘self-renewing capacity.  This refers to the organization’s  or institutions’ ability to look introspectively and discover its  problems and weaknesses and to direct the resources necessary for improvement.  As a result  according to Jerry and Seteven (2017), the organization  or institution will be able to regenerate itself over and over again as it confronts new and ever-challenging circumstances. This occurs through collaboration of organizational or institutional heads with a change agent  (human  resource  development  practitioner),  using  behavioral  science  theory,  research,  and technology to ensure quality of outputs in the nation.

Human resource development is very important for quality assurance practices of principals for the achievement of educational goals in secondary schools. According to Kelly (2006), human resource development  is a process of building the knowledge of members of an organization to  be ready to assume duties, take up responsibilities and become challenged. Mathis and John (2005) defined human resource  development  as  a process  whereby  individuals  are  recruited,  mobilized  and  trained  in a manner  that  helps in achievement  of organizational  goals.  According  to  Ugwoke  and  Chukwuma (2015) human resource development in educational system are planned activities that involve training and enlarging the capabilities  of individuals  in  educational  institutions  to improve instructions  and assume higher responsibilities.

The human resource development of any society is based on the individuals  in that  society. According to Okendu (2009), human resource development is an organized  programmes which can enhance   quality  assurance   practices   of  school  administrators.   In  this  study,   human   resource development is the acquisition of skills, knowledge and abilities to perform organizational functions effectively. Such organized programmes include; conferences, seminars, workshops, observation visits, individual and collaborative research, mentoring, among others.  These human resource development programmes are strategies which may create positive impact on secondary school principals. Therefore, in  this  study,   human   resource   development   strategies   include  programmes   such  as  personal development,    professional    development    and    organizational    (institutional)    development    and demographic variables of principals can be discussed.

For a nation to rise to a standard worthy enough to compete favourably with other nations, such a nation has to ensure that high quality education is achieved and sustained in her educational system through human resource development and quality assurance. Demographic  variables can be used to correlate quality assurance practices in educational institutions. There are demographic variables that could impact on secondary school principals’ quality assurance practices. These demographic variables are personal  characteristics  which  include  information  on  age,  gender,  educational  level,  location,

income level, ethnicity and family background. Annie (2005) pointed out that every survey research carried  out  seeks  to  include  questions  on  age,  gender  and  location.  Demographic  variables  are operationalzed as information relating to principals characteristics which could impact on their quality assurance  practices.  This study examines  how age,  gender, professional  qualification,  and working experience  of  the  principals  relate  to  principals  quality  assurance  practices.  Age  as  one  of  the demographic variables of the study is discussed below.

Age is referred to as the number of years that an individual has lived. As regards to this study, chronological age is the concern of the researcher. According to Schwall (2012) chronological age is a measure of time that has passed since an individual’s birth. This means an individual’s age measured in years, months, weeks and days from the date the individual was born. In this study, age of principals is classified as: below 30years as young age and above 30years as older age and this when correlated with principals’ quality assurance practices will determine if there is a relationship or not between age and quality assurance practices and gender as another variable in this study can be considered.

Gender is different from sex which is the biological difference  between males and  females. According  to  Ganser  (2000),  gender  is  a  socially  constructed  expectation  for  male  and  female behaviours  which prescribe  a division  of labour and responsibilities  between both  parties.  Gender issues centre on men and women and the relationship between men and women, their roles, access to and control over resources, division of labour, interests and needs. In this study, gender is defined as the proficiency with which male and female principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria ensure quality in the system and qualification of the principals can be considered.

Qualification is an acquired knowledge that proves one suitable for a job. According to Modile (2008), qualification is a body of knowledge acquired by an individual after a  programmed learning designed  for performance  in a specific task. This is the knowledge and  skills acquired which suit a condition or make an individual qualify for a post, office, privilege or status (Sturman, 2000). In this study, qualification is the acquisition of certificate after  undergoing formal training in an institution.

