2025 IJRSE – Volume 14 Issue 14
Available Online: 20 July 2025
Author/s:
Lambert, Edwin
Saint Augustine University of Tanzania, Mwanza-Tanzania (Edwinlambert33@gmail.com)
Abstract:
This study critically examined the influence of instructional supervision on teachers’ professional development in public secondary schools within Bahi District Council. It specifically aimed to investigate the prevailing practices of instructional supervision as they relate to professional development, identify the key challenges hindering its effective implementation, and propose viable mechanisms through which instructional supervision can be enhanced to more effectively support teachers’ continuous professional growth. A convergent parallel mixed-methods research design was employed, involving a total of 77 participants drawn from five public secondary schools and the School Quality Assurance Office in the Central Zone. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, interview guides, and focus group discussions, while data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 20, utilizing descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages, presented in tables and pie charts. The findings revealed that instructional supervision in its current form does not significantly contribute to teachers’ professional development in the district. The study was anchored in the Human Relations Theory developed by Mary Parker Follett (1868), which emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationships and participatory supervision in professional settings. Based on the findings, the study recommends that government bodies and educational policymakers revise existing supervision frameworks to move beyond traditional inspection models and implement more supportive, collaborative, and developmental supervision strategies that directly enhance teacher competencies and instructional practices.
Keywords: educational policy, human relations theory, instructional supervision, public secondary schools, teacher professional development
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25223
Cite this article:
Lambert, E. (2025). Contribution of instructional supervision on teacher’s professional development in public secondary schools: A case of Bahi District in Dodoma Tanzania. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 14(14), 13-26. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25223