PRINCIPALS' ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICE OF COLLABORATION AND TEACHERS' JOB PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined how principals' administrative practice of collaboration predicts the job performance of teachers in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The Transformational Leadership Theory was used to guide the study. One research question and a corresponding null hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of 254 school principals and 7,388 teachers of the public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. The sample was 739 teachers from the three Senatorial Districts, selected through the clustered sampling technique. Two research instruments tagged “Principals' Administrative Practice of collaboration Questionnaire” (PAPCQ) and Teachers' Job Performance Questionnaire (TJPQ)” were used for data collection. The instruments were validated by three experts from the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo. The questionnaires were administered and the data generated in this study were analysed using Simple Linear Regression analysis. The research hypothesis was tested at a .05 level of significance. The results showed that principals' administrative practice of collaboration significantly predicts teachers' job performance in lesson preparation, lesson delivery, classroom management, use of instructional materials and students' assessment in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that school principals should do everything humanly possible to build a team through emphasis and encouragement on the spirit of teamwork. This is important because a collaborative effort of each member of staff leads to the attainment of the objectives of organizations. Likewise, the Ministry of Education and State Secondary Education Board should as a matter of priority ensure that schools principals are selected based their efficiency in personnel administration and not just based on years of service for the smooth and effective administration of the public secondary schools.