This study tries to determine if there is a relationship between principals’ qualification and their quality assurance  practices.  Such  certificates  include  West  African  School  Certificate  (WASC),  National Examination Council certificate (NECO) and General Certificate on Education (GCE), Bachelor of Arts or Science in Education (B.ED/ BSc. (Ed)), Post graduate Diploma in  Education (PGDE), Masters Degree in Education (M.Ed), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D), among others. These Certificates are issued after graduation from schools. For the purpose of this study,  qualifications  below B.ED/ BSc. (Ed) certificates is regarded as lower qualifications while PGDE certificates and above is regarded as higher qualifications. This classification is necessary due to the fact that it will help to determine whether there is a relationship  between qualification  of the  principals and their quality assurance practices  in the school system  when correlated  and  another  variable  of discussion  in this  study which is working experience of the principals can be considered.

Working experience  is another  important  variable in the study.   Working  experience  is  any experience that an individual gains while working in a specific field or occupation. Organizations often give top positions to employees that have job experience in order to maximize efficiency on the job and assure steady maintenance of quality products. These experiences are useful for enhancing managerial skills and employees with such a knowledgeable working experience has advantage over individuals without  working  experience  (Yuntao,  Myeong,  and   Kathryn,  2014).  Employees   with  working experience have preference for learning new things and are likely to reap more benefits from them. Working experience is any experience an individual gains while the individual works in a specific field such as educational institutions.

In this  study,  working  experience  is  viewed  as  the  length  of  time  a  principal  has  put  in administration. For the purpose of this study, 0-4 years of experience is classified as below moderate experience, 5-10 years as moderate while 10 years and above is regarded as having more experience on the job. This classification is necessary due to the facts that it will help to determine whether there is a

relationship  between experience of the principals and their quality assurance practices in the  school when correlated.

The principal occupies a central position in the management of the school and therefore  has responsibility for ensuring quality in the school. Principal is the head of an institution that occupies a pivotal position, requiring initiatives and skills for the day to day administration of a secondary school. As school leaders, principals have foresight for effective, efficient and dynamic principles in handling matters between the school, staff and the host community (Ibukun, 2004). Similarly a principal is in a position to guide and provide expertise in curriculum development, teaching methods, and evaluation as well as supervision of human and material resources.

For the school to function well, the principal is in a position to exploit all possible means to keep a healthy environment for the students, staff and the general public (Aina, 2011). Therefore the principal,  as  the  chief  executive  officer  of  a  school,  guides  and  inspires  the  teachers’  for  job satisfaction.  The principal also sets the direction of policies, acceptable  standards for academic and behavioural  achievement  of  students,  establishes  a  friendly  school  climate  and  influences  the commitment of every stakeholder in the society for the achievement of the educational goals. Principal as a leader is also the liaison officer that mediates between the school and the society. A critical role of a principal  is to  mobilize  the teaching  and  non-teaching  staff towards the achievement  of quality assurance  and  predetermined  school  objectives  of  the  schools  and  for  this  purpose,  quality  is emphasized.

Quality  is the  distinguishing  characteristics  that  expose  the work of products  and  services rendered in an organization or educational institutions. Okebukola (2005) opined that quality is fitness for a given purpose. Okolo and Nweze (2010: 24) stated that “Quality is a measuring instrument or tool used for effective implementation of any reform by the government”. The quality of the teacher in area of preparedness to acquire knowledge and skills, use relevant teaching materials and different teaching methods for effective learning, the teacher’s ability to  transmit relevant knowledge and skills to the

learners contribute to quality in the standard of education in our society.  Quality as Okeke  (2007) opined is an efficiency level with which standard is achieved. Olaitan, Alaribe and Eze (2010) stated that quality is an institutional value that needs not be compromised.

