Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the practices of instructional supervision in government primary
schools of Majang Zone. To this end, basic questions were formulated. The research questions
emphasized the extent to which instructional supervision was being implemented in primary schools of
the Zone, the extent to which instructional supervision was contributed to teachers’ professional growth ,
the extent to which different options of instructional supervision was being implemented , the extent to
which supervisors were discharging their responsibilities and also focused on the challenges prevailing
for implementation. To conduct this study, the descriptive survey method was employed. Two Zone and
four Woreda Education Office supervision coordinators were selected as a sample by purposive sampling
8technique. Among the 24 government primary schools found in the Zone, 8 of them were selected
randomly as sample schools. Then, from the sample schools, 56 instructional supervisors (8 principals, 8
vice-principals and 32 heads of department 8 senior teachers) were also included as samples by using
purposive sampling technique. Furthermore, 102 teachers were taken as a sample through simple
random sampling technique. Questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection. Interviews and
document analysis were used to substantiate the data gathered through questionnaires. The frequency,
percentage, mean and chi-square were utilized to analyse quantitative data gained through the
questionnaires. The qualitative data gathered during the interview sessions and document analyses were
analyzed using narration. The result of the study indicated that there was an inability of supervisors to
apply the necessary procedures for classroom observation properly, an ineffectiveness of supervisor to
implement different supervisory options matching with the individual teacher’s developmental level,
absence of instructional supervision to contribute for teachers professional growth and instructional
supervisors failed to discharge their responsibility. On the other hand, among the factors influencing
instructional supervision, there was found to be a lack of relevant training programs for supervisors, a
scarcity of experienced and competent supervisors for instructional supervision activities, a lack of
supervision manuals in the schools and a shortage of allocated budget for supervisory activities. Finally,
to minimize the problems of instructional supervision in primary schools, it is recommended to give
relevant in-service trainings for supervisors to upgrade their supervisory activities, necessary resources
such as supervision manuals and an adequate budget need to be provided for the success of supervision
at the school level
