PRINCIPALS’ INNOVATIVE SUPERVISORY SKILLS

The study assessed the influence of Principals’ Innovative Supervisory Skills on teachers’ effectiveness in public secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District of Edo State, Nigeria. To guide the study, six (6) research questions were raised, and four (4) hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Fisher Z-test at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a descriptive survey of correlational design. The population comprised. 136 principals from the public secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District, while a sample of 14 principals and 126 teachers was selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Two instruments titled: the Principals' Innovative Supervisory Skills Questionnaire (PISSQ) which consist of two sections, section A and B and Teachers’ Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ) which also had two sections A and B were used to collect data for the study. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Fisher’s Z-test were used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that principals utilize various innovative supervisory skills and that teachers demonstrate a high level of effectiveness. The findings also revealed that there was no significant relationship between principals’ innovative supervisory skills and teachers’ effectiveness. The findings also revealed that gender, educational qualification, and years of experience of principals did not significantly influence teachers' effectiveness. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school principals should attend workshops, seminars and training programmes to improve their supervisory skills. Principals should maintain open and effective communication with teachers. The findings also recommend provision of technological facilities in schools’ regular supervision, and enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers.