Principals’ Academic Leadership Approaches for Enhanced Teachers’ Skill Acquisition in public Senior Secondary Schools in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Abstract

This study examined principals’ academic leadership approaches for enhanced teachers’ skill acquisition in public senior secondary schools within Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Three objectives, research questions, and hypotheses guided the study, The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population comprised 1,389 respondents 84 principals (including vice principals) and 1,305 teachers from 28 public senior secondary schools, while a sample of 138 (34 principals and 104 teachers) was selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using validated self-structured questionnaire titled Principal Academic Leadership Approaches for Enhanced Teachers’ Skill Acquisition Questionnaire (PALAETSAQ) which contained 15 items of the instrument. The reliability coefficient yielded 0.82, 0.84, and 0.80 using Cronbach Alpha statistics. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, and z-test statistics at 0.05 significance was employed to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that systemic supervision of instruction, structured mentorship, and rigorous evaluation of instruction significantly enhance teachers’ skill acquisition to a high extent. No significant differences existed between principals’ and teachers’ responses on these leadership approaches. The study concluded that principals’ effective instructional leadership fosters continuous professional growth, enabling teachers to apply innovative pedagogical strategies that improve student outcomes. It was recommended that principals should integrate skill-oriented supervision, organize structured mentoring programs, and implement diagnostic evaluations that promote reflective teaching that enhances teachers’ skills acquisition.