Quality has become very important in the standard of Nigerian educational institutions at  all levels. According to Ezenwaji,  Ejionueme,  Ugwoke and Chigbu (2014:2) “the growing  concern of quality education has led many nations to look for ways of achieving quality education at every level of education”. The concept ‘quality’ as Association of African University (2007:43) posits is “fitness for purpose”               “transformation               from              one              state               to               another with value added”. Quality as Abraham and Robert (2011) opined deals with good characteristics       or trait of an activity that promotes excellence or superiority through education. In this study, the concept quality is addition of value and attainment of exceptionally high standard in school system in Nigeria.

Quality assurance can be defined as desirable changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes and values of individuals due to their experiences in the three main behavioural domains; the cognitive, affective and psychomotor over a period of study. Quality assurance according to Gasey (2007) is the process of ensuring that predetermined  degree of excellence is achieved. Quality assurance is a learner centred approach.  Quality  assurance  as  Olaitan,  Alaribe  and  Eze   (2010)  opined  is  centred  on  school administrators or instructors. The ability of the instructors to demonstrate effectively and efficiently the acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes to learners thereby yielding quality assured product is quality assurance.  Oyinloye, Ochuba and Azubuike (2010) explained that quality assurance is a way by which the quality of products are assessed and compared with the already set standards.

Quality assurance is the process of collecting, analyzing and utilizing of relevant educational information so as to ensure that pre-determined educational goals are optimally achieved. The quality of student’s learning outcomes is directly dependent on the quality of teachers as demonstrated in their knowledge or mastery of the subject matter or content, ability to carry out instructional tasks, facilitate effective learning and increase learner’s achievement. According to Osagie and Olugbamila (2009), the

assessment of student’s teachers and other examination bodies is an important criterion for determining the quality of learner outcomes. It is therefore necessary that effective monitoring and supervision takes place so that student’s learning outcomes can meet the set objectives and satisfy the expectations of the society.

Monitoring is part of management functions that focuses on fulfilling quality requirements. Odo (2014) opines that monitoring is a mechanism in the school system used to maintain high degree of excellence   in  service.   Monitoring  covers  teachers’   qualification,   adequacy  of  the   curriculum, availability  of teaching and learning materials  and facilities  and skillfulness  to  ensure  that quality education is attained. According to Ojedele (2007), monitoring is seen as the concern of the country in her drive towards technological development.   However, if these are being achieved successfully, the finished  products  of the schools will be of high quality  standards and this will help  to constantly maintain quality assurance in the school hence, another quality assurance practices called supervision is considered.

Supervision  is the overseeing  of those who  are responsible  for teaching,  learning,  resource utilization, management among others in the process of educating the learner. This is a practice in the school  system  for  improvement  of  teaching  and  learning.  It  includes  attempt  at  bringing  about improvement in the quality of instruction and involve staff as essential part of the process. According to Nwagwu (2004), supervision is the process of guiding, advising, refreshing, encouraging, stimulating, improving  and overseeing  a teacher  in order to improve  on  quality of his teaching and classroom management.   This means that supervision  is a way  of giving advice,  refreshing,  encouraging  and stimulating staff for improved and effective teaching and learning. Supervision is also any assistance given  to  the  teacher  for  improved  teaching  and  learning  with  adequate  provision  of  instructional materials and needed facilities. This means that supervision is a phase of school administration which ensures that the teacher acquires maximum knowledge and skills to become professionally efficient in

order  to improve  on quality of his teaching and classroom  management.  After supervision,  comes evaluation to determine the extent of mastering of the contents taught.

Evaluation involves assessment maintained, appraisal, valuation and estimation of the worth of education input, process and output in line with the set standards making judgment  and corrective criticism. It focuses on the job and the scientific approach. According to Babalola (2004), evaluation deals with close examination, check, scrutiny and assessment of available facilities and resources in an institution with reference to establishing how far a particular institution has met the set standards.

