Exploring How Administrators Applied Andragogical Principles to Help Erring Teachers in Selected Secondary Schools in Lusaka District

Exploring How Administrators Applied Andragogical Principles to Help Erring Teachers in Selected Secondary Schools in Lusaka District

*Mutinta Mabbolobbolo, Daniel Ndhlovu, Noah Sichula

University of Zambia

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7012140

Received: 27 November 2023; Revised: 15 December 2023; Accepted: 20 December 2023; Published: 15 January 2024

ABSTRACT

The study sought to explore how school administrators applied andragogic principles to help erring teachers in selected public secondary schools in Lusaka District. The sample size was 30. The study was guided by Knowles ’s Theory of andragogy   which holds the view that adults are self-directed and motivated hence expected to take full responsibility for decisions. A case study research design was employed.  A case study enabled the researcher to gather in depth and detailed information about the subject which were a group of administrators on how they applied andragogical principles such as motivation, role of experience, self-directedness, need to know, readiness to learn and orientation to learning to help erring teachers in public secondary schools.  As a result of using a case study, the qualitative approach was used.  The qualitative    case study afforded the researcher an opportunity to explore and describe the phenomenon in context using data obtained. The interview guide was used to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data.  The study established that administrators demonstrated and appreciated that andragogical principles which included the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learning, orientation to learning and the need to know were inevitable in the learning and working of adults and helping erring teacher in secondary schools. However, administrators had inadequate knowledge on andragogical principles.  Administrators agreed that they applied andragogical principles in their leadership practices in part.  It was discovered that motivation and experience were applied regularly, self- directedness was applied to a certain extent in their leadership practices.  The others like readiness to learn, orientation to learning and need to know were rarely applied or not applied at all due to inadequate knowledge on the principles by administrators.  The study also revealed that Andragogical principles were necessary in leadership practices as they promoted high productivity and facilitated the creation of good working environments in secondary schools thereby helping erring teachers. Based on the constructivism view point, it was recommended that Universities and Colleges of Education should integrate andragogical principles in teacher training programmes with the help of the department of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL) at the University of Zambia. Additionally, Administrators should be transformational in their leadership practices to help erring teachers in secondary schools through the application of andragogical principles which include the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learning, orientation to learning and the need to know. Andragogical principles resonate well transformational leadership in that both concepts help in building trust between leaders and followers.

Keywords: Andragogical principles, leadership practices, erring teachers.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This paper discusses the application of and ragogical principles by administrators to help erring teachers in selected secondary schools of Lusaka District, Zambia. It was established that teacher indiscipline still existed in public secondary schools. In Zambia, Banja, (2013) reported that The Teaching Service Commission had on several occasions dismissed teachers for several offences which included examination malpractice, absenteeism, reporting for work while drunk and flirting out with learners. It was observed that despite the professionalization of teaching by enactment of Statutory Instrument No. 1 of 2018, which is the Code of Ethics for teachers, some teachers were still found erring. This therefore, necessitated the need to explore how administrators applied andragogical principles in their leadership practices to help erring teachers in public secondary schools. Andragogical principles include the role of motivation, role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learning, orientation to learning and the need to know.

Andragogical principles refer to the rules that explains the learning and teaching of adults. These emanate from andragogy which is the science of helping adults to learn (Knowles et al., 2015). Boufettal et al. (2009) argued that known for their versatility andragogical principles can be used in part or in full in adult activities. This is because they help in the creation of conducive learning and working environments thereby helping erring teachers in public secondary schools. Andragogical principles which include the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learning, orientation to learning and the need to know are largely applied in the learning and teaching of adults plus community development activities. However, they are also applied in leadership practices by school administrators. Andragogical principles resonate well with transformational leadership Barlett and Bartling (2009). Thus, when applied appropriately by school administrators, andragogical principles help in reducing teacher indiscipline in public secondary schools. This paper considers indiscipline in schools as failure to adhere to the expected standards of behavior by teachers. In line with this, Kaponda (2021) defined teacher indiscipline as acts of misbehavior by teachers that have effects of compromising teaching and learning in schools. This was contrary to the expectations of The Teaching Service Commission in Zambia. According to Teaching Service Commission (2018) teacher discipline translated to good conduct and behavior by teachers with positive attitudes devoid of absenteeism, examinations malpractice, flirting with school learners, reporting for work while drunk, drinking on duty and indecent dressing. Despite the existence of the Code of Ethics for teachers, cases of teacher indiscipline were still being experienced in public secondary schools. School administrators in secondary schools apply andragogical principles in part due to inadequate knowledge of andragogical principles to help erring teachers in public secondary schools.  Consequently, some school administrators were quick to recommend transfers and dismissals for erring teachers without engaging teachers befittingly as adult offenders. Longwe (2009) stated that “there are certain things that the headmaster can do to assist teachers to keep this temptation before they are weeded out by the system”. This was attributed to poor communication and management skills (Banja, 2013). Considering that administrators handled adults in different situations, application of andragogical principles was necessary in their leadership practices.

