INFLUENCE OF PRINCIPAL TEACHERS RELATIONSHIP ON TEACHERS’ EFFECTIVENESS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

This study was on influence of principal teachers’ relationship on teachers’ effectiveness in secondary school. Four objectives were raised which included; To examine different types of Principal-Teacher relationships existing in senior secondary schools in Lagos State, to examine the effect of wide Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching effectiveness in Lagos State Senior Secondary School, to examine the effect of narrow Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching to actualize functional education in Lagos state secondary school and to investigate if there exists an effect of principal-teacher relationship on teachers’ morale. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from secondary school. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).

Chapter one

Introduction

1.1Background of the study

Persistent change and challenges of the past two decades in the field of education have resulted in an increasing workload for teachers and administrators. As schools work to meet standards to implement reform initiatives, principals and teachers face mounting expectations. Keiser (2007) asserted that school reform initiatives have the potential to compel individuals to modify their beliefs and perceptions with respect to norms and values. Ultimately, the implementation of these reform initiatives becomes the responsibility of the school principal. The principal occupies a germane position in the school structure. As the leader of a multitude of professionals, certified teachers, and the manager of a cadre of classified personnel, the principal should establish important relationships with his or her staff. If education is the major foundation for the future strength of a country, then, teachers, as they come from various backgrounds must be the cornerstone. Likewise, as schools continue to evolve and as shifts in the demographics of populations continue to occur nationally, there is a need and a call for different relationship paradigms to assist in the proper guidance of those placed in the classrooms. These new paradigms will be marked with servant leaders who empower as opposed to delegate; build trust rather than demand loyalty; and instead of just hearing and leading from the head, seek to understand and lead from the heart (DeSpain, 2000).

Principal-teacher relationships vary greatly among schools and even among teachers in the same school. Furthermore, those relationships affect student achievement (Walsh, 2005). This phenomenon occurs because teachers who see principals as facilitators, supporters, and reinforcers for the jointly determined school mission rather than as guides, directors, and leaders of their own personal agenda are far more likely to feel personally accountable for student learning (McEwan, 2003).  For instance, across America, both principals and teachers alike have to contend with matters such as student discipline. The principal is endlessly involved in dealing with discipline problems, but his role is somewhat different from that of the teacher. Yet in many respects, the teacher and the principal work as a team on major discipline problems(Kritsonis, 2000). Parental issues are another area of great concern, especially during these times when parents demand that schools should adequately prepare their children (Cotton &Wikelund, 2001). It is important for principals and various staff groups, that is, teachers to work together for mutual support. In addition, the manner in which staff members worked together as a group significantly influences student outcomes in schools (Wheelan& Kesselring, 2005).

Staff groups working together in healthy social environments substantiate the need for relationship development in their school environment. Relationships have many components, both individual and group in nature, which help to sustain them and add value. One of the most important of all the relational components is that of trust. It is essential that school leaders develop the trust factor necessary for teachers to follow and support their efforts The building and sustaining of one-to-one relationships with teachers via communicative and supportive behaviours is the overarching trust-promoting behaviour of the principal (Gimbel, 2003).

Daily interpersonal interactions of a principal are necessary to garner trust and support from teachers. In schools, this means that, instead of worrying constantly about setting the direction and then engaging teachers and others in a successful march (often known as planning, organizing, leading, motivating, and controlling), the “leader” can focus more on removing obstacles, providing material and emotional support, taking care of the management details that make any journey easier, sharing in the comradeship of the march and in the celebration when the journey is completed, and identifying a new, worthwhile destination for the next march (Sergiovanni, 1992). Essential to keep in mind is the notion that principals are the instructional leaders of their schools. All effective schools have this as a quality and principals must fulfill this role (Effective Schools, 2001). And, even though shared decision making attributes are present, there are certain leader-imposed and or leader-directed activities that need to take place. Of these, promoting trust and building relationships in an effort to ultimately achieve student success should be first and foremost in a nation’s schools. Student achievement enters into the realm of accountability (Albritten, Mainzer & Ziegler , 2004). If a school is devoid of successful scores per the established accountability system, principals quickly recognize the urgent need to achieve, sometimes outside of traditional academic standards, success in such a high stake game. When school climate become cold and teachers perceive principals as suspicious and negative, a reformation has to occur before teachers are willing to modify instruction. But how can principals ever hope to motivate their teaching staff to expand their repertoires of pedagogical skills unless some fundamental relational components have been established (Gimbel, 2003).

