WHO LEADS THE PACK? PROFILING SCHOOL LEADERS’ DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUNDS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES IN GHANAIAN PUBLIC BASIC SCHOOLS

نویسندگان

  • Nelson Amponsah Department of Educational Administration and Management, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
  • Joseph Bentil Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
  • Awinimi Timothy Agure Department of Education, Gbewaa College of Education, Pusiga, Ghana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v11i10.5555

کلمات کلیدی:

headteachers, instructional leadership, education circuit, basic schools, demographic profile

چکیده

The extent to which demographic characteristics of educational heads differentiate their instructional leadership practices has been a contentious matter for several decades. The aim of this study was to investigate the instructional leadership practices of school heads as well as examine the extent to which headteachers’ gender, professional qualification, and work experience differentiated their instructional leadership practices in public basic schools in Ghana. This was a quantitative study underpinned by the positivist paradigm. The study employed the descriptive survey research design where 127 headteachers and 643 teachers were selected through census and proportionate stratified random sampling techniques respectively. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) was adapted from Hallinger and Murphys (1985) and used to collect numerical data for the study which was analysed using descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation as well as inferential statistics including independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings revealed that defining school mission dimension of instructional leadership practice was most prevalent among the headteachers as compared to managing the instructional programme and protecting school climate respectively. Additionally, the findings established that gender accounted for differences among headteachers in promoting a positive school climate where male headteachers rated higher than their female peers. Furthermore, the study established that work experience of the headteachers led to significant differences in defining school mission, managing instructional programme, promoting a positive school climate as well as the overall instructional leadership practice. Therefore, the study concluded that headteachers’ gender matters in promoting a positive climate in the schools while the work experience of the headteachers is a determinant of differences in their instructional leadership practices in the schools. Based on these findings, the study recommended that Ghana Education Service through the Regional and District Directorates of Education should liaise with instructional leadership specialists to organise in-service and refresher training programmes for headteachers on instructional leadership practices so as to sustain, improve, and intensify its practice in public basic schools.

 

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بیوگرافی نویسندگان

  • Nelson Amponsah، Department of Educational Administration and Management, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

    Dr. Nelson Amponsah is a Lecturer in the Department of Educational Administration and Management, School of Education and Life-Long Learning in the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Ghana. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership, Master of Philosophy in Educational Administration and Management as well as Bachelor of Education in Basic Education. Dr. Amponsah has acquired a wealth of experience in the Ghanaian Pre-tertiary Education sector, having served in various capacities from Classroom Teacher to Supervisor of Schools for twenty-three years. Currently, he teaches courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels at UEW, including Statistics and Measurement in Educational Research, Advanced Quantitative Research Methods in Education, Organizational Development of Higher Education, and Trends in Education and School Management in Ghana. His research interests include instructional leadership and supervision in schools, continuous professional development of teachers, teacher commitment to school and students’ learning outcomes. 

  • Joseph Bentil، Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

    Joseph Bentil is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba with specialization in Social Studies Education. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Studies. He also holds Bachelor of Education (B.ed) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in Basic Education with specialization in Social Studies Education. As part of his PhD studies, Joseph Bentil won an ERASMUS+ International Credit Mobility Grant and studied at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Currently, he teaches both undergraduate and post-graduate courses like Research Methods, Environmental and Social Issues in Contemporary Ghana, Conflict Management and Peace Building, Assessment Techniques in Social Studies, Youth and National Development. His research interest includes teacher self-efficacy beliefs and teacher job performance related issues, instructional leadership, study habits and learning styles of students, assessment in social studies education.

  • Awinimi Timothy Agure، Department of Education, Gbewaa College of Education, Pusiga, Ghana

    Mr. Timothy Agure Awinimi is a tutor of various Education studies courses at Gbewaa College of Education, Pusiga, in the Upper East region of Ghana. Timothy is currently the Unit Head of the Education Department of Gbewaa College of Education, and doubles as the University of Education, Winneba Distance Education Coordinator of the Pusiga Study Centre. Mr. Awinimi obtained both Masters of Philosophy and Masters of Education degrees from University of Cape Coast in Ghana in the fields of Basic Education and Teacher Education in 2021 and 2012 respectively, and a bachelor's degree in Basic Education from the University of Education in Winneba, Ghana in 2006. His fields of academic interest include Basic Education Curriculum and Pedagogy, Instructional Supervision, Teacher Education and Development, and Inclusive Education. His field of specialization include Basic Education and Teacher Education. He has authored peer reviewed articles in his area of expertise.

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چاپ شده

2024-08-28

شماره

دوره 11 شماره 10 (2024)

نوع مقاله

Articles

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