Application of andragogical principles which include the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know by administrators in public secondary schools were considered necessary due to the unique challenges and opportunities experienced in the 21st century. Andragogical principles facilitated the creation of conducive learning and working environments thereby fostering trust between School administrators and the teachers (Nafukho et al., 2005). When this occurs, cases of teacher indiscipline are reduced and teachers get confidence from administrators. School administrators are role models to teachers under their charge hence the need for good conduct in their leadership practices to help erring teachers and promote teacher discipline. Teachers are also projected to exhibit good behavior at all times for the attainment of harmony between themselves and administrators. Accordingly, this paper was guided by the research question, how do administrators   apply andragogical principles to help erring teachers in public secondary schools?

Selected Literature

This section discusses how administrators applied andragogical principles to help erring teachers in public secondary schools.

Adult education is a discipline which is largely guided by andragogical principles and methods.  Subsequently, most adult educators practiced transformational leadership (Bartling and Barlett, 2005).  Andragogical principles mainly guided adult learning, teaching and community development activities.  However, these principles were also applied in leadership practices by school administrators to help erring teachers to reduce teacher indiscipline based on the fact that they aided in the creation of conducive working environments.  Nonetheless, very little literature was available on how the specific andragogical principles were applied by school administrators.

1. Role of motivation: Dirbashi (2017) conducted a study on the role of motivation in Adult Education in India.  The study explored the role motivation plays in learning and particularly Adult Education.  Although the central argument was motivation and how it affected Adult Education learning processes, the overlap with Human Resource Development was highlighted as applicable.  Finding of the study were that participants in Human Resource Development represented an extrinsic kind of motivation as there was often a reward awaiting those who met the requirements.  The reward was often financial, promotional or appreciation from management.  Another finding was that motivation was a key contributor to the success of adult education and Human Resource Development programmes.  Poor motivation had always resulted in limited or non-attainment of programme activities.  Thus, motivation was critical to teacher performance and explained why teachers behaved the way they did in various schools.  If a teacher showed desire to work well by reporting for duty on time, then all would be well with administrators as well as learners demonstrating the zeal to learn.  Motivation is the force that energized, directed and sustained administrator-teacher efforts (Oko, 2014). While the available literature focused on how motivation affected the learning processes and human resource development, it did not explain how school administrators applied motivation to help erring teachers.  This gap necessitated an inquiry.  Another study was conducted in India by Robnagel (2023) on leadership and motivation. Findings of the study were that motivation translated on employee’s knowledge, skills and abilities into performance by determining the direction, intensity and duration of work related behaviors. Thus, motivation had an impact on teacher performance. Another finding was that leaders motivated and enabled employees as part of their endeavours to secure effectiveness and success of organizations.  While the previous study emphasized on leadership and motivation it did not highlight how leaders in secondary schools applied motivation to help erring teachers and reduced teacher indiscipline, a lacuna which compelled the current study.

2. The role of experience: Adults are said to have an accumulation of experience as the come to learn or work.  Lieb (2001) stated that adult learners accumulate a reservoir of experience that becomes an increasingly valuable resource for learning and working.  Keevy and Perumal (2012) in their study on promoting transformational leadership reported that teaching strategies that accommodated the vast experience and readiness of the adult learner to participate in learning required teachers to connect the learning to the learners ‘accumulated foundation of life experiences and knowledge gained from work-related activities and previous situations. While this literature emphasized on solidifying the retail managers’ leadership knowledge it ignored the benefits of empowering them with knowledge on applying the principle of the role of experience of adults in decision making as a way of helping erring officers in work places.

Ferreira (2022) conducted a study in Tokyo on Andragogy in the 21^st century: Applying the assumptions of adult learning, online.  Findings of the study were that using blogs as online journals where everyone had a chance to read each other’s entries was likely to increase engagement and result in an enriching learning experience.  Another finding was that learning about the variety of experiences that learners have could result in the development of mutual respect.  Similarly, administrators could tap a variety of experiences through engagement from teachers which could result in the development of mutual respect.  While the previous study engrossed on applying the andragogy assumptions on adult learning online, it did not highlight how instructors applied andragogical principles to help erring learners hence the need for the current study.

3. Self-directedness: Generally, as adults mature they tend to be autonomous in their learning and working.  In schools, teachers worked well when they were allowed to learn and work independently as they took   control of their learning and working.  A study was conducted by Charlene (2019) in South Africa on the influence of Educators’ expectations on students’ self-directed learning and willingness.  Self – directed learning was encouraged as a result of the changing education landscape all over the world, initiated by the demands of the 21^st century and changing knowledge and information production.  Findings of the study were that empowering student’s self-directedness through educator’s expectations have the potential of creating a self-directedness learning (SDL) environment in which SDL skills could be employed without fear. Another finding was that educators’ attitudes, expectations and commitment to building a learning environment conducive for growth of self- directedness.

