Perception of Students towards School Principals’ Effectiveness in Improving their Achievement: A Case Study of Secondary Schools in Zomba District, Malawi
Abstract
The research aimed to find perception of students towards school principals‘ effectiveness in improving their achievement in secondary schools in Zomba District of Malawi. The target population consisted of the all the students in government and private schools in Zomba District. The researcher employed stratified sampling to sample 12 secondary schools. The respondents comprised of 168 students. The researcher used questionnaire for collecting data. Descriptive statistics were used in data analysis. The results indicated that highest proportion of the students viewed the school principals as ineffective since they don‘t struggle to provide adequate facilities to make leaning smooth. In addition, they rarely encourages maximum utilization of learning materials, rarely provide enough teaching and learning materials, rarely encourage teachers to provide remedial classes, rarely accepts opinion from students. The study recommends that, for the school principals to be effective, they should actively be involved in classroom observations; should meet with the teachers often and ensure that teachers are implementing the actual curriculum. Principals should also involve the students in the decision making processes in the school. This will give the students an avenue to air their views which are crucial in formulation of school policies.
References
Chimombo, P.G. (2005). ‗Quantity versus Quality in Education: Case Studies in Malawi‘. International Review of Education. 51(2/3), 155-172
Crum, K. S., & Sherman, W. H. (2008). Facilitating high achievement: High school principals' reflections on their successful leadership practices. Journal of educational administration, 46(5), 562-580.
Dinham, S. (2005). Principal leadership for outstanding educational outcomes. Journal of Educational Administration, 43(4), 338-356.
Glatthorn, A. A., & Jailall, J. M. (Eds.). (2009). The principal as curriculum leader: Shaping what is taught and tested. Corwin Press.
Goldenberg, C. (2001). Making schools work for low-income families in the 21st century. Handbook of early literacy research, 1, 211-231.
Goodwin, R. H., Cunningham, M. L., & Childress, R. (2003). The changing role of the secondary principal.
NASSP Bulletin, 87(634), 26-42.
Hallinger, P. (2003). Leading educational change: Reflections on the practice of instructional and transformational leadership. Cambridge Journal of education, 33(3), 329-352.
Kamwendo, G. (2013). Malawi: Contemporary and Critical Issues. Education in Southern Africa, 103. Kellaghan, T., & Greaney, V. (2003, December). Monitoring performance: Assessment and examinations in
Africa. ADEA Biennal Meeting.
Khan, A. N., & Khan, I. A. (2014). Academic Role of a Principal and Continuous Professional Development.
Journal of Education and Human Development, 3(2), 925-942.
Knight, J. (1997). Internationalisationof higher education; a conceptual framework. Internationalisation of Higher Education in Asia Pacific Countries, Amsterdam: EAIE/IDP.
Kunje, D. (1999). Malawi: A baseline study of the teacher education system. University of Malawi, Centre for Educational Research and Training.
Kunje, D., & Lewin, K. (1999). The costs and financing of teacher education in Malawi.
Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (1999). The relative effects of principal and teacher sources of leadership on student engagement with school. Educational Administration Quarterly, 35(5), 679-706.
Malawi Ministry of Education, (2005). National Implementation Program for District Education Plans (NIPDEP) in the Republic of Malawi: Final report : main report. Tokyo?: KRI International Corp.
Mendels, P. (2012). The effective principal. Journal of Staff Development, 33(1), 54-58.
Prytula, M., Noonan, B., & Hellsten, L. (2013). Toward Instructional Leadership: Principals' Perceptions of Large-Scale Assessment in Schools. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy.
Smylie, M. A., Conley, S., & Marks, H. M. (2002). Exploring new approaches to teacher leadership for school improvement. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, 101(1), 162-188.
Stiggins, R., & Duke, D. (2008). Effective instructional leadership requires assessment leadership. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(4), 285-291.
UNESCO, (2009). Education for All global monitoring report, Overcoming inequality: why governance matters. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
UNESCO, (2013). Education for All global monitoring report, Reaching the marginalized. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
