Abstract
Recent studies tend to explain the importance of communication in the organisation as well as prescribing the most commonly practised techniques adopted by school managers. Studies on financial management are quite limited with the available ones suggesting that poor financial management is a source of conflict between school leaders and host communities. Little seems to be known on the connection between principals’ communication patterns and funds’ management as predictors of school-community relationship. This study builds on existing studies and appears to be the first to assess the linkages between principals’ communication patterns, fund management practices and school-community relationship based on empirical rather than subjective data. A structural modelling approach was adopted to examine the nexus using quantitative primary data obtained from a random sample of 2108 respondents. A questionnaire which was designed and validated by the researchers served as the data collection device. Collected data were subjected to Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses, as well as Multiple Regression Analysis. Findings revealed various significant communication, funds management and school-community relationship practices that are available for adoption. However, it was found that the extent to which principals utilised such practices were below expected minimum standards. It was also found that there were no significant partial and composite effects of principals’ communication and funds management practices on school-community relationship (SCR). Based on these results, relevant theoretical, policy and practical implications are discussed.
Highlights
One of the goals of secondary education in Nigeria is to provide an increasing number of primary school leavers with the opportunity for higher quality education, irrespective of sex, or social, religious, ethnic background and culture (FRN, 2004)
Having met all the assumptions for performing factor analysis based on the dataset, the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed using Principal Axis Factoring (PAF) as the extraction method, with a Promax rotation, to analyse the correlation matrix based on Eigenvalues greater than 1
It is depicted in the model that maintaining close communication links with community leaders (PCP_1 [β = .80, t = 43.57, p < .01]), the use of native language of the host community (PCP_2 [β = .86, t = 47.67, p < .01]), creating opportunities to meet with leaders of the host community (PCP_3 [β = .78, t = 41.73, p < .01]), implementing suggestions made by community leaders towards school improvement (PCP_4 [β = .86, t = 48.31, p < .01]) and adopting variety of communication styles in school administration (PCP_6 [β = .67, t = 33.73, p < .01]) are very significant patterns in principal’s communication
Summary
One of the goals of secondary education in Nigeria is to provide an increasing number of primary school leavers with the opportunity for higher quality education, irrespective of sex, or social, religious, ethnic background and culture (FRN, 2004). Secondary schools are designed to equip students to live effectively in the modern age of science and technology and to contribute to the development of the culture, arts and languages of Nigeria. To achieve the goals of secondary education, there is a need for the community in which the school resides to work in cooperation and congruity with the school not just in the upbringing and welfare of the students but to offer help in the preparation and upkeep of the school infrastructure just as the effective management and administration of the school. Improving the school-community nexus is key because the two bodies depend on each other and failure of either body to assume its role can prompt the breakdown of the instructional framework with its subsequent impact on the general public (Owan, 2019)
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