The study recommended educators should transform their learning environments into supportive SDL environments by practicing good teaching by a) motivating students not only to learn but teaching students how to learn in a manner that was relevant and meaningful b) having a longing to share their love for the subject with students c) encouraging independence in learning d) implementing approaches that necessitated students to learn  actively by taking responsibility and co-operatively learning, and e) demonstrating positive expectations from students’ learning and encourage students to engage in SDL (Charlene, 2019).  Consequently, SDL was critical in this era in that it allowed adults to generate new information which was relevant in their daily lives on their own with the help of others. Additionally, it developed initiative and innovation among adults while taking responsibility of their decisions.

Macleans (2023) reported that the elements required for the principle of self-directedness to be manifested suggested a change in the role of an instructor to one that defined an instructor more as a facilitator of needs than as merely a transmitter of knowledge.  Subsequently, administrators in secondary schools could engage with teachers under their charge using this principle to promote autonomy. Adult performed better when they were not monitored to the latter.  This had a potential of transforming erring teachers in the long run as a result of them giving them space to work freely with appropriate guidance from administrators (Knowles, 2018).

4. Readiness to learning: Adults tend to be ready to learn or work when they believe the learning or working will benefit them in one way or another. Dincer and Simsek (2022) steered a study on online learning readiness and attitudes towards distance education in Turkey.   The study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design.   Findings of the study were that correlation between student’s online readiness and attitudes towards distance education was very low while a strong correlation was observed between the ICT competencies dimension of readiness to learn and to usefulness dimension of the attitude scale.  Furthermore, students had a high degree of attitude towards distance education, whereas age differences generally did not influence results.  Finally, a considerable percentage of students had concerns as well as hesitations about attending online learning instead of face-to-face instruction.  Adults enjoyed learning and working in environments which were free of challenges and stress.  Thus, some adults were put off by online learning when they encountered challenges in the use of technology.  However, due to changes in the production of information and the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic, it was imperative for adults to familiarize themselves with online learning and indeed meetings.  The previous study focused on online learning readiness and attitudes towards distance education without highlighting how readiness to learn was applied by school administrators in helping erring teachers which has been bridged by the current study.

5. Orientation to learning: According to this principle, adults are life-centered in their learning orientations hence lessons and working activities are more effective if they applied to real-life situations (Knowles et al., 2015).  Keevy and Perumal (2012) conducted a study on promoting transformational leadership practices of retail managers using the desk review approach.  They argued that adults learn new knowledge, skills, values and attitude and gain understanding most effectively when they were presented in the context of application to real-life situations.  Adults treasured immediacy of application of new and relevant knowledge and skills acquired.  Knowles et al. (2005) assert that adult are motivated to devote energy to learning something should they perceive that it will help them perform tasks or deal with problems that are confronted with their life situations.  They may not be interested in irrelevant knowledge.  However, the study gripped on solidifying the retail managers’ transformational leadership knowledge but it did not touch on how the principle of orientation to learning could be applied on the retail managers to enhance discipline and help erring managers at the work place which was covered by this study.

6. The need to know: Tough (2021) Postulated that adults must understand why learning and working is important to them personally and how such learning or working apply to their learning and working circumstances.  When dealing with adults, it was important to note that they could only engage in an activity successfully, when they clearly understood the benefits that came with the activity or programme.  They always desired to understand what was in for them as they engaged in learning and working activities.  According to lee (2020) adults need to know why they are being asked to learn, they want to understand “what is it in for me” (WIIIFM).  Adults were much more likely to pay attention to WIIIFM when they understood it.  When you informed adults in advance of the purpose of the activity, why they should pay attention, and how it will personally benefit them, they would be willing to learn the activity.  Similarly, teachers in public secondary schools were likely to participate actively in activities and programs which were clearly explained, with benefits highlighted by administrators.  This reduced incidences of teacher indiscipline in public secondary schools.

Cochran and Brown (2010) conducted a study in Britain on Application of Andragogy in Higher Education by use of a desk review.  According to this study, the first assumption of adult learning was that “adults need to know why they need to learn something before undertaking to learn it” (Knowles et al., 2005, p.64).  Findings of the study were that by explaining the purpose of the assignment and learning outcome of the assignment prior to assigning the task, the instructor could increase the chance of that adult learner to be motivated to attempt the task. The study recommended that faculty members could choose to explain or provide an online of the learning expectations prior to beginning class or lecture, and this would be one method to implement the essential assumption in a classroom environment.  Adults students were more inclined to be motivated when they understood what they were expected to learn (Cochran and Brown, 2010).  This was also possible in public secondary schools when it came to introduction of new interventions to improve teaching and learning including other programmes and activities.  The previous study focused on the application of andragogy in higher education and used a desk review while the current study focused on the application of andragogical principles which include the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know in helping erring teachers of public secondary schools.  The current study employed a qualitative research method.

