Effectiveness of Principals’ Leadership Role in Enhancing Students’ Achievement in Urban Secondary Schools in Zomba District, Malawi
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Principal, Leadership, Effectiveness, Academic Achievement, School Effectiveness
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This study investigated the effectiveness of principals‟ leadership role in enhancing students‟ achievement in some selected secondary schools in Zomba district, Malawi. The study was conducted using both survey and naturalistic designs especially phenomenology design. The sample size was three hundred
- respondents, which consisted of 12 principals, 120 teachers and 168 students from both public and private secondary schools in Zomba Urban. Questionnaires and direct observation were used to collect data on school facilities and teaching and learning resources among others. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and one way ANOVA for testing the hypotheses. The researcher concluded that there was no significance difference in mean secondary school principals‟ perception about their role effectiveness scores when schools were classified by those headed by highly experienced secondary school principals or less experienced secondary school principals and when secondary schools are classified as those headed by male secondary school principals or female secondary school principals. Through observation on the quality and quantity of physical facilities, the findings show that, most of the schools in Zomba Urban, did not have enough desks and chairs, text books and reference books, libraries, computers, laboratories, toilets, class rooms and TV Set, among others. Further, School principals rarely allowed students to participate in decision making and this led to ineffectiveness in maintaining school discipline as a result the school did not do well in academics. Accordingly, the researcher concluded that shortage of facilities, rare involvement of the students and teachers in decision-making, and ineffective class supervision, and principals‟ commitment, among the factors led to ineffectiveness of principals in carrying out their responsibilities. Among the recommendations made were: Principals should lobby for provision of adequate facilities, improve communication, involve teachers and students in decision-making, and provide effective supervision of teaching in secondary schools.
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Chimombo, J.P.G., Kunje, D., & Chimuzu, T. (2004). Malawi SACMEQ II Study. Centre for Educational Research and Training. University of Malawi, Chancellor College Publishing.
Chumachawo, et al. (2004). Malawi SACMEQ II Study. Centre for Educational Research and Training. University of Malawi, Chancellor College Publishing.
Crum, K., & Sherman, W. (2008). Facilitating high achievement: High school principals' reflections on their successful leadership practices. Journal of Educational Administration, 46, 562–580
Dinham, S. (2005). Principal leadership for outstanding educational outcomes. Journal of educational administration, 43, 338–356.
Elmore, R. F. (2008). Leadership as the practice of improvement. In B. Pont, D. Nusche, & D. Hopkins (Eds.), Improving school leadership (Vol. 2, pp. 37–64). Paris: Organization for Economic Co–operation and Development.
Hallinger, P. (2003). Leading educational change: Reflections on the practice of instructional and transformational leadership. Cambridge Journal of Education, 33, 329–352.
Kadzamira, E. (2003). Where has All the Education Gone in Malawi? Centre for Education Research and Training. University of Malawi, Chancellor College Publishing
Kunje, D. (2002). The Malawi Integrated In-Service Teacher Education Programme: An Experiment with Mixed Mode Training. International Journal of Educational Development 22, 305-320
Leithwood, K. (2000). Understanding schools as intelligent systems. In K. Leithwood (Ed.), Understanding schools as intelligent systems (pp. 99–124). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
Leithwood, K., Patten, S., & Jantzi, D. (2010). Testing a conception of how school leadership influences student learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46, 671.
Maluwa-Banda, M. D. (2003). Gender Sensitive Education Policy and Practice:The Case of Malawi, University of Malawi, Chancellor College Publishing, Zomba. Malawi.
NIPDEP. (2004). JICA Malawi Report 2004 (FY2004). Retrieved from JICA Malawi Office website: www.jica.go.jp/malawi/english/
Sergiovanni, T. (2001).The Principalship: A reflective practice perspective (4th ed.). Trinity University San Antorio, Texas.: Allyn and Bacon.
Southworth, G. (2009). Learning-centered leadership. In B. Davies (Ed.), The essentials of school leadership (pp. 91–111). London:SAGE.
Stiggins, R., & Duke, D. (2008). Effective instructional leadership requires assessment leadership. Phi Delta Kappa, 90, 285–291.
UNESCO. (2009). A report on UNESCO's 2009 World Conference on Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.tonybates.ca/2009/07/07/a-report-on-unescos-2009-world-conference-on-higher-education/
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2018-09-22
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Articles
