Effect of School Leadership on Academic Performance of Public Senior High Schools in Ghana

Effect of School Leadership on Academic Performance of Public Senior High Schools in Ghana

Kwame Owusu-Ansah Owusu Afram^*, Washington Okeyo, Charles Owusu Kwarteng

Management University of Africa

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803310S

Received: 22 September 2024; Accepted: 04 October 2024; Published: 16 October 2024

ABSTRACT

Since gaining independence, Ghana has implemented several reforms to enhance secondary education. However, these reforms have yet to fully achieve their intended improvements in the academic performance of second-cycle schools. According to the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education, while pass rates in core subjects have improved from 2006 to 2021, performance in the core subjects still falls short of 40%. This persistent underperformance has been attributed to school leadership and their capacity to effectively implement a vision for enhancing teachers’ skills and knowledge. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of school leadership on academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. The study examined the instructional and supervisory functions of school leadership. The study was anchored on distributed leadership and social learning theories. The study employed a positivist approach to systematically explore the relationship between the variables. The target population of the study was the 928 public senior high schools listed by the Ghana Education Service as of December 2023. The study applied the cross-sectional design survey and cluster-stratified random sample to collect data from 2176 respondents. The primary data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that there was a significant positive correlation (R= 0.669) between school leadership and academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. The study may be limited due to the use of the cross-sectional design survey, which cannot determine cause-and-effect relationships as data were collected at one point in time. The study recommends that school leadership should be prioritised in senior high schools in Ghana to facilitate the achievement of academic performance improvements in the schools. The Ministry and Ghana Education Service must ensure the appointment of competent school leadership to the senior high schools. Stakeholders of senior high school education in Ghana must equip school leadership for the performance of their roles. School leadership must adopt interventions to give teachers professional development to be effective in their teaching and learning methods.

Keywords: School Leadership, Public Senior High School, Academic Performance, Ghana

INTRODUCTION

Efforts to improve the academic performance of senior high schools (SHS) began in Ghana, before the country gained independence in 1957 from British Colonialism (Akyeampong, 2010).  The efficiency of the educational system in Ghana is a topical issue of discussion in academia, politics, social, and governance circles. According to Amakyi (2022), school leadership has a major role to play in the management of the school. This important role is to provide strategic direction of providing quality education to the school head and staff and hold the school management accountable for the school’s performance. According to Grissom et al. (2021), school leadership is widely recognised as a critical factor that significantly impacts student learning outcomes and academic achievement. Leadership can be seen as the process of controlling task activities within an organization (Balbuena et al., 2020).

According to Bloom et al. (2015), school leadership is an autonomous body set up with the responsibility of managing and implementing decisions in schools. School leadership consists of all stakeholders who actively participate in co-pedagogical responsibilities in schools (Kyriakides et al., 2015). Young et al. (2017) revealed that school leadership standards have had a positive impact on student outcomes. The authors found that the growth and development in school leadership were important to preparing school leadership for the task of ensuring standards in schools to achieve student success. For this, Bush and Glover (2014) defined Leadership as an influential process that drives the attainment of the desired goals. They argued that effective school leadership crafted a vision for their schools, rooted in their personal and professional values. Kowalski (2012) suggested that school leadership differ from school management because school leadership is established to ensure proper management control and decision-making about the school through the management team plays a crucial role in four key areas: (a) shaping the school’s long-term vision; (b) formulating policies to foster a culture of excellence; (c) implementing systems for accountability in student learning outcomes; and (d) advocating for public education support.

In Ghana, school leadership in senior high schools are composed of the School Management Committee, which serves as the governing body; and the headmaster and headteachers of the school who are collectively responsible for the long-term success of the senior high school, the delivery of sustainable value to the stakeholders and upholds the tenets of representative democracy (Amakyi, 2022). According to Atasoy (2023), the main responsibilities of school leadership include headteachers and teachers’ empowerment, building and developing potentials, creating a school learning environment, integrating leadership styles to improve the school, information technology and organization of the activities of other teachers, non-teaching staff, and the school. Some studies, (Asafu-Adjaye, 2012; Atteh et al., 2020; Ranson, 2011; Wilkinson & Long, 2019) concentrated on how school leadership effectively manage second-cycle education, however, they did not focus on how school leadership affects academic performance in public senior high schools in Ghana.