METHODOLOGY

The study was founded on the constructivism paradigm whose assumptions were that reality out there was multiple and socially constructed.   Consequently, a qualitative research approach was used considering that research participants out there had multiple interpretations on how administrators applied andragogical principles which include the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learning, orientation to learning and the need to know in schools to help erring teachers and curb teacher indiscipline.  A case study was used and enabled the researcher to gather in depth and detailed information about the subject which were a group of administrators.  Additionally, the intrinsic case study was embraced as a result of the researcher being interested in exploring how administrators applied andragogical principles in helping erring teachers in secondary schools.  These principles included the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know.   The researcher was desirous to draw an in depth and detailed understanding whether school administrators applied the stated principles in help erring teachers of secondary schools.  It was possible to gain in depth information on the phenomenon by interaction with participants through an interview guide. Additionally, researchers made observations on the behavior of administrators during interviews and documented them.  Relevant documents such as Code of Ethics for Teachers as well as the Terms and Conditions of Service for the Public Service were reviewed.   The instrumental case study focuses on refining of a theory, while the collective case study emphasized on learning a phenomenon. Thus, the two categories of case studies could not enable the researcher to obtain in depth and detailed information on the phenomenon on whether administrators applied andragogical principles in helping erring teachers of public secondary schools.

The study was guided by Knowles’ theory of andragogy. The study hoped to transform administrators’ leadership practices to help erring teachers by application of andragogical principles which include the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know in their practices. The study population included all head teachers, deputy head teachers and heads of department in Lusaka district of Zambia. Administrators were included in the study because they had the knowledge and experiences on how they applied andragogical principles in their leadership practices.

The sample size was 30. Administrators included six (6) head teachers, six (6) deputy head teachers and eighteen (18) heads of department from the identified schools by the researchers in Lusaka district.    The sample size of administrators from the qualitative point of view was adequate. Additionally, the number of participants was enough considering that the researchers had reached the point of data saturation when no additional issues and insights were identified. The number of interviews which should have been conducted were 30.  However, the point of saturation was reached when the 16^th respondent was interviewed once no new insights emerged from the responses.  At the point the 25^th participant was interviewed, the researchers deemed saturation had occurred, with sufficient and significant data    collected for the study.  Saturation is frequently reported in qualitative research.

Expert purposive sampling was used to select administrators because of their expert knowledge and experience on the application of andragogical principles which encompassed the role of   motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know. This was consistent with Frey (2018) who reported that expert purposive sampling involved identifying who could inform an inquiry through knowledge and experiences. Simple random sampling was used to select teachers.

Ethical clearance was obtained by the researcher from the Humanities and Social Science Research Committee of the University of Zambia prior to proceeding in the field for data collection. The researcher obtained written consent from participants with their names withheld. Participants were informed about their right to withdraw from the study when they felt uncomfortable with the procedures of the study. Additionally, participants were told about their rights not to respond to questions that made them feel uncomfortable. Participants and respondents were assured that data collected through their participation was going to be securely stored and inaccessible by anyone other than the researchers. Furthermore, the purpose of the study was explained to participants and respondents while in the field. Permission to collect data was obtained from the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) of Lusaka district.

FINDINGS

Application of andragogical principles by administrators to help erring teachers

Administrators demonstrated and appreciated that andragogical principles which included the role of motivation, role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know were inevitable in the learning or working of teachers in secondary schools.

The role of motivation

The role of motivation was a known andragogical principle and applied by many administrators though in different ways.  Accordingly, the role of motivation encouraged teachers to work hard which resulted into good performance thereby reducing the incidences of teacher indiscipline in secondary schools.  Some deputy head teacher motivated their teachers by interacting with them and encouraged them on how best they could improve performance of learners.  DHT 1 stated that:

I motivate HODs by chatting with them and encouraging them on how best to improve performance of learners (DHT 1).

Heads of department sometimes used personal resources to motive teachers in their departments to encourage them to work hard and attend meetings.  To this effect HOD 4 stated that:

I sometimes use personal resources to buy drinks and snacks for teachers during meetings just to motivate them to work hard.  I also write to them to commend them for good performance (HOD4).

4.3.2 The role of experience

The role of experience was equally known by administrators and applied mainly in decision making.  This helped teachers in that members of staff were accorded opportunities to air their views on matters concerning school programmes and other matters which reduced incidences of teacher indiscipline.  This was done through interactions with teachers during staff meetings and departmental meetings.  Therefore, DHT 2 reported that:

I tap experience of long serving teachers during staff meeting and sometimes involve them in decision making (DHT 2).

Some administrators applied the role of motivation by identification of examiners and item writers at both grade 9 and 12 levels to lead others in setting end of term examinations and this was reached through consensus in staff meetings.  Therefore, HT 4 specified that:

I normally ask those with experience in marking national examinations and item writing to give tips to others on setting of end of term examinations (HT 4)

Thus, experience was considered and applied by administrators in secondary schools.

4.3.3 Self-directedness

Self-directedness was another principle of andragogy that was considered and embraced by administrators in secondary schools. Some administrators applied self-directedness through delegation of duties to those with experience to run strategic departments in order to achieve positive results.  HT 6 detailed that:

I have assigned one teacher to run the Production Unit.  He is in charge and I have allowed him to work independently without interference from my office.  Production Unit in this school is flourishing and we are happy (HT 6).

