EVALUATING PRINCIPALS ROLE PERFORMANCE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

This study evaluates principals’ role performance in the management of secondary schools and students’ academic achievement in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The design employed for this study was the descriptive survey research design. The population of this study comprised all public secondary schools’ principals and teachers in Nasarawa state. A total sample size of 364 respondents consisted of 20 principals and 344 teachers were selected through simple random sampling technique. The instrument used for this study was structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two sections, section A contains bio-data of the respondents and section B contains 30 items to collect data from the respondents concerning the problem. The questionnaire were rated in a 4-point Linkert scale of Strongly Agreed (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD). The instrument was subjected to experts in measurement and evaluation for face and content validity. Their observations and comments led to the refinement of the instrument for precision. Through their rating, a validity index of 0.92 was obtained. The instrument was pilot tested outside the sample schools. Through Cronbach alpha method of determine reliability, a reliability coefficient of 0.78 was established. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answered the research questions, while the hypotheses were tested using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) P ≤ 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the interpersonal relationship performance of principals in the management of secondary schools in Nasarawa State, and there is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the principals’ performance in decision making process in the management of secondary schools in Nasarawa State. It was recommended that Principals should always ensure and maintain strong interpersonal relationship in the secondary schools by being accessible to staff, listening to their complaints and meeting their needs among other recommendations