AN ASSESSMENT OF PRACTICES AND CHALLENGESOF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: THE CASE OF SECONDARY AN ASSESSMENT OF PRACTICES AND CHALLENGESOF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: THE CASE OF SECONDARY AN ASSESSMENT OF PRACTICES AND CHALLENGESOF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: THE CASE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH WOLLO ADMINISTRATIVE ZONE, LEGAMBO WOREDA SCHOOLS IN SOUTH WOLLO ADMINISTRATIVE ZONE, LEGAMBO WOREDA SCHOOLS IN SOUTH WOLLO ADMINISTRATIVE ZONE, LEGAMBO WOREDA

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.