While many reform reports have not addressed this issue, a central question requiring further analysis is how, exactly, do principals influence the instructional work of their schools for functional education thereby increasing student achievement? By examining the full range of cultural blends, the principal can become a strong support for effective instruction in a school. Cultural linkages include the system of collectively accepted meanings, beliefs, values, and assumptions that organizational members (teachers) use to guide their regular, daily actions and interpret their surroundings.

Principals can influence the working patterns of teachers by rearranging physical space and free time to promote norms of collegiality and experimentation. Effective collaboration is a key to ensuring teaching effectiveness in schools and functional education as a derivative though not always easy. It brings with it a measure of difficulty and even of discomfort on occasions. Effective collaborations operate in the world of ideas, examining existing practices critically, seeking better alternatives and working hard together at bringing about improvements and assessing their worth as a change initiative. The single factor common to every change initiative is that relationships improve, if relationships improve, things get better. If they remain the same or get worse, ground is lost. Thus leaders must be consummate relationship builders with diverse people and groups, especially with people different than themselves. Effective leaders constantly foster purposeful interaction and problem solving, and are wary of easy consensus (Fullan, 2001). Clark (2003), Disney’s 2000 Outstanding Teacher of the Year, says life is all about experiences, the ones you make for yourself and the ones you make for others. As he refers to all students, he continues: guide them as they grow, show them in every way possible that they are cared for, and make special moments for them that will add magic to their lives, motivate them to make a difference in the lives of others, and most important, teach them to love life. If that kind of relationship is being asked of America’s teachers in respect to their students, then principals should lead by example and show the same enthusiasm for their teachers.

Statement of the problem

In Nigeria, public discussion, most often than not, borders on falling standard of education and poor academic performance of students, in most especially the West African Senior School Certificate Examination on a yearly basis. The students’ outcomes seem not commensurate with the huge investment by both parents and government on Education. This calls for a great concern among all actors and stakeholders to ascertain the causal factors for this negative occurrence. To some, it is questionable whether the teachers in the system are capable and competent to teach effectively or not. To others, the issue is about the trend of teachers’ lackadaisical attitude to work and lack of empowerment and motivation intrinsically from concerned authorities and the school head. The unknown element of this poser is the direct relationship that exists between teachers and principals towards the actualization of educational objectives. Certain effective principal skills are critical in the attainment of desired levels of teacher participation. Current reform initiatives have identified empowerment and teachers participation in decision making as elements of teachers’ success; however, bureaucracy that has driven reform in recent years has led to teachers feeling disempowered and hence becoming lackadaisical. Principals who attempt to assume the burden alone and try to manage reform and change from a downward perspective may create more distance between teachers and administrators, resulting in further disempowerment, ineffectiveness, poor job performance, poor students’ academic achievement leading to non-functional education

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the influence of principal teachers relationship on teachers’ effectiveness in secondary schools. This is expressed in the following specific objectives as follows:

1. To examine different types of Principal-Teacher relationships existing in senior secondary schools in Lagos State.
2. To examine the effect of wide Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching effectiveness in Lagos State Senior Secondary School

iii.     To examine the effect of narrow Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching to actualize functional education in Lagos state secondary school.

1. To investigate if there exists an effect of principal-teacher relationship on teachers’ morale.

Research hypotheses

H0: there is no effect of wide Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching effectiveness in Lagos State Senior Secondary School

H1: there is effect of wide Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching effectiveness in Lagos State Senior Secondary School

H0: there is no effect of narrow Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching to actualize functional education in Lagos state secondary school.

H2: there is effect of narrow Principal-Teacher relationship on teaching to actualize functional education in Lagos state secondary school.

Significance of the study

The study will be of benefits to students and ministry of education. The study will give a clear insight on the influence of principal teachers relationship on teachers’ effectiveness in secondary school. The study will serve as a reference to other researcher that will embark on the related topic

Scope and limitation of the study

The scope of the study covers the influence of principal teachers’ relationship on teachers’ effectiveness in secondary school. The study will be limited to selected secondary schools in Lagos state

The researcher encounters some constraints which limit the scope of the study namely:

The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study

The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

1.8 Definition of terms

Teachers: A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue

Principal: the most important or senior person in an organization or group.

Principal teacher relationship: Principals trust teachers who complete projects or tasks quickly and efficiently. Occasionally, a principal will ask a teacher for help on a project. Principals rely on those that they trust to help them get certain things done.

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