Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess principals’ effectiveness in practicing and leading
instructional leadership activities and challenging factors in secondary schools of Legambo
Woreda, south wollo and to suggest possible mechanisms to combat the problem. Issues related
to the practice and challenges of leadership were raised as guiding questions. A descriptive
survey research design was employed and both quantitative and qualitative methods used in this
study. The population of the study consist 223 teachers and include 73 respondents: 1
supervisor, 4 principals, 4 vice-principals and 64 teachers drawn from four secondary schools
by using comprehensive method for leaders and a systematic random sampling for teachers.
Data were collected using questionnaire, interview, and document analysis. Among the
distributed 64 questionnaires 58 questionnaires were used for the quantitative data analysis. The
remaining six (6) were excluded from the study due to no-return and extreme responses. Semistructured
interview
was
employed
to
elicit
qualitative
data
from
4
principals,
4
v/principals and
one cluster supervisor. The data obtained through questionnaire were analyzed using statistical
tools like frequency, percentage, mean scores, standard deviations and one-sample t-test.
Moreover, data were gathered through semi-structured interview and document analyses were
analyzed in narrative form to complement the questionnaire. The major findings of the study
include principals’ instructional leadership effectiveness in defining the school mission and
managing the instructional program were at low level. It was recommended that principals need
to have a clear shared vision for their schools and communicate to all stakeholders that learning
is the school’s most important mission.