Previous studies have concluded on evaluation of test results as the main determinant factor that measures academic performance. A study conducted by Tus (2019), stated that academic performance refers to using grade points to measure the level of knowledge learners demonstrate in courses. Another study by Alhassan et al. (2020), mentioned that Academic performance refers to students’ output, which is usually represented in the form of grades.

Public Senior High Schools in Ghana

The Education Act, 2008 (Act 778) and the Education (Amendment) Act, 2010 (Act 802) are the recent parliamentary legislations which provide for the establishment of a second-cycle level of education system to provide pre-tertiary education in areas such as science, business, arts, vocational, technical, agriculture, among others. Initially, the SHS system was introduced in 2007 in Ghana not to change the curriculum but to expand the system of secondary education from three to four years. The policy of four-year SHS education was reversed after three years of implementation by Act 802. The management of national procedures and curricula about second-cycle institutions falls under the authority of the Ghana Education Service (GES). The Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) established the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) to regulate, inspect, and license pre-tertiary schools; the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to develop and implement curriculum; and the National Teaching Council (NTC) to license teachers and regulate the teaching profession. Secondary education in Ghana consists of public and private senior high schools, vocational/technical schools, and, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

According to the GES Report 2023, there are 928 public senior high schools located in the 16 regions of Ghana. The schools are categorized into three groups (i.e., Categories A, B, and C) to ensure effective management. Category “A” schools are the grade 1 high-performing schools; Category “B” schools are the grade 2 performing schools, and Category “C” schools are the low-performing schools. The GES ensures that senior high schools are assigned: a Board of Governors; the required GES-registered headteachers; teachers; and, supporting non-teaching staff.  The official language of instruction in schools is English. There are four mandatory (core) subjects for students in Public SHS (i.e., Core Mathematics, Core English, Core Integrated Science, and Core Social Studies). Also, students are expected to select from elective subjects available in one of these departments: Arts, Vocational, Business, Science, Agriculture, or Technical. Students take 30 credit hours of classroom teaching per week. As part of the completion of the SHS, all students take the final examinations, titled the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), in seven or eight subjects.

The WASSCE commenced in 2006 in Ghana to replace the Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) which had been the final examination for secondary school leavers in Ghana until 2005. Grading in WASSCE is categorized into: credit passes of “A1”, “B2”, “B3”, “C4”, “C5”, and “C6”; pass-no credit of “D7” and “E8”; and failing grades of “F9”. The minimum grade required for entry into post-secondary education or tertiary institution is a “C6” average with credits (A1-C6) in all subjects. The core subjects are mandatory for progression into the tertiary level in Ghana.

Statement of the Problem

In Ghana, the secondary education system is vital for equipping students with the knowledge and technical skills necessary for their future careers and university education. The government oversees this system through various policies and interventions aimed at improving academic performance (Awiah, 2018). However, significant challenges remain, including the issue of the overall performance of students in public secondary schools (Adu-Agyem & Osei-Poku, 2012; Berry et al., 2018; Mohammed Gunu, 2018). The Ministry of Education reported a decline in academic performance among public Senior High Schools (SHSs) in 2019, with WASSCE pass rates in core subjects showing notable disparities across regions. Over the period from 2006 to 2021, only about 34% of students achieved passing grades in core subjects, with specific rates of 38% in Mathematics, 36% in English, 43% in Integrated Science, and 61% in Social Studies (MoE, 2022). Özdemir et al. (2022) suggested that the instructional and supervisory roles of school leadership influenced academic performance in schools. A study by Abreh et al. (2018) identified factors such as incomplete syllabi, insufficient teaching hours, and poorly trained teachers as contributors to inconsistent performance. Atteh et al. (2020) posited that school leadership has the responsibility of ensuring effective teaching and learning to improve academic performance. Therefore, unsatisfactory performance in senior high schools is the failure of school leadership (Owan et al., 2018). This highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive study of the factors affecting academic success in Ghana’s public Senior High Schools, emphasizing the importance of effective school leadership in managing these challenges.

