Relationship between Head teachers' Personality types, Instructional Supervision Practices, and Academic Performance in Selected Public Primary Schools in Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

Personality types and practices can be viewed as factors that possess a great role in the improvement of academic performance in schools. Good personality types and effective practices can translate to better performance but very little is known about headteachers' personality types, instructional supervision practices, and academic performance in public primary schools in different Sub-Counties in Embu County, Kenya. This study examined the relationship between headteachers' personality types, instructional supervision practices, and academic performance in selected public primary schools in Embu County, Kenya. This study was based on John Holland's (1959) theory on vocational personality types The study adopted a descriptive research design. The purposive sampling technique was used to access a sample of 108 headteachers in which 71 and 37 headteachers were from Embu East and West public primary schools respectively. The independent variables were headteachers' personality types and instructional supervision practices, while the dependent variable was academic performance. A standardized Self-Directed Search 4th edition questionnaire by John Holland was used to collect data on headteachers’ personality types. The instrument to measure headteachers’ supervision practices was a self-developed five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Demographic data were analyzed and presented using descriptive statistics. The study used Spearman's rank correlation to determine the relationship between personality types and instructional supervision practices, and schools' performance, Similarly, instructional practices and schools' performance. The results reveal that most headteachers were in the social personality type (48.9%). There was a statistical significance between enterprising personality type and schools’ performance (r =.125, p<.0.05); a positive (r=.229, P<0.05) correlation between realistic personality type and holding parents-pupils-teachers’ conferences. Results further revealed no statistically significant correlation between realistic, investigative, artistic, social, and conventional personality types and schools’ performance (r = .111, p>0.05, r = -.102, p>0.05, r = -.118, p>0.05, r = -.160, p>0.05, r = .075, p>0.05) respectively. However, the enterprising personality type (r =.125*, p<.0.05) was found to significantly influence schools’ performance. The study concludes that the headteachers' personality types do not influence instructional supervision practices. The study recommends that headteachers should be sensitized on how their personality types influence their instructional supervision hence need to change their instructional supervision practices in an attempt to enhance academic performance. Additionally, as Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) gives equal focus to artistic and artisan areas like mechanics, masonry, electricians, and art among others, a study to find out a relationship between headteachers’ personality types and successful implementation of CBC can be conducted. Further, future researchers to identify gaps in other related areas of education in an attempt to improve academic performance.