Abstract
The dwindling level of teachers’ productivity in Nigerian secondary schools has been a matter of serious concern, which the education stakeholders perceived to be the aftermath effect of the inadequacies in principals’ decision-making strategies. This study therefore investigated the levels of principals’ decision-making strategies and determined the implication for productivity in secondary schools in Ondo North Senatorial District of Ondo State, Nigeria.
 Descriptive survey research design and ex-post facto research design were adopted. The sample comprised 150 school administrators and 600 teachers randomly selected from 30 public secondary schools. Data were collected using three research instruments titled “Principals’ Decision Making Strategies Questionnaire” (PDMSQ), “Teachers’ Productivity Questionnaire” (TPQ), and “Students’ Academic Performance Proforma” (SAPP). Four research questions and seven hypotheses guided the study. Research questions were analyzed using frequency count, and mean, while the hypotheses were tested using Multiple Regression Analysis and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) at 0.05 level of significance.
 Results revealed that the consultation strategy (β = .644), collaborative strategy (β = .566), feedback strategy (β = .542) and corporate review strategy (β = .512) had the highest values and positive contributions to teachers’ productivity while the open door strategy had the least contribution to teachers’ productivity (β = .312) at p< 0.05. The result further indicated that there was a significant relationship between open door strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.591>0.195], also there was a significant relationship between principals’ collaborative strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.699>0.195], there was a significant relationship between consultation strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.893>0.195], there was a significant relationship between feedback strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.711>0.195], there was a significant relationship between corporate review strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.698>0.195], and there was a significant relationship between principals’ decision-making strategies and students’ academic performance [r = 0.626 >0.195].
 It was concluded that teachers’ involvement in decision-making is moderate and this accounted for the moderate level of teachers’ productivity and students’ academic performance. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the school principals’ should intensify efforts in the use of consultation, collaborative, feedback and corporate review strategies to enhance decision-making process while the State Ministry of Education should organize seminar/workshop to improve principals’ competence in the use of decision-making strategies to enhance teachers’ productivity in secondary schools.
 The dwindling level of teachers’ productivity in Nigerian secondary schools has been a matter of serious concern, which the education stakeholders perceived to be the aftermath effect of the inadequacies in principals’ decision-making strategies. This study therefore investigated the levels of principals’ decision-making strategies and determined the implication for productivity in secondary schools in Ondo North Senatorial District of Ondo State, Nigeria.
 Descriptive survey research design and ex-post facto research design were adopted. The sample comprised 150 school administrators and 600 teachers randomly selected from 30 public secondary schools. Data were collected using three research instruments titled “Principals’ Decision Making Strategies Questionnaire” (PDMSQ), “Teachers’ Productivity Questionnaire” (TPQ), and “Students’ Academic Performance Proforma” (SAPP). Four research questions and seven hypotheses guided the study. Research questions were analyzed using frequency count, and mean, while the hypotheses were tested using Multiple Regression Analysis and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) at 0.05 level of significance.
 Results revealed that the consultation strategy (β = .644), collaborative strategy (β = .566), feedback strategy (β = .542) and corporate review strategy (β = .512) had the highest values and positive contributions to teachers’ productivity while the open door strategy had the least contribution to teachers’ productivity (β = .312) at p< 0.05. The result further indicated that there was a significant relationship between open door strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.591>0.195], also there was a significant relationship between principals’ collaborative strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.699>0.195], there was a significant relationship between consultation strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.893>0.195], there was a significant relationship between feedback strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.711>0.195], there was a significant relationship between corporate review strategy and teachers’ productivity [r = 0.698>0.195], and there was a significant relationship between principals’ decision-making strategies and students’ academic performance [r = 0.626 >0.195].
 It was concluded that teachers’ involvement in decision-making is moderate and this accounted for the moderate level of teachers’ productivity and students’ academic performance. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the school principals’ should intensify efforts in the use of consultation, collaborative, feedback and corporate review strategies to enhance decision-making process while the State Ministry of Education should organize seminar/workshop to improve principals’ competence in the use of decision-making strategies to enhance teachers’ productivity in secondary schools.
Highlights
The secondary school is a formal organization that is established to achieve educational goals by developing students’ intellect, skills and characters for higher education and useful living through teaching and learning activities (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013)
The researchers adapted the instrument constructed by Ayeni (2018) on a study “Principals’ Decision-making Strategies and Teachers’ Productivity in Ondo Central Senatorial District of Ondo State
The majority of the principals made effective use of collaborative, consultation, feedback and corporate review strategies while the level of teachers’ involvement in decisionmaking was moderate, which accounted for the moderate level of teachers’ productivity. This accounted for approximately 40% of students who obtained five credit level passes and above in subjects including English Language and Mathematics in West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) between 2015 and 2017
Summary
The secondary school is a formal organization that is established to achieve educational goals by developing students’ intellect, skills and characters for higher education and useful living through teaching and learning activities (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013). Decision-making is the process of identifying and choosing the best among alternative ways of providing solutions to problem(s) in order to improve productivity and achieve organization objectives (Kanuka & Anderson 2008; Aydin, 2010). Teachers can be involved in decision-making when school principals encourage open avenues for teachers to participate in the process of determining activities outside the classroom such as the selection of relevant textbooks, curriculum planning, program planning, students’ placement, personnel deployment and capacity development (Khoza, 2003; Keung, 2008; Lin, 2014). Lack of teachers’ involvement in the decision-making process by principals often causes mistrust, poor attitude to work and low productivity leading to non-achievement of educational goals
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