IJLLC | Effectiveness of Administrative functions in promoting studentsâ€™ academic achievement: A Case of Community secondary schools in Missenyi District, Tanzania

Indexing and Abstracting

Effectiveness of Administrative functions in promoting studentsâ€™ academic achievement: A Case of Community secondary schools in Missenyi District, Tanzania

Happiness Alex , Prospery M. Mwila

International Journal of Language, Literature and Culture (IJLLC), Vol-1,Issue-3, November - December 2021, Pages 36-46, 10.22161/ijllc.1.3.4

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Article Info: Received: 25 Nov 2021, Received in revised form: 12 Dec 2021, Accepted: 20 Dec 2021, Available online: 30 Dec 2021

Abstract:

School academic achievement is the main goal of any academic institution and can be achieved only if the school administration is focused and dedicated to it. The effectiveness of school administrative practices largely influences studentsâ€™ academic achievement. Community secondary schools in Tanzania have been performing poorly in the four national examinations of Tanzania (NECTA) compared to private schools, which dominate the top ten list of better performing schools; in turn, community secondary schools dominate the top ten poor. This study assessed the effectiveness of school administrative practices in promoting studentsâ€™ academic achievements in community secondary schools in the Missenyi district in the Kagera region. A descriptive survey research design under a mixed approach was employed. The sample consisted of 4 heads of schools, 4 academic masters and mistresses and 4 ward educational officers, 44 teachers and 181 students, with a total of 237 respondents. Both purposive and random sampling techniques were used to obtain the study sample size of respondents. Questionnaires, interviews and documentary review guide research instruments were used in data collection. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while content analysis was used for qualitative data. The study established that school administrators in community secondary schools lack instructional leadership knowledge and are not accountable in performing instructional supervision effectively at school. Additionally, they fail to create a conducive school climate for effective teaching and learning. Furthermore, top-down communication direction dominates instructional policy decisions in schools. Not only but also school administrators face the challenges of external pressure and political influences during the implementation of educational policies at school, which affect school community collaboration and the general efficiency of school administration.

Keywords:

administrative effectiveness, administrative practices, studentsâ€™ academic Achievements, promotion, Community secondary schools

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