Limitations of the Study

The study focused exclusively on public senior high schools, which may limit the generalizability of findings to the broader context of secondary education in Ghana. Additionally, since the WASSCE examinations are also administered in countries like Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, this focus on Ghana restricts the study’s scope. Moreover, employing a quantitative research approach may constrain the depth of insights, particularly if compared to mixed methods. Lastly, the cross-sectional design used in this study restricts the ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships, as data were collected at a single point in time.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Distributed Leadership Theory

According to Harris et al. (2022), the concept of distributed leadership, also known as shared leadership, dates back as far as 1250 BC but has gained recent acceptance, and scholars have yet to reach a consensus on it. They argued that the concept of distributed leadership was propounded by Spillane et al. (2001). Building on the groundbreaking work of Spillane et al. (2001), the concept of distributed leadership, which encompasses both formal and informal leadership roles, has garnered significant interest from researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and educational reformers worldwide. According to Khmaladze and Mesiridze (2024), distributed leadership in education involves sharing leadership responsibilities beyond just the principal, and engaging all staff members to foster greater opportunities for change and improvement. In a democratic society, this approach to school leadership is essential. Tan (2018) found that distributed leadership affected the academic achievements of students among various categorical levels of education. The distributed leadership theory applies to the present study because it provides a background that pivots to improving teaching and learning.

Social Learning Theory

According to Wenger (2018), Albert Bandura (1977) is identified as the key founder of the social learning theory in 1977, who proposed that a person’s self-awareness and judgment about their ability to learn significantly influence learning under this theory (Wenger, 2018; Yermack, 2017; Grusec, 2016). Khan et al (2024) argued that Bandura’s seminal Social Learning Theory posits that individuals acquire new behaviours through observational learning, where they witness and imitate the actions of others. The social learning theory posits that behaviours reinforced by rewards are more likely to be repeated (Wenger, 2018). Rumjaun and Narod (2020) argued that Social Learning Theory posits that observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviours, attitudes, and emotional responses of others is a crucial mechanism for learning and adopting new behaviours. Deaton (2015) stated that the theory highlights the significance of observational learning, where individuals learn by witnessing the behaviours and consequences of others, and subsequently model and imitate these behaviours, incorporating them into their repertoire.

Bandura’s theory emphasizes the role of social observation, cognitive processing, and agency in shaping behaviour, attitudes, and emotional responses. Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977) builds upon the foundational principles of behaviourist learning theories, including classical conditioning and operant conditioning (Koutroubas & Galanakis, 2022). Eyyam et al. (2016) found social learning theory has an indirect impact on students’ academic success by emphasizing the significance of studying behaviours, such as observing and imitating others’ study habits, learning strategies, and academic behaviours. The social learning theory is pertinent to the present study as it demonstrates that both positive and negative behaviours can be taught or adopted through observation.

Empirical Literature Review

School Leadership and Academic Performance

Extensive research over nearly four decades has investigated the critical role of school leadership in driving school improvement. In Kenya, Ochieng (2023) found a positive significant impact of principal’s management practices on academic performance in public secondary schools. Kitur et al. (2020) conducted a study investigating the relationship between school leadership styles and academic performance in secondary schools in Kenya. They discovered a strong and significant relationship and recommended promoting principals’ idealized leadership influence, as it was found to enhance academic performance. Owan et al. (2018) investigated the association between school management and secondary school students’ academic performance in Nigeria and found a positive relationship. The study revealed that, among others, there existed disciplinary control, classroom management, and teacher motivations caused the relationship between school management and academic performance to be high.