However, some administrators were of the view that allowing self-directedness in schools exposed teachers to many things which was detrimental to their administration in the long-run.  Therefore, HT 3 specified that:

Giving too much space to teachers may expose them to a lot of things in administration and some of them may feel that it is them working through you (HT 3).

Therefore, some administrators in secondary schools considered and applies self-directedness in their leadership practices.

4.3.4 Readiness to learn

Readiness to learn as an andragogical principle is equally an important condition which helped in the creation of conducive learning and working of adults.  It was a known principle by administrators but rarely considered and applied.   To this effect HOD 7 stated that:

I have an idea of what readiness to learn or work is but I rarely make use of it (HOD

Thus, readiness to learn or work was known by respondents but not considered and applied as expected.

4.3.5 Orientation to learning

Orientation to learning and working is yet another andragogical principle that could be applied by administrators in schools to help erring teachers.  Some teachers became defiant in schools as a result of not giving them opportunities to apply knowledge and skills acquired immediately.  To this effect, DHT 6 bemoaned that:

Some HODs don’t allocate senior classes to those teachers that have upgraded in terms of qualifications. They have continued allocating them junior classes denying them chance to apply new knowledge acquired (DHT 6).

Thus, if considered and applied appropriately orientation to learning and working, incidences of teacher indiscipline could be reduced in secondary schools.

4.3.6 The need to know

Generally, adults learn and work well when they know and understand why certain activities and programmes should be undertaken.  The need to know andragogical principle is necessary in secondary schools when considered and applied.  Some school activities and interventions did not succeed due to ignorance by teachers on what, why, how and where about activities.  There was a feeling among administrators that some activities and interventions were imposed on teachers and administrators by government.  Subsequently, HOD 8 mentioned that:

Some of these activities and interventions are simply imposed on teachers.   Teacher are not consulted and yet they are the implementers (HOD 8).

When teachers do not fully understand certain activities and interventions they tend to be defiant and stay away from work which was considered as indiscipline.  There was need for the involvement of teachers when planning activities for them as a way of getting support for various activities and interventions. HOD 21 lamented that:

Teachers don’t understand the intentions of some of the government interventions. Sometimes teachers don’t even have the capacity but just told to implement.  The case of STEM in schools was misunderstood because teachers on the ground were not involved in planning (HOD21).

View of administrators on the benefits of applying andragogical principles in helping erring teachers

Andragogical principles which included the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and need to know were necessary in the learning and working of adults.  This is because they facilitated the creation of good learning and working environments where adults existed.   Appropriate application of andragogical principles in leadership practices such as motivation, experience, self-directedness and need to know led to the reduction of teacher discipline in secondary schools and helped erring teachers.  Thus, HOD 4 stated that:

Andragogical principles such as self-directedness helps to create a good working environment in the department and reduces teacher indiscipline (HOD 4).

Some administrators in secondary schools believed that when some of the andragogical principles were applied befittingly, harmony was promoted and there was less stress on the part of administrators.  For instance, the need to know principle eased administration for management as a result of teachers knowing what to do at the right time and reduced numbers of erring teachers.  To this effect, HT 4 reported that:

Some andragogical principles like the need to know promotes harmony and lessens work burdens in that teachers were made aware of what was expected of them which to some extent reduced teacher indiscipline (HT 4).

Therefore, it was established that andragogical principles which included the role of motivation. Experience, self-directedness, orientation to learning and need to know were beneficial to administrators in their practices and helped to reduce the number of erring teachers in schools when applied appropriately.

Views of administrators on challenges of applying andragogical principles in helping erring teachers

In as much as andragogical principles which included the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and need to know helped in the creation of conducive working environments and promotion of good relationships among adults, there was need for their regulation to avoid anarchy in secondary schools.  There were chances of APs leading to abuse of freedom and motivation.  Therefore, HT 1 stated that:

Overuse of APs may lead to indiscipline if not well managed.  There is need to regulate their use and used appropriately (HT 1).

Some administrators were of the view that motivation as a principle had the potential to lead to favoritism if not well handled.  Thus, HOD 3 stated that:

Some teachers maybe over motivated at the expense of others.  Over motivated teachers may view motivation as a right and take advantage of the managers.  They would not carry out certain tasks in the absence of motivation which constitute indiscipline (HOD 3).

On the role of experience as an andragogical principle, it was felt that tapping too much experience from other teachers made some administrators to have a sense of incompetency if done consistently.  Thus, DHT 4 stated that:

Tapping too much experience from teachers may make you to be construed as a weak leader (DHT 4).

On self-directedness as a principle, administrators felt that it led to over delegation which in turn led to teacher indiscipline due to, too much space given.

