INSTITUTIONAL IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES AND PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS’ EFFECTIVENESS IN CALABAR EDUCATION ZONE, CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between institutional improvement strategies and the effectiveness of public secondary schools in the Calabar Education Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was guided by two null hypotheses. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised all 95 public secondary schools in Calabar Education Zone, Cross River State, and the census sampling technique was employed. A validated instrument titled: Institutional Improvement Strategies and Secondary School Effectiveness Questionnaire (IISSSES) were used for data collection. It was validated by research experts in Educational Management, Measurement and Evaluation Unit, Cronbach Alpha method was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and it yielded a reliability coefficient index of .83 level of reliability which indicated that the instrument was good for the study. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis. The findings revealed that both school facilities management and staff development programmes have significant positive relationships with school effectiveness. Based on these findings, the study concludes that institutional improvement strategies play a vital role in enhancing the effectiveness of public secondary schools. It was recommended that school administrators should prioritize effective management of school facilities by ensuring regular maintenance, proper utilization, and adequate provision of physical and instructional resources to create a conducive learning environment.