Trimmer et al. (2021) studied the relationship between school leadership and Aboriginal student outcomes and found a positive relationship. The study posited that effective collaboration and engagement between school leaders are crucial in achieving collective decision-making and fostering enduring change in school outcomes. Their review explores the roles of both school and community leadership in improving Aboriginal student learning and social outcomes over the long term. The study did not examine how school leadership affects academic performance in public senior high schools. Trimmer and Dixon (2023) highlighted a significant gap in the literature concerning the impact of school leadership on the academic outcomes of Aboriginal students. Askell-Williams and Koh (2020) focused on the initiatives that sustained schools for school improvement and student outcomes. According to the researcher, leadership should ensure that major initiatives and interventions are put in place by school leadership and managers to effect improvement in school outcomes.

A study by Atteh et al. (2020) identified a positive correlation between the perceived competencies of school leadership and teaching and learning outcomes in ICT education. Özdemir et al. (2022) systematically reviewed the relationship between instructional leadership and academic performance, revealing a significant relationship between the two. The present study measures school leadership through their instructional leadership roles in senior high schools.

Conceptual Framework

Based on the review of the literature, the researcher developed the conceptual framework for the study as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

The following research null hypothesis was derived based on the synthesis of empirical and conceptual literature.

H₀₁: There is no statistically significant relationship between school leadership and academic performance in public Senior High Schools (SHS) in Ghana.

METHODOLOGY

According to Seyfi et al., (2019), research philosophy is the fundamental belief that underpins the selection of a research position. It refers to the basic belief system guiding the investigation (Mohajan, 2018). Researchers have classified the philosophy paradigms of interpreting data into interpretivism, positivism and realism theories (Saunders et al., 2020). Positivism, often referred to as scientific positivism, is grounded in the belief that reality is stable and can be objectively observed and described. This perspective allows for the manipulation of independent variables to uncover correlations between various elements of the real world, which can then be used to make predictions (Saunders et al., 2020).

According to Cummings (2018), cross-sectional studies enable researchers to assess the significance and strength of relationships among variables. For this study, a cross-sectional survey design has been selected to address the research question of how and to what extent school leadership impacts the academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana.

Target Population

The target population for this study are the nine hundred and twenty-eight (928) public SHS in the sixteen (16) regions of Ghana listed by the Ghana Education Service as of December 2023 (Ghana Education Service, 2023). The schools are not evenly distributed among the regions. According to the GES, each public SHS has a School Management Committee (SMC) with a chairperson, a headmaster or headmistress, two to three assistant headmasters or headmistresses, heads of departments of the subject areas (i.e., Mathematics Department, Social Studies Department, Science Department, and English Department).

Sample Size

The sample size of the study was determined using the Kothari (2013) formula, as follows:

Where:

N = estimated total number of schools (i.e., N=928), n = Sample size, p = Population reliability (where p is 0.5 & p+q = 1), Z = Normal reduced variable at 0.05 level of significance (Z = 1.96), and d = sample error (in this case, the d=5%).

Thus, n = 272 schools. The cluster-stratified random sampling was employed to ensure that every cadre of school leadership and school was equally represented in the study. To obtain the respondents for the study, the researcher applied (n=272) in Table 1. The final number of respondents (i.e., sample size) for the study is 2176.

Table 1: Distribution of Respondents

Source: Ghana Education Service, 2023

Pilot Study

Ravitch and Riggan (2012) suggested that pilot testing enhanced questionnaires by addressing potential issues that respondents might encounter when answering questions. This process helps identify flaws in the design and instrumentation and provides preliminary data for sample selection. To ensure high precision while considering time, cost, and practicality, the pilot study will use a sample size of 1% to 10% of the total (Arain et al., 2010). For this study, a 10% pilot test will be conducted, resulting in 27 randomly selected schools and 216 participants from a total sample size of 272 schools and 2176 participants respectively. Importantly, these participants will not be included in the final study to prevent any bias.

