Effect of Instructional Supervision on Teachers’ Competences in Public Primary Schools in Rwanda.

Effect of Instructional Supervision on Teachers’ Competences in Public Primary Schools in Rwanda.

Jean Claude Ibyimana, Dr Faustin Mugiraneza, Dr Marie Claire Mukamazimpaka

Mount Kenya University, Adventist University of Central Africa

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7621

Received: 15 May 2023; Revised: 25 May 2023; Accepted: 27 May 2023; Published: 27 June 2023

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper was to examine the effect of instructional supervision on teacher’s competences in Public Primary School in Rwanda. More specifically this researcher paper analyzed the preparation of teaching and learning documents and assessment practices.  In this study 6 head teachers and 148 primary teachers from three selected sectors of Kamonyi district was related as informants. For selecting the sample size, the researcher adopted the two techniques that were purposive and simple random sampling techniques. The researcher was managed to use questionnaire, interview guide plus observation protocols aimed at combining primary and secondary data. To analyze the quantitative and qualitative data descriptive statistics was used in terms of mean, while in terms of statistics correlation and regression the researcher was used standard deviation and inferential. The findings were organized around the research objective and informed that most of head teachers conduct instructional supervision every day to help teachers to develop their competences. Most of teachers agreed that instructional supervision play a great role on the preparation of pedagogical documents where 78.9% agreed on this point. 81.07% agreed that instructional supervision influence assessments practices. It was revealed that instructional supervision influence teachers’ competences as shown by high positive correlation of 0.821. Further results showed that a one percent (1%) change in classroom visits will lead to 0.488% variation in teachers’ competence; also, a one percent (1%) change in provision of instructional resources practice will lead to 0.269% variation in teachers’ competence. Further, a one percent (1%) change in checking teachers’ records will lead to 0.384% variation in teachers’ competence and lastly a one percent (1%) changes in providing teachers’ assistance and feedback after observation will lead to 0.221% variation in teachers’ competence.  As recommendation, primary school leaders should know that instructional supervision is very important and needs to be a priority in schools and given enough time so that improvement in education can occur. Next, school rules should plan the supervisory practices in normal way as long as beginner and expert teachers have the option of selecting from a variety of teaching styles. Last, the researchers are advised to carry out   more studies in order to discover the influence of real supervisory methods, educators’ approach and happiness on skilled improvement.

Keywords: Instructional supervision, Classroom observation, Teachers’ competence, Pedagogical document.

INTRODUCTION

Rwandan educators have taken the brunt of criticism for their substandard job role where the low academic performance of students on national exams serves as proof of this. However, other factors that have a helpful effect on the teaching and learning process can also be used to evaluate teachers’ competences, such as the ways in which they make classwork interesting, make sure that students understand what they are learning, assign homework, summarize lessons, maintain student discipline, provide feedback, act professionally, work with parents, and develop lesson materials. Many education experts have approached this problem from the perspective of instructional supervision. For instance, Weller (2013) writes that it is evident that principals need to have programs for teacher evaluation and classroom observation if they want teachers to perform at their best. Ikegbusi (2014) believed that an instructional supervision plays great role in developing the teacher’s competences. According to Oyedeji (2012), instructional supervisors’ responsibilities include monitoring absenteeism and the delivery of lessons, conducting classroom visits, and supervising instructors by reviewing the documentation they are required to have.  Eya & Leonard (2014) postulated that instructional supervision is a good way used to put more pressure to teachers in order to do and accomplish their assigned duties effectively and also to assist and an inexperience and the less effective teachers to improve their teaching.

Unfortunately, an instructional supervision is still on low level in Public Primary Schools of Kamonyi district, where the head teachers or assigned supervisors can visit few classrooms a week instead of visiting all classrooms (MINEDUC, 2020).  Many teachers reported that the reasons why their students fail and why their pedagogical practices done ineffectively is because their head teachers cannot take enough time to visit the classes and give them feedback that can help them to develop their competences. Others reported that when head teachers visit the classes, he she cannot take much time for giving them feedback and the way used to visit the class cannot help them to develop their competences. In order to address this issue, this study look at how instructional supervision, particularly in the Kamonyi District, affect the competence of public primary teachers because instructional supervision is by the side key stone of developing teachers’ competences.

Research objectives

(i) To examine the effects of instruction supervision on teachers’ competence in public primary schools in Rwanda.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The supervisor provides guidance to teachers, develops teachers’ abilities, helps them improve their teaching practices, and ultimately improves student performance, said (Peretomode 2016). Supervision is considered a professional activity to assist teachers and make the teaching and learning process more effective (Beach, & Reinhartz, 2013). The director stated that it would allow future teachers to be responsible and independent, and that in the future they would be able to work competently with minimal supervision (Oye, 2017). Educational practices, on the other hand, can be described as all activities performed by teachers to ensure that students learn effectively. However, many experts in educational practice say that the concept cannot be easily defined. Educational practices are defined differently by many professionals in this regard. Wathins and Mortimore (2019) explained pedagogical documents as specific actions of teachers that influencing learning in students. Similarly, Alexander (2013) has his own favored view, which said that pedagogical documents require consultations, conferencing, dialogue and planning. Here the instructional supervision practices of head teachers will help teachers to know and improve their pedagogical documents. For instance, after supervision and giving feedback to teachers they can make well a lesson plan and scheme of work, they can know how to complete the class daily and register, they can also improve the way they record students’ performance.