It was discovered that andragogical principles were good to be used by administrators in their leadership practices but required to be applied with caution to avoid getting into laissez faire kind of leadership which exacerbated teacher indiscipline in secondary schools.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Application of andragogical principles by administrators to help erring teachers

Andragogical principles were initially applied in the teaching and learning of adults including community development activities.  In recent times, these principles are being applied in training, in various disciplines (Chan, 2010).  By and large in the 21^st century, andragogical principles are being applied in administration (Leadership) as a trajectory to transformational leadership.

The field of adult education is guided by andragogical principles and methods.  These principles and methods have contributed to adult educators being transformational in their leadership practices. This finding was consistent with Bartling and Barlett (2005) who opined that the professional of adult education is dominated by individuals who show characteristics associated with transformational leadership.  They further suggested that adult educators tend towards a transformative leadership style which bodes well for the future of the field.  Andragogical principles are commonly used in adult teaching and learning, including community development activities.  However, they are also applied by administrators in secondary schools.  Appreciation and use of andragogical principles by administrators in part or full has the potential to lead to transformational leadership.  They include the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know.

The study established that administrators and teachers had insufficient knowledge on andragogical principles and yet these principles were best known for addressing matters of teacher indiscipline as they were dialogical in nature.  Lack of exposure and insufficient knowledge on andragogical principles which include the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learn and the need to know by school administrators and teachers had an implication of perpetuating teacher indiscipline in public secondary schools.

Motivation

Currently, administrators applied motivation by provision of teaching and learning materials, praises were given by the word of mouth and through letters of commendation, award of gifts in both monetary forms and material items.    This finding was consistent with Dirbashi (2017) who reported that participants in Human Resource development represented an extrinsic kind of motivation as there was often a reward awaiting those who met the requirements.  He further stated that reward was often financial, promotional or appreciation from management.

Other administrators appointed teachers on local arrangements to head departments for administrative convenience.  This finding was in tandem with Knowles et al. (2005) who opined that adults were internally and externally motivated and adults were more compelled to learn through intrinsic motivation.  They were driven by the desire for self-esteem, goal attainment or personal payoff.  Thus, administrators in secondary schools were projected to drift away from external to internal motivation which was more fulfilling to adults when teachers had served long in the profession.    Administrators were anticipated to facilitate promotions and acting appointments   appropriately through Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service Commission as a way of motivating teachers.  Non promotion frustrated teachers who resorted to bad vices which constituted teacher indiscipline.  Motivation was a key contributor to the success of school programmes and government interventions.  Additionally, motivation helped erring teachers in schools because it propelled teacher to work hard and promoted self -discipline.

Experience

Experience is an andragogical principle which stated that as adults came to learn and work, they had an accumulation of knowledge.  In agreeing with this view, Lieb (2001) postulated that adult learners accumulated a reservoir of experience that became an increasingly valuable resource for learning and working.  Subsequently, experience was applied by some administrators through the appointment of teachers to head departments like production unit based on experience they possessed.  Other administrators identified National examiners in various subjects to lead fellow teachers in setting end of term examinations.  Experience was tapped from National Examiners and decisions were made collectively for the benefit of all.  This discovery was in line with Bartling and Barlett (2005) who contended that adults had an accumulation of unique life experiences that they drew upon to shape their learning and working.  While some adults (teachers) did not have leadership experiences, they were familiar with leadership concepts from other points of view such as serving as role model for their peers, participating in school sports teams and observing leadership in action at different societal levels (Dachner and Polin, 2016).  Tapping experience in decision making from other teachers in secondary schools promoted the spirit of unity where everyone’s views were respected, discussed collectively and consensus reached.  This reduced cases if teacher indiscipline and helped erring teachers in they were accorded opportunities of sharing divergent views amicably.

Self-directedness

This is a principle that assumes that as adults mature, they tend to be independent in their learning and working.    Application of self-directedness by administrators enabled learners as well as teachers to have a better understanding of activities and interventions at hand as they learnt and worked with autonomy.  Thus, independency culminated into favorable working environments thereby improving performance and reduction in the number of erring teachers.    This observation was in line with Park (2017) who recommended that Human Resource Practitioners should recognize the importance of learning and working environments which supported self-directing learning of employees and pay more attention to self-directing activities for employees to complete common organization goals.

The learner’s self-concept or self-directedness was applied at minimal as result of transactional leadership which was at play in most secondary schools.  Administrators stated that they gave teachers autonomy to work and involved them in decision making.  However, information obtained from reviewed literature indicated that teachers that were at the tail-end in goal setting, programme planning and decision making. According to the study this was the preserve of the head teacher and the deputy head teacher at times.  This was contrary Knowles’ andragogy (1998) which stated that adults learnt differently from children and desired to be engaged in activities that concerned them.  Adults came to learn and work with an accumulation of experience which ought to be acknowledged by administrators   as they worked.  They liked and participated in various activities well when they were respected by their supervisors who were viewed as facilitators and not authoritarians

Readiness to learn

This is an andragogical principle which assumes that as adults mature, their readiness to learn and work becomes focused on the developmental tasks of their social roles. They tend to learn and work well when they believe that the learning and working benefitted them. Keervy and Perumal (2009) argued that as adults matured, their readiness to learn became increasingly oriented to development tasks of their social roles.  Therefore, in administration, leaders are anticipated to appreciate this fact and apply the readiness to learn principle as way of gaining support from their subordinates in various activities and interventions which in the long-run could help erring teachers in schools.  However, this principle was rarely applied by administrators in schools because awareness among them was low.   This finding was inconsistent with Smith et al. (2015) who attested that readiness to learning and working was a statistically significant predicator to adults’ use of skills particularly skills use in home and work settings.

