IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/injoed/v108y2024ics073805932400083x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Improving pupil performance in rural Ghana basic schools: Principals' leadership challenges

Author

Listed:
  • Salifu, Inusah
  • Kala, Marshall

Abstract

This research used the multiple qualitative case study design, aiming to explore the leadership challenges of principals of basic schools in rural Ghana. Specifically, the study was to uncover the latent conditions frustrating the efforts of the principals to improve pupil performance and to explore leadership practices of school principals that could address the challenges and boost rural pupil performance. The study utilised multiple sources to obtain data from 33 participants accidentally selected. The study found that the principals could not do much to improve rural pupil performance because of ill-equipped learning environments, school indiscipline, ineffective instructional supervision, parents’ casual attitudes towards formal education, and mass promotion. The research revealed further that, to salvage the situation, the leaders needed to engage in practices such as vision-driven leadership, people-centered leadership, leadership based on resourcefulness, autonomous leadership, and decisive leadership. The significance of the study, both locally and internationally, was explored.

Suggested Citation

  • Salifu, Inusah & Kala, Marshall, 2024. "Improving pupil performance in rural Ghana basic schools: Principals' leadership challenges," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:108:y:2024:i:c:s073805932400083x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103061
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073805932400083X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103061?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kyereko, Daniel Owusu & Smith, William C. & Hlovor, Ishmael & Keney, Gabriel, 2022. "Understanding grade repetition from the perspectives of teachers and principals in basic schools in Ghana," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    2. Anlimachie, Moses Ackah & Avoada, Cynthia, 2020. "Socio-economic impact of closing the rural-urban gap in pre-tertiary education in Ghana: context and strategies," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jianxu Liu & Xiaoqing Li & Shutong Liu & Sanzidur Rahman & Songsak Sriboonchitta, 2022. "Addressing Rural–Urban Income Gap in China through Farmers’ Education and Agricultural Productivity Growth via Mediation and Interaction Effects," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-23, November.
    2. Yaa Serwaa Addai & Samuel Tatsi, 2024. "Examining How Equity is Promoted and Experienced in the Ghanaian Classroom," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(4), pages 1121-1137, April.
    3. Xiuling Chen & Jie Li, 2024. "Facilitating Knowledge-Driven Economic and Social Development: the Significance of Demographic Transformation in Tourism Villages in China," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 13890-13918, September.
    4. Eugenia Allotey & Rocío García-Carrión & Lourdes Villardón-Gallego & Marta Soler-Gallart, 2023. "Transforming the educational experiences of marginalized students in Ghana through dialogic literary gatherings," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Frank Yeboah-Obeng & Daniel Yaw Acheampong & Samuel Badu, 2022. "Achieving Universal Basic Education in Ghana: An Analysis of the Impact of School Dropout," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(8), pages 479-489, August.
    6. Carew, Mark T. & Rotenberg, Sara & Chen, Shanquan & Kuper, Hannah, 2024. "Counting who makes the grade: Updated estimates of the share of over-age for grade learners in sub-Saharan Africa using MICS6 data," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    7. Eryong Xue & Jian Li & Xingcheng Li, 2021. "Sustainable Development of Education in Rural Areas for Rural Revitalization in China: A Comprehensive Policy Circle Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-17, November.
    8. Md. Akter Hossain, 2024. "Navigating Socio-Cultural Barriers: Challenges and Opportunities in English Language Learning among Bangladeshi Rural Students," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(10), pages 592-603, October.
    9. Yan Lou & Hossein Azadi & Frank Witlox, 2024. "Factors Influencing Site Selection for Higher Education Institutes: A Meta-Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-15, December.
    10. Stenzel, Alicia G. & Osei Kwadwo, Victor & Vincent, Rose C., 2024. "Free secondary education policy and education attainment," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:108:y:2024:i:c:s073805932400083x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-educational-development .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.