Assessment is the process through which teachers and students evaluate themselves and provide data that can be used as feedback to alter teaching and learning activities (Black and Wiliam, 1998a). Formative and summative assessment hence encompasses a variety of technologies that provide feedback to teachers or students in order to help pupils learn more effectively. Assessments are commonly described as a type of evaluation that aims to record what students have learnt or the caliber of their learning and compares their performance to predetermined standards (Dixson and Worrell, 2016). Exams serve as a final judgment of how much learning has occurred, or how much a student understands and has learned, and are typically “high stakes” assessments (Gardner, 2013). Here the teacher should prepare the assessment that measure the competences of students in three domains that are cognitive domain, affective domain and psychomotor domain. This assessment also should be based on competence-based curriculum where they assess attitude, value, knowledge and skills of students. The teachers also should remember to record and keep students’ feedback for future use.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This research adopted the theories that support the study which is path goal theory of leadership.

Path Goal Theory

The Path goal theory of leadership put forward by Robert House, called the path-goal theory (2012). According to this concept, a successful leader should improve their team members’ job competence by outlining the objectives they should work for and the steps they should take to get there. When it comes to the difficulties associated with teacher supervision, this idea is crucial to our research. In reality, school administrators are obliged to use the path goal theory in primary schools to assist their newly recruited, inexperienced, and frequently incompetent teachers in achieving targeted teaching performance. The dependent variable in this study is teacher’s competence, while the independent variable is the instructional supervision. Enabling inputs are considered a chance variable in the study. They take the shape of environmental factors that control how instructional supervision is carried out in primary schools and, as a result, control how well the curriculum is implemented. The achievement of the desired level of teacher competence represents this success.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The section covers the research design, target population, size of sample, sampling techniques, data collection, instruments, reliability, validity and data analysis. It also discusses the data collection methods and instruments used.

Population

According to Stenbacka (2013), a study population is any group of people who share one or more traits that are relevant to the research, the whole population, or universal objects over which the research will be conducted. As a result, all primary teachers and head teachers from three selected sectors (Runda, Gacurabwege and Rugarika) of Kamonyi district were included in the study’s target group. According to MINEDUC (2022), Kamonyi district has 3408 primary teachers and 109 head teachers. Among of these, the three selected sectors had 228 teachers and 9 head teachers. So, the target population was included 228 teachers and 9 head teachers, which make the total of 237.

From 237 targeted population including 9 head teachers and 228 teachers from three selected public primary schools in Kamonyi District, a sample size was determined by using Yamane’s formula ( n)    with N standing for the population size equivalent to 237 and e standing for the margin of error (0.05) as follows: n= 154, according to Yamane’s formula the simple size was 154. This means that n for teachers was 148 from 228 and n for teachers was 6 from 9.

Reliability and validity

Reliability refers to its consistence of the study while the ability of a questionnaire to produce expected information is referred to as validity. Validity and reliability will help the researcher to collect the information which is valid, updated and real and reliable to the research. Through the use of valid concepts like expert validity, which measure the study variables, the validity of the study and its content was guaranteed. To ensure that questionnaires was valid, construct validity was used. After consulting with the supervisor, educational research professionals were determined the validity test’s results in order to validate the instruments. The instrument was tested and retested (pilot) on fifteen primary schools which was not included in the chosen sample in order to assure dependability. The consistency of the outcomes after test and retest was used to define reliability. The questionnaire was tested by the researcher, and a follow-up test was done on the same respondents one week later. The results were the same means that the instruments were reliable.

RESULTS

Instructional supervision on preparation of pedagogical documents

By responding the study’ s research question, the questionnaires were given to the teachers for answering them and guided interview was given to the head teachers to get findings. Tables were used to present the results. Using a five level Likert scale (1 = Strongly agree to 5 = Strongly disagree), the factors were evaluated. The respondents were required to rate their opinions using a scale on a number of statements that each measured a different variable. The Mode, Total, Count, and Percentage per Statement are shown in the following sections.

Table 4.1 Perception of teachers on instructional supervision on pedagogical documents

Source: Primary data (2023) SD: Strongly Disagree, D: Disagree, N: Neutral, A: Agree and SA: Strongly Agree.

