Influence of Leadership on Teaching and Learning in 21st Century Zambian Junior Secondary Schools

The problem was perceived skill gap among headteachers in leadership and management of junior secondary schools presumed to have contributed to poor student outcomes. Six research questions informed the study whose main objectives were to explore leadership and management practices, conduct of continuous professional development and encouragement of conducive teaching and learning environment. Mixed- methods research design was employed that commenced with quantitative survey followed by qualitative interviews. Target population were four hundred and forty- six teachers and twenty- one headteachers from junior secondary schools in Kalomo district. Purposeful sampling was applied to obtain sample of seven headteachers and one hundred and fifty (150) teachers. One hundred and two individuals (3 headteachers and 99 teachers) returned filled questionnaires. On the other hand, two headteachers and seven teachers took part in qualitative interviews. Sixteen students (who did not take part in survey) took part in Focus Group Discussions. An edited (pre- validated) closed self- administered questionnaire based on the principal instructional management rating scale (PIMRS) was employed during the survey. The instrument achieved internal consistency reliability (coefficient alpha) of 0.97. Quantitative data collected from survey were analyzed using excel spread sheet. On the other hand, qualitative data collected from interviews, observations and document reviews were transcribed and manually categorized. Data sets were then narratively integrated. Main findings showed that headteachers neglected their instructional supervisory roles and shifted them to their subordinates and rewards were scarcely given to teachers and students. Main practical recommendation was that headteachers should be timetabled to teach to afford them an opportunity to closely supervise instruction and increase their visibility and level of interaction. Recommendation for future research was for the same study to repeated on- line only to increase participation. Findings will empower headteachers and staff with school leadership knowledge and skills expected to improve their practice and lead to better student outcomes. UNICAF has also been allowed to publish and disseminate the thesis in all forms of media. This will provide academic and scholarly benefit to students, lecturers and researchers and form a basis upon which further studies could be conducted.