This implies that Quality assurance is a practice or the criteria used to evaluate the efficiency and appropriateness  of teaching  and  learning  experiences  so  as to  ensure  the delivery  of high  quality standard of education and also the process of monitoring, assessing and evaluating according to set standards and communicating the outcomes to all concerned in order to ensure quality with integrity, public accountability and consistent improvement in teaching and learning. According to Eze (2010) quality assurance has mechanisms or measures which can be either internal or external in educational system. Externally are quality assurance measures which are imposed on educational institutions from outside.   Gasey  (2007)   stated   that  external  quality   assurance   measures  are  super  institutional programmes  for  assuring  quality  of  higher  institutions  and  their  programmes.  Internally,  quality assurances  are  intra-institutional  activities  or  practices  that  are  geared  towards  maintaining  and improving quality of programmes in educational institutions.

Quality assurance  in education  is the  process of ensuring  effective  resource  input,  control, refining the process and raising the standards of output in order to meet the set  educational  goals. According to Adeolu (2012), quality assurance in education is the efficient management, monitoring, evaluation and reviews of the resource inputs and transformation process (teaching and learning) to produce quality outputs (students) that meet set standards and expectations of the society. Raouf (2008) opined that quality assurance in education is the  process of ensuring continuous improvement  in all aspects of education in an institution of learning to satisfy the needs and expectations of the learners.

This  calls  for  maintenance  of high  standard  of  effective  teaching,  learning  and  general  academic improvement in educational institutions.

Secondary  education  is  the  education  received  after  primary  school,  which  is  called  post primary or secondary education. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) defined it as the education given after  primary  education  in  Colleges  including  those  institutions  offering  technical  and  vocational subjects. From these definitions, it implies that secondary education follows after primary education and whichever level of education, quality assurance is  important.  This study concentrates on public secondary schools that are owned and managed single handedly by the government of a state or federal government.

In the  secondary  schools  in South East,  Nigeria,  there  have  been  several  situations  which created doubts in the minds of people whether secondary school principals practice quality assurance in the school or not. According to Chigbu (2016), this is due to the fact that there has been a public outcry on  quality  of  education  since  teachers  are  no  longer  properly  supervised  by the  principals.  This inadequacy in supervision manifest in poor instructional delivery by the teachers and increased mass failure  in  external  examinations   such  as  West  African  School   Certificate   (WASC),   National Examination  Council  (NECO)  Certificate,  General  Certificate  on  Education  (GCE)  and even Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Examination.

The quality of the products of the Nigerian educational system has been a source of worry to stakeholders. Recently, there has been increased complaint by parents, heads of tertiary institutions and employers of secondary school graduates that secondary school graduates are poorly prepared for the challenges facing the society (Edem, 2008). Saraki (2009) also stated that secondary school graduates are unproductive  on the job and the short falls are severe in oral  and written communication.  The reasons may be that many secondary school principals do not give attention to monitoring, supervision of  instructional   activities,   evaluation   of  new  trend   in   education,   classroom   organization   and management and techniques in continuous assessment in the school. Other reasons may include neglect

of human resources development  opportunities  due insufficient  fund to organize such  programmes. Nwadum (2006) observed that principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria, had negative and unprofessional  attitude which were portrayed in the form of irregularity and  laissez-faire attitude to monitoring, instructional supervision and evaluation.

This deplorable state of education in the South East, Nigeria has impacted negatively on the academic progress of instruction. Okpe (2010) noted that the trend of poor performance of students in both internal  and  external  examination  are due to poor  monitoring,  supervision  and  evaluation  of instructional activities in the school. These inefficiencies in administration affects achievement of the predetermined objectives of the school and can be portrayed in the form of high rate of examination malpractice,       poor      reading      and      writing      culture      of      students,      among      others. Many principals in secondary schools neglect human resource development programmes due to

lack of fund to organize such programmes and this negatively affect monitoring, supervision and evalua tion in the school (Nwadum, 2006). This poor performance of students serves as a pointer to the fact that there is a decline in quality of teaching and learning within the school. To this effect, there was a need for the present researcher to examine human resources development and demographic variables in relation to quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria. Statement of the Problem