 When applied appropriately, readiness to learning helped adults use their skills and knowledge to set goals correctly because they were goal oriented.  Therefore, when planning activities and programme for teachers it was necessary for administrators in schools as well as government to bear in mind that adults appreciated programmes and interventions that were organized with clearly defined objectives and contents (Keervy and Perumal, 2009).  Readiness to learn as a principle is important to be applied by administrators in schools considering that they handled teachers from different backgrounds.  Some teachers in schools were seen to be erring and not supporting some school programs and interventions as a result of not being ready to work due to lack of sufficient knowledge on some programmes and activities.

Orientation to learning

Orientation to learning was another principle that was rarely used in schools due to inadequate knowledge by administrators. It is a principle that believes that as people mature, their time perspective moved from one where application of knowledge was postponed to one where there was immediate application of knowledge acquired (Nafukho et al., 2005).  Teachers in schools, desired to apply new knowledge acquired from upgrade of qualifications and workshop/ seminars attended immediately. However, this was usually not the case in secondary schools.  In the case of upgrade of qualifications, teachers were not given opportunities to teach senior grades immediately they acquired higher qualifications.    For attendance of Workshops and seminars, teachers’ knowledge and skills acquired were not applied immediately but postponed to times of staff meetings.  This frustrated some teachers and did not help erring teachers in some cases.  This finding was at variance with Keervy and Perumal (2009) who contended that adults learnt new knowledge, skills, values and attitudes and gained understanding most effectively when they were presented in the context of application to real-life situations.

Adults treasured immediacy of application of new and relevant knowledge and skills acquired.  Knowles et al. (2005) supported this statement and agreed that adults were motivated to devote energy to learning something should they perceive that it would help them perform tasks or deal with problems that were confronted with their life situations.  Consequently, administrators in schools may consider according teachers opportunities in secondary school who obtained higher qualification to teach senior classes as soon as they graduated from various Universities as a way of motivating them.  This may in the long-run reduce teacher frustrations and help erring teachers.  Majority of teachers in schools opted to upgrade their qualifications in order to change their status of handling junior classes on to handling senior classes as well as upgrades of salary scales.

The need to know

The need to know principle is equally important in andragogy.  Knowledge of the need to know principle was limited to administrators due to lack of exposure of andragogical principles.  The need to know principles   assumed that adults come to learn and work when they know and understand the learning and working activities.  When this occurred they became ready to learn and work without difficulties.  Tough (2001) argued that adults must understand why learning and working was important to them personally and how such learning and working applied to their learning and working circumstances.

Subsequently, it was imperative for administrators in secondary schools to be aware of the fact that teachers desired to know the benefits of engaging in various programmes and activities.  In that way, teachers became ready to learn and work because they fully understood what, why, when, where and how to engage in various programmes and activities thereby supporting administrators (Knowles et al., 2005).  However, that was not the case in public secondary schools which sometimes perpetuated teacher indiscipline.  This finding was at variance with Knowles’ theory of andragogy which states that adult engage positively in programmes and activities when they understood the benefits of participation.   In the absence of this knowledge, teachers withdrew from certain programmes and sometimes became insolent which constituted teacher indiscipline.  Application of the need to know principle accorded opportunities to administrators to communicate befittingly the effects bad conduct to erring teachers in the teaching profession and other matters that affected them.

 Benefits of applying andragogical principles in leadership and management

The study revealed that administrators appreciated the use of andragogical principles which included the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know in leadership practices regardless of the leadership style embraced.  Administrators and teachers attested that the stated andragogical principles were important in the creation of a good working environments and eradicated tension between administrators and teachers.   This finding was in tandem with Birzer (2004) who recommended that andragogical principles were critical in the establishment of good physical and psychological climate in the learning and working places of adults as they helped the facilitators to create mutual respect and a collaborative environment to ensure effective learning and working.  Andragogical principles promoted good leadership and in secondary schools if well understood and applied.  McCauley et. al (2017) stated that we used andragogy to inform our leadership teaching since it was adapted to fit the uniqueness of adult learners and workers.

