ABSTRACT

This study investigated management practices adopted by primary school heads as correlates of child-friendly school environment in secondary schools in South East, Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational design. Six research questions and six hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study is 21,179, and a sample size of 1059 respondents consisting of 286 head teachers and 773 primary six pupils were selected using multi stage sampling technique. Two sets of structured questionnaire were developed to collect data. The first questionnaire titled: Primary School Head Teachers Management Practices Questionnaire (PSHTMQ) with 40 items was designed to collect data on Management practices of head teachers while the second questionnaire titled “Child Friendly