The quality of the products of the Nigerian educational system has been a source of worry to stakeholders. Recently, there has been increased complaint by parents, heads of tertiary institutions and employers of secondary school graduates that secondary school graduates are poorly prepared for the challenges facing the society. It has been observed that secondary school graduates are unproductive on the job.  The reasons may be that many secondary school principals do not give attention to monitoring, supervision of instructional activities, evaluation of new trend in education, classroom organization and management and techniques in continuous assessment in the school. Other reasons may include neglect of human resource development due to lack of fund to organize such programmes. It has been observed

over  the  years  that  principals  in  secondary  schools  in  South  East,  Nigeria,  had  negative  and unprofessional  attitude which were portrayed in the form of irregularity and laissez-faire  attitude to monitoring,  instructional  supervision  and  evaluation.  It  was  noted  that  some  of  the  principals  in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria lack professional knowledge of monitoring, supervision and evaluation of instructional activities in the school and some, due to  their ages, gender and years of experience on the job are unskillful.

This deplorable state of education in the South East, Nigeria has impacted negatively on the academic  progress  of  instruction.  Before  now,  there  have  been  human  resource   development programmes for principals and teachers but due to political instability, there has been serious decline in planning  such  programmes.  There  is  poor  performance  of  students  in  their  internal  and  external examinations due to principals’ inefficiency in monitoring, supervision and evaluation of instructional activities in the school which affects achievement of the predetermined objectives of the school. This can be portrayed in the form of high rate of examination malpractice, poor reading and writing culture of students, among others.  This poor performance of students serves as a pointer to the fact that there is a decline in quality of teaching and learning within the school. To this effect, there is a need for the present  researcher  to  correlate  human  resource  development,  demographic  variables  and  quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

For any nation to excel, such a nation needs a well trained manpower that can create and apply new  technologies.  A  lot  of  research  work  has  revealed  that  human  resource  development  brings additional knowledge and improved skills and these are expected to lead to quality assurance.  To the best knowledge of the present researcher, recent researches have been conducted on human resource development, demographic  variables and quality assurance but none has been carried out on human resource  development  and  demographic  variables  as  correlates  of  quality  assurance  practices  of principals  in  secondary  schools.  In  view  of  this,  the  present  researcher  embarks  on  the  study to

determine human resource development and demographic variables as correlates of quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The  main  purpose  of  this  study is  to  determine  the  relationship  between  human  resource development, demographic variables and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria

Specifically, the study sought to:

1.   Identify the human resource development strategies of principals in secondary schools in the South

East, Nigeria.

2.   Determine  the  relationship  between  personal  development  and  quality  assurance  practices  of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

3.   Ascertain the relationship  between professional  development  and quality assurance  practices  of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

4.   Determine the relationship between organizational development and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

5.   Ascertain the relationship between  principals’ age and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria

6.   Determine    the  relationship  between    principals’  gender  and  quality  assurance  practices  of principals  in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria

7.   Ascertain  the  relationship  between  principals’  qualification  and  quality  assurance  practices  of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria

8.   Determine    the  relationship  between    principals’  years  of  experience  and  quality  assurance practices of principals  in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria

Significance of the Study

The findings  of the study have both theoretical  and  practical  significance.  Theoretically,  the study is anchored on Scientific Management Theory. Scientific Management Theory was propounded by Fredrick W. Taylor (1917). The theory states that managers can use scientific research methods to find out the best way to finish every piece of work and assure quality. The efficiency of workers can only be achieved by maximizing the workers outputs through the application of scientific management theory.  The  theory takes  a positive  view  of workers,  assuming  that  all  wish  to  contribute  to the organization’s  effective performance  through  scientific  research methods  and the main obstacles  to their  endeavour  are lack of  knowledge,  insufficient  training  on the  methods  and  process  failures. Taylor feels that one could through training, scientifically discover ‘the one best method’ for finishing work in the shortest possible time and assure quality output. The manager has to be knowledgeable in scientific   management    theory   through   acquired    individual,   professional   and   organizational development and try as much as possible to apply the training on the job to maintain quality assurance. The theory is  important to this study, because it recognizes that principals have to be professionally trained to be knowledgeable in their duties of monitoring, supervision, and general administration in the school.