Validity

Validity, within the context of an instrument, pertains to its capacity to measure the intended construct (Mohajan, 2018). It reflects the extent to which a measurement instrument successfully reveals or quantifies its intended target (Bryman & Bell, 2015). The validity of the questionnaire was initially tested by reviewing it with the supervisors. The views of the supervisors were evaluated and incorporated to enhance the content validity of the questionnaire. For testing construct validity, the researcher adopted the Keyser Meyer Olkin (KMO)-Berlette’s test. A KMO-Berlette test value greater than 0.4 and a p-value less than 0.05 were accepted as valid and adequate for the measure.

Reliability

Ghauri and Grønhaug (2010) posited that reliability denotes the consistency of results over time and their accurate representation of the studied population. The reliability of the questionnaire will be statistically measured using Cronbach’s alpha. Researchers such as Clark et al. (2018) suggested that the minimum figure of acceptability is an alpha value of 0.7. This study adopts the alpha value of 0.7 as the minimum acceptance figure for the reliability of the measurement scale. According to Sileyew (2019), a low alpha (a<0.7) shows poor interrelatedness among the items and a high alpha (a>0.9) implies that some items were redundant, repetitive and are testing the same items.

Hypothesis Testing

An empirical model was employed to test the statistical significance of the relationship between school leadership and academic performance in public senior high schools in Ghana. The regression model for the study was presented as:

Model:   AP = ß₀ + ß₁ SL + è

Where, AP = Academic Performance of public senior high schools; SL = School Leadership; ß₀ = Constant; ß₁ = Regression Coefficient; and è = Error term

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH RESULTS

Response Rate

A total of one thousand nine hundred and sixty (1960) questionnaires were issued after the pilot study had been conducted. The results in Table 2 show that thousand nine hundred and forty-nine (1949) were returned, representing 99.44%. According to Mugenda and Mugenda (2013), a response rate of 50% is enough for research. Similarly, Babbie (2004) argued that a return rate above 50% is acceptable for analysis and publication, with 60% considered good and 70% very good. Therefore, with a 99.44% response rate, the study was deemed very good, implying that it was representative of the population.

Table 2: Response Rate

Reliability Test Results

The test was conducted to determine the degree to which the instruments were free from measurement errors. The rule was that the minimum acceptance figure for the reliability of the measurement scale was an alpha value of 0.7. The results of the test are shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Reliability Analysis

The results in Table 3 indicate that the Cronbach’s Alpha for all items under the School Leadership variable was above 0.7, signifying that the instrument demonstrated sufficient reliability for measurement. However, the statements regarding academic performance initially yielded a lower Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.428. After removing six items from the academic performance variable, a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.748 was obtained. The acceptable Cronbach’s Alpha values were adopted for further analysis.

Validity Test Results

The adequacy of the sample size was assessed using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy. According to Yin et al. (2014), the KMO statistic helps determine the suitability of conducting factor analysis, indicating whether the collected data is adequate for inferential statistical tests like factor analysis and regression analysis. The KMO statistic ranges from 0 to 1, with values closer to 1 suggesting that correlation patterns are compact, which means that factor analysis is likely to reveal distinct and meaningful factors. A Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Barlette’s test of sphericity was conducted to measure how suited the data was for Factor Analysis. The rule was that a KMO-Berlette test value greater than 0.4 and a p-value less than 0.05 would be accepted as valid and adequate for the measure. The results of the test are shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Construct Validity

Based on the results in Table 4, all statements and variables are deemed valid, effectively measuring what they intended to measure. All variables met the minimum KMO value of 0.4 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity of less than 0.05, indicating their validity. School Leadership achieved a KMO value of 0.798 and Barlette’s test of sphericity of less than 0.001, and Academic performance demonstrated a KMO of 0.747 and a Barlette’s test of sphericity of 0.000.

