PLANNING OF SCHOOL MEETINGS AS A CORRELATE TO PRINCIPALS’ ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON

Abstract

This study was designed to examine planning of school meetings as a correlate to principals’ administrative effectiveness in secondary schools in the South West Region of Cameroon. The study was guided by two objectives which examine the relationship between planning school g meeting goals and principals’ administrative effectiveness and the benefits of planning school meetings on principals’ administrative effectiveness. This is supported by the goal setting theory. The descriptive survey research design was used for the study which allowed the researcher to utilize both qualitative and quantitative data. The population of the study comprises Secondary Schools in the South West Region of Cameroon. The target population constituted 192 secondary Schools; that is public, confessional and lay private secondary schools in Fako, Manyu Meme and Ndian division in the South West Region of Cameroon. The sample population for the study was made up of 132 principals. Both the stratified and purposive sampling technique was used for the study. The instrument use for data collection was a questionnaire (closed and open ended questions). Data from the close ended questions were analysed using SPSS 23.0, with the aid of descriptive and inferential statistical tools while open ended question were analysed thematically. The Spearman’s rho was used to test the research hypotheses formulated in the study. Majority 76.0% of principals accepted to carry out adequate planning of school meeting goals and a majority 81.1% of principals accepted that planning school meetings goal is of benefit to the principal. The hypothesis statistics showed that there is a significant, positive and moderate relationship between planning of school meetings by principals and administrative effectiveness (R-value=0.425**, p-value= 0.000< 0.05). The positive nature of correlation value implies that principals’ administrative effectiveness is more likely to increase when they adequately plan for school meetings. In addition to existing training programs of school principals, more programs should be redesigned to meet the needs of principals and to also train them on how to effectively plan and manage school meetings to foster trust and confidence of the society as well as administrative effectiveness.