Practically,  the findings  of the study will be beneficial  to principals,  students,  teachers  and policy makers. Principals  will benefit since the study will create awareness of quality  instructional supervision and its relative impact on quality assurance by assisting the principals to acquire knowledge and skills to improve on monitoring, instructional supervision, evaluation and assure quality. Also, the principal after undergoing personal and professional training will help to train teachers on the need for monitoring students activities, supervision and evaluation techniques to be abreast with current trends and innovations in education. The findings of this study will serve as an eye opener to the Association of Nigerian Conference  of Principals  of Secondary  Schools (ANCOPSS)  by revealing to them the human  resource  development  programmes  and  their  importance,  demographic  variables  and  their

relationship with quality assurance practices. Principals will have access to this work when the findings are published in journals.

Students will specifically benefit from the findings of this study in that when the  relationship between  human  resource  development,  demographic  variables  and  quality  assurance  practices  of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria, is known, policies will be formulated in that regard and students will benefit by way of improved learning environment. This will also serve as an eye opener to increase the rate of monitoring, supervision of instructional activities and evaluation in the school thereby helping students to develop good habit of reading and writing culture to curb high rate  of  examination  malpractices  in  the  schools.  The  students  will  also  benefit  by  getting  the information when the research findings will be published in journal, articles, among others.

Teachers will also benefit from the findings of this study since after engaging the principals in human resource development  programme,  the principal  will think of involving the  teachers  on in- service training so as to understand and meet up with the new administrative guidelines in the school. The information in this study will also help teachers to improve through effective supervision by the principals that will motivate and stimulate them to teach better. Teachers will have access to this work when the findings are published in journals.

The policy makers will benefit from the study especially the post primary school management board  in designing  and  evaluating  policies  and  programmes  that  allow  personal,  professional  and organizational  development  of workers.  Areas of need could be identified  and  training in form of seminars, conferences and workshops could be given. This study will emphasize the need for policy formulation that will address issues on quality assurance  in the  nation. These will also help policy makers to obtain a clear picture of how quality can be measured and bring out a common formal and national system of accreditation for quality assurance.

Scope of the Study

The study covered principals in public secondary schools in South East, Nigeria. South East, Nigeria is made up of five states namely: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. South East, Nigeria was chosen because the states have similarity in educational, political and social development practices.  The content scope include to; identify the human resource development strategies, determine the relationship between human resource development and monitoring as quality assurance practices of principals, ascertain the relationship between human resource development and supervision as quality assurance practices of principals, determine the relationship between human resource development and evaluation as quality assurance practices of principals, ascertain the relationship between   principals’ age, gender, qualification and years of experience and their quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1.   What  are the human resource  development  strategies  of principals  in secondary  schools  in

South East, Nigeria?

2.   What  is the  relationship  between  personal  development  and  quality  assurance  practices  of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria?

3.   What is the relationship between professional development and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria

4.   What is the relationship between organizational development and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria?

5.   What is the relationship between principals’ age and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria?

6.   What is the relationship between principals’ gender and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria?

ctices of  

7.   What is the relationship  between principals’  qualification  and quality assurance practices  of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria?

8.   What is the relationship between principals’ years of experience and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

H01:  There  was  no  significant  relationship  between  personal  development  and  quality  assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

H02: There was no significant  relationship  between professional  development  and quality  assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

H03: There was no significant relationship between organizational development and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

H04:   There   was   no   significant   relationship   between   principals’   age   and   quality   assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

H05: There was no significant relationship between principals’ gender and quality assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

H06: There was  no  significant  relationship  between  principals’  qualification  and quality  assurance practices of principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.

H07: There  was  no  significant  relationship  between  experience  and  quality assurance  pra principals in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria.



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HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AS CORRELATES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES OF PRINCIPALS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

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