Multicollinearity Test

In regression analysis, one of the key assumptions is the absence of multicollinearity, which happens when two independent variables are highly correlated. The study used the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) as an index to investigate multicollinearity between the variables. The VIF is a widely accepted measure for detecting the presence or absence of multicollinearity. The general rule is that if the VIF value is below 10 and the Tolerance value is greater than 0.2, then there is no multicollinearity. The multicollinearity results are detailed in Table 5.

Table 5: Multicollinearity Test

From the findings in Table 5, all the study variable (i.e., school leadership) had Tolerance values greater than 0.2 and VIF values less than 10. According to Myres (2015), VIF values of 10 or greater indicate the presence of multicollinearity. In this case, there was no evidence of multicollinearity among the independent variables.

Demographic Information

Gender of the Respondents

As shown in Table 6, there were 1412 representing 72.4% males and 537 representing 27.6% females. The results are of the implication that there is gender diversity in the sector, though more males are found. Zaid et al. (2020) presented compelling evidence suggesting that gender diversity correlates with improved firm performance. Gender diversity in organisations is expected to enhance transparency and positively impact corporate governance, particularly in entities with limited external oversight mechanisms.

Table 6: Gender of Respondents

Designation of Respondents

The results of Table 7 show that School Management Council (SMC) Chairpersons were 141 representing 7.2%, Headmasters were 184 representing 9.4%, Assistant Headmasters were 767 representing 39.4%, and Heads of Departments were 857 representing 44%. The results show that the various categories of school leadership were represented.

Table 7: Position of Respondents

Education Qualifications of Respondents

The results in Table 8 show that the majority of the participants were Bachelor Degree holders with 53.4% of the total participants. This is followed by participants with postgraduate degrees at 31% and diplomas at 12.8%. Only 2.2% of the participants were holders of a certificate. The results also show that 10 representing 0.5% were missing values not included in the analysis.  Mesároš et al. (2017) suggest that education level serves as a fundamental step and presumption for improved performance and outcomes for managers. Higher levels of education among employees enhance the conditions for achieving successful results in organizational management. However, it’s important to note that knowledge and a high level of education are just one aspect contributing to successful outcomes.

Table 8: Education Qualification

Work Experience of Respondents

The results in Table 9 indicate that a significant portion of the participants have worked in the schools for 3-6 years, accounting for 46%, followed by 7-10 years, representing 41.2%. Those with over 10 years of experience and above constituted 7.8%, while individuals with less than 3 years comprised 4.7%. This suggests that the participants possess extensive experience of the schools and their roles. The significance of experience and years of service for employees lies in the accumulation of knowledge over time, leading to improved decision-making and leadership within the school. The results also show that 6 representing 0.3% were missing values not included in the analysis. Experience gained over the years enables employees to carry out tasks more effectively and efficiently (Plaskoff, 2017). With the majority of participants possessing over 3 years of experience, there is ample opportunity for leveraging this experience to enhance decision-making and leadership processes within the schools.

Table 9: Years worked in the schools

Hypothesis Test Results

The study sought to determine the relationship between school leadership and academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. This was achieved by testing the null hypothesis:

H₀₁: There is no statistically significant relationship between school leadership and academic performance in public Senior High Schools (SHS) in Ghana.

The statistical significance of the hypothesis was evaluated using simple linear regression, which produced regression coefficients, the coefficient of determinations (R²), and analysis of variance (ANOVA) alongside model coefficients. The analysis included assessments of overall goodness of fit, individual significance, and diagnostic tests. The results are detailed in Tables 10, 11, and 12.

Table 10: Model Summary of School Leadership

The model summary results in Table 10 indicate that the association between school leadership and academic performance is strong and positive (r = 0.637, p = 0.000). Also, the results show that R² = 0.406. Since R² is less than 1, it implies that the model was accurate in its predictability of the influence of the independent variable (school leadership) on academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. The model indicated that about 40.6% of academic performance outputs result from the influence of school leadership. This means that school leadership explains 40.6% of the differences in academic performance.