According to table 4.1, where it specifies the understanding provided by the respondents (teachers) related to instructional supervision on pedagogical practices of teachers, at this point the 78.9% of teachers agreed that head teacher’s classroom observation help them to prepare lesson every day, 71.5% agreed that they write the scheme of work after head teacher feedback, 79% agreed that when head teacher comes in their classes they write lesson notes on the chalkboard for every subjects they teach and 55.3% agreed that they mark students exercises books when the head teacher is doing classroom visit while 66.1% agreed that they improvise teaching aids for their classes when their head teachers are doing classroom visit. As revealed in the table 4.1, the results from the teachers showed that the majority of educators agreed that the instructional supervision play a great role on pedagogical practices of teachers where the pedagogical practices like lesson plan, class dairy, scheme of work and recording pupils’ marks were completed after the head teacher feedback. But the interviewed head teachers were reacted to these where all interviewed head teachers said that most of teachers were lazy to fulfil the pedagogical practices before supervision but during supervision head teacher helped and directed them how to fulfil those practices.

The relationship between instructional supervision and teachers’ competences.

This study’s objective was to ascertain how teachers’ competences in public primary schools relate to instructional supervision. Therefore, the table 4.2 shows the findings on how instructional supervision is correlated to teachers’ competences.

Table 4.2 Correlation between instructional supervision and teachers’ competences Correlations

Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

In order to determine the association among instructional supervision and teachers’ competences in public primary schools in Kamonyi district, Rwanda, the objective of the research is shown in Table 4.2. P-value less than 0.05 indicates that something is significant.  As a result, it was determined that the P-value was 0.01 and that instructional supervision was essential to the growth of the teachers’ competences. When the Karl Pearson Coefficient of Connection (r) is between 0 and 0.5, there is a low positive significant correlation between two variables. When the Karl Pearson Coefficient of Correlation (r) is between 0.5 and 1, there is a significant positive correlation between the variables (independent and dependent variables). There was a significant positive association as a result of Karl Pearson. 0.821 was the correlation coefficient (r).

It was determined that the Karl Pearson correlation between instructional supervision and teacher competences in public primary schools in the Kamonyi district of Rwanda was 0.01, indicating a highly significant relationship between the two variables. After that, it was discovered that the competence of the teachers and the instructional supervision were related.

There is a strong positive connection between the two variables, with the Karl Pearson coefficient of correlation (r) being between 0.5 and 1. (independent and dependent variable). Karl Pearson’s correlation (r) was thus discovered to be 0.821. Thus, it was concluded that instructional supervision in public primary schools in the Kamonyi district of Rwanda was successful in promoting teachers’ competence.

Inferential Analysis on Instructional Supervision and head teachers’ competences

In addition, the researcher conducted a multiple regression analysis so as to determine the influence of instructional supervision on teachers’ competence. The researcher applied the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) to code, enter and compute the measurements of the multiple regressions for the study.

Table 4.2 Regression Model Summary

a Predictors: (Constant), Classroom visitation, checking teachers’ records, Provision of instructional resources, Providing of teachers’ assistance and feedback after observation.

Coefficient of determination explains the extent to which changes in the dependent variable can be explained by the change in the independent variables or the percentage of variation in the dependent variable (teachers’ competences) that is explained by all the independent variables (Classroom visitation, checking teachers’ records, Provision of instructional resources, Providing of teachers’ assistance and feedback after observation).

The correlation and the coefficient of determination of the dependent variables when all independent variables are combined can also be measured and tested as in Table 4.2. From the findings 79.6% of teachers’ competence is attributed to combination of the independent factors that relate to instructional supervision practices (Classroom observation, provision of instructional resources.

CONCLUSIONS

The conclusion was drawn in accordance with analysis of the obtained results in consideration of the specified research questions which were composed basing on three specific research objectives.

On the research question related to the effects does instructional supervision on preparation of pedagogical documents, the results found that pedagogical documents like lesson plan, class dairy, scheme of work and recording pupils’ marks done well after school leaders’ instructional supervision.

Basing on the research question related to establish the relationship between instructional supervision and teachers’ competences, it was concluded that instructional supervision was essential to the growth of the teachers’ competence where teachers combined the feedback given by head teachers and practice them as the way of developing their competences.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the results of this study and its conclusion, the following recommendations were made to the Ministry of Education, educational planners, schools, and parents:

The Ministry of Education should introduce two head teachers, one for primary schools and the other for secondary schools, due to the large number of classes that must be monitored in some schools, especially where twelve basic education occurs.

The school administrators need to support their instructors with observation subsequently oversight. The regularity of the supervision must be raised so concerning help correct teacher act.

In order to encourage learning and support teacher trainings, the development partners should also collaborate closely with the government to ensure that teaching materials are provided to schools and that instructors are properly using the various teaching materials that have been provided.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This accomplishment of this research is a result of efforts from different people. I want to start by expressing my appreciation to the Almighty God, my family members for their continuous support. I also appreciate my research Supervisors Dr. Faustin Mugiraneza and Dr Marie Claire Mukamazimpaka to support, guide then advice. I’m additionally thankful to the most important group of all lectures from Mount Kenya University who provide to me the expertise and abilities of education studies. My thanks are also directed towards classmates whom we shared knowledge and ideas during academic life we spent in Mount Kenya University.

May God our Lord blesses you all!

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