Principals’ administrative skills and teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria

This paper examined the relationship between principals' administrative skills and teachers' job performance in public senior secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey and correlational research design. The population comprised all approved public senior secondary schools in Education District V of Lagos State. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 220 respondents, comprising ten teachers and one principal from each sampled school. Data were collected using two validated instruments—the Principals' Administrative Skills Questionnaire (PASQ) and the Teachers' Job Performance Questionnaire (TJPQ)—and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation, with hypotheses tested at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a significant positive relationship between principals' supervisory practices and teachers' job performance (r = 0.389, p = 0.001 < 0.05), leading to rejection of the corresponding null hypothesis. A significant, though weaker, positive relationship was also found between principals' decision-making practices and teachers' job performance (r = 0.127, p = 0.001 < 0.05). Similarly, principals' motivational practices were significantly and positively related to teachers' job performance (r = 0.235, p = 0.001 < 0.05). The two stated null hypotheses were rejected, indicating that principals' administrative skills—particularly supervision, decision-making, and motivation—significantly influence teachers' job performance. Based on these findings, it was recommended that principals should ensure effective and consistent supervision of teachers' classroom instruction to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. Cordial working relationships between principals and teachers should be fostered, alongside open channels of communication among staff members. Moreover, principals should also create avenues through workshops, mentoring, and collaborative interactions for teachers to continually develop their teaching skills and professional knowledge.