Table 11: ANOVA of School Leadership

Another indicator to determine the statistical relationship between school leadership and academic performance is the ANOVA F-Test results in Table 11. From Table 11, F-statistics value = 1330.771, p = 0.000. The results indicate that the regression model of academic performance on school leadership was significant and has predictive ability.

Table 12: School Leadership and Academic Performance

Following the results of the ANOVA test, the coefficient test of the variables was conducted. Table 12 shows that the result of the coefficient test of the school leadership (0.669, p = 0.00) was individually significant. The relationship between school leadership and academic performance is positive. Accordingly, the coefficient of school leadership is assumed from the regression coefficient results in Table 27. The fitted model from the test results is presented as:

AP = 1.056 + 0.669SL

The results indicate that a unit change in school leadership will increase academic performance by 0.669 or 66.9%, and since the p-value of 0.000 is less than the critical value of 0.05, it is significant. The null hypothesis for testing was “there is no significant relationship between school leadership and academic performance in public SHS in Ghana”. The study does not accept the null hypothesis and concludes that there is a significant relationship between school leadership and academic performance in public senior high schools in Ghana. In summary, the study shows that school leadership influence the academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana.

The findings in this study are supported by previous studies on the relationship between school leadership and academic performance. For instance, the results were consistent with studies such as Kitur et al. (2020); Huaisheng et al. (2019); Huguet (2017); Awiah (2018); Cruickshank (2017); Asumadu (2019); Owan et al. (2018); Heystek and Emekako (2020); Ochieng’s (2023); and, Tan (2018) who also found positive relationship between school leadership and academic performance. They concluded that effective school leadership accounted for a greater proportion of school achievements in academic performance between different categories of students. The findings are inconsistent with studies such as Salifu (2014), and Luschei et al. (2021) who found no relationship between school leadership and academic performance.

CONCLUSION

The study examined the relationship between school leadership and academic performance of public SHS in Ghana and concluded that school leadership influences academic performance in public SHS in Ghana. The study revealed that effective instructional and supervisory roles of school leadership ensure students’ academic performance. School leadership is a crucial factor in shaping the academic outcomes of students. The findings support the existing literature. The indicators of school performance in the study are a postulation that the school leadership must have the requisite knowledge and skills, vision, and supervisory abilities, and must have the capacity to improve teaching and learning. The constructive outcomes of school leadership on academic performance are driven by the motivation of school leadership and a working teaching Staff. A school with competent leadership exhibits a good structure in the school and is instrumental in cultivating a vision for learning, fostering communities of learning, and strategically allocating resources to support student success. Moreover, empirical literature suggested that school leaders’ ability to develop, empower and supervise their human resources, namely the teachers, is central to enhancing academic performance.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

The objective of the study was to establish the relationship between school leadership and academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. The study’s finding shows that school leadership significantly contributes to the academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. The study concluded that school leadership was a crucial factor in shaping the academic outcomes of students in public senior high schools in Ghana. The study recommends that school leadership should be prioritised in senior high schools in Ghana to facilitate the achievement of academic performance improvements in the schools. The Ministry and Ghana Education Service must ensure the appointment of competent school leadership to the senior high schools. Stakeholders of senior high school education in Ghana must equip school leadership for the performance of their roles. The school leadership must be encouraged to give teachers the autonomy to design engaging lessons and provide opportunities for professional growth. Regarding academic performance, the students are more likely to adopt effective pedagogical teaching and learning plans implemented by effective school leadership.

Further research is recommended to explore the various factors influencing academic performance in senior high schools, despite the common belief that school leadership is paramount. Scientific studies have shown that factors such as student behaviour, learning processes, teacher development, and school facilities are all correlated with academic outcomes. Therefore, it is suggested that future research examine how these elements specifically affect the academic performance of senior high schools. Additionally, similar studies should be conducted across both public and private senior high schools, as well as in vocational and technical education programs, and in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.

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