Teachers' Professional Development and Instructional Leadership in Secondary Schools Wukari Local Government Area, Taraba State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of teachers' professional development (PD) on instructional leadership and supervision practices in public secondary schools in Wukari Local Government Area (LGA), Taraba State, Nigeria. Adopting a descriptive survey research design, data were collected from 267 valid respondents comprising teachers and school administrators drawn from 30 public secondary schools. Structured questionnaires anchored on a four-point Likert scale were used as the primary instrument for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation). Results revealed that professional development has a moderate but significant positive influence on instructional leadership (r = 0.58, p = 0.002) and supervision practices (r = 0.52, p = 0.004). Key barriers identified include limited information dissemination, heavy teaching workloads, inadequate funding, and lack of incentives. Major enablers include collaboration with universities (Mean = 4.41), school-based PD programs (Mean = 3.55), and recognition/career advancement opportunities (Mean = 3.50). The study concludes that strategic investment in diverse, targeted, and adequately resourced professional development programs is essential for strengthening instructional leadership and supervisory effectiveness in Wukari LGA schools. Policy recommendations include mainstreaming PD into school governance frameworks and establishing formal university-school partnerships.