INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION PRACTICES OF HEADS OF SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS: EVIDENCE FROM MBEYA DISTRICT, TANZANIA

Author

Happy Simon Mbonde, Dr. Egidio Chaula, Dr. Noel Chaula

Abstract

 This study examined the instructional supervision practices used by heads of public secondary schools in Mbeya District, Tanzania and their contribution to improving students' academic performance. Guided by Hallinger and Murphy's (1985) Instructional Leadership Theory, the study adopted a mixed-methods descriptive design. Data were collected from 111 respondents comprising 103 teachers, six heads of schools and two District Education Officers through structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, observation checklists and document review. Descriptive statistics were computed using SPSS version 25, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that instructional supervision was conducted infrequently and inconsistently across the six sampled schools. Only 34.9% of teachers were observed in their classrooms at least once per month, only 30.1% had professional documents checked at least every two weeks and only 43.7% rated feedback quality after supervision as good or very good. Only 39.8% of teachers gave overall supervision quality a positive rating. Yet 86.4% agreed that regular classroom observation could improve teaching quality, revealing a critical gap between the recognized potential and the actual delivery of supervision. Administrative overload, teacher shortage and absence of formal supervision schedules were identified as the primary structural constraints. Document review confirmed substantial variation across schools, with two schools showing systematic supervision records and four showing significant documentation gaps. The study concludes that instructional supervision in Mbeya District is insufficient in frequency, depth and consistency. It recommends structured observation schedules, improved feedback quality, protected instructional leadership time and strengthened district-level support for heads of schools.

Keywords

Instructional supervision, classroom observation, professional documents, feedback, academic performance, Mbeya District.

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