Andragogical principles such as motivation, experience and self-directed aided in the promotion of harmony and lessened burdens on administrators.  It also led to high productivity in the sense that teachers were able to execute their duties with minimal supervision at the right time.  This was possible when information was given to them appropriately and timely as required by Knowles’ ‘need to know’ principle.  McCauley et al. (2017) further postulated that adults needed to know what, why and how a programme was to be undertaken.  This reduced misunderstanding between administrators and teachers thereby helping erring teachers in secondary schools.  Andragogical principles were beneficial to leadership as a result of their ability to foster trust between administrators and teachers which in turn created good working environments in schools.  Andragogical principles such as motivation, experience need to know and self-directedness promoted oneness and a sense of belonging of teachers to the school administration system

Challenges of applying andragogical principles in leadership

The study established that Malcom Knowles’ andragogical principles were not absolutely perfect hence the need for their regulation and proper use.  Lack of proper use of andragogical principles which include such self-directedness the need to know in secondary schools had the potential of abuse of freedom by teachers.   In the case of motivation there was a danger that inappropriate motivation led to favoritism on some teachers at the expense of others.   Teachers not favored withdrew from various school activities as a result of non-recognition of their performance by administrators.  This discovery was at variance with Knowles (2015) who intimated that adults were best motivated to succeed with their personal and educational goals when they were recognized and appreciated for their individual contributions to their class and work place.

 Self-directedness, experience and need to know principles led to over consultations which made some teachers feel that they were more knowledgeable than administrators.  Some administrators were of the view that andragogical principles such as experience and self-directedness were diplomatic and could make them lose the force they had on disciplining teachers.  This finding was at variance with transformational leadership which believed that everyone in an organization was valuable and important and had the ability to perform to their full potential (Bartling and Barlett, 2005).  Engagement of teachers in most activities and decision making sometimes led to over familiarity in certain situations which led to teacher indiscipline as the adage goes “familiarity broods conflicts|”.  Consequently, administrators who were in constant engagement with teachers (adults) were encouraged to apply andragogical either in part or full and with caution to avoid practicing laissez- faire practices in their leadership.  Bartling and Barlett (2005) recommended that known for their versatility, andragogical principles can be used in part or in full by leaders and facilitators in adult activities.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Considering that this was a case study and qualitative in nature, restraint was exercised in generalizing the findings especially that the study was conducted in Lusaka district of Zambia. However, Shenton (2005) argued that the study provided a baseline understanding with which results of subsequent studies maybe generalized. Additionally, the sample size was small and lack of non-random sampling techniques.  This was in line with Viera (2023) who postulated that some common methodological limitation in qualitative research was lack of generalizability due to small sizes or non-random sampling techniques.

The other limitation was lack of prior research on the topic which made data collection and literature review a challenge.  Consequently, some administrators lacked knowledge on andragogical principles.  To overcome this, the researchers spent a lot of time explaining andragogy in contrast with pedagogy.  Time spent on the explanations of andragogy was not planned for hence prolonged the data collection period.

The research topic addressed a relevant and important topic in the field of educational leadership and adult education.  Subsequently, further studies in line with the current study may be conducted as the topic has significant implications for improving teacher performance and reducing teacher indiscipline in secondary schools. The study was worthy conducting because findings may inform policy makers on good administration practices with the deep insights it has provided.  The findings of the studies may also be interpreted in relation to transformational leadership which encouraged is in the 21^st century as a way of responding to emerging issues (Bartling and Barlett, 2012).

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The study revealed that administrators applied andragogical principles which included the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know.  However, the frequently applied principles were the role of motivation and experience.  Motivation was applied through provision of teaching and learning materials, end of year parties and outings. Verbal praises and letters of commendations were also used as ways of motivating teachers in secondary schools to reduce the incidences of teacher indiscipline. For experience, teachers with specialized skills were delegated to head departments like Production Units.  Additionally, National Examiners and Item writers with vast experience were identified and delegated to lead other in setting end of term examinations.  For self-directedness, there was a feeling among administrators that giving them too much freedom to work on their own was sometimes a recipe for teacher indiscipline.  Teachers became pompous and felt that they were the ones doing the jobs for administrators.  For orientation to learning, it was discovered that teachers were rarely given opportunities to apply their new acquired skills and knowledge through workshops and qualification upgrade immediately by administrators.  This frustrated them and sometimes resorted to bad vices.

However, as a result of lack of exposure and inadequate knowledge by administrators, andragogical principles were not applied appropriately by school administrators to help erring teachers.  Appropriate application of andragogical principles which included the role of motivation, the role of experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and the need to know by school administrators helped erring teachers in public secondary schools which in the long run reduced incidences of teacher indiscipline.

The Study recommended that andragogical principles which encompasses the role of motivation, experience, self-directedness, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and need to know must be integrated in Universities and Colleges of Education in the Teacher training programmes, the principles should be applied by administrators as a trajectory to transformational leadership which is desired in the 21^st century.  Other recommendations are that andragogical principles such as motivation, self-directedness and the need to know must be applied by administrators to help erring teachers secondary schools, motivation by administrators should be done appropriately and consistently to avoid delving into favoritism which is a source of teacher indiscipline.  Administrators must accord teachers opportunities to apply skills and knowledge acquired immediately to avoid frustrations.  Additionally, application of self-directedness must be regulated by administrators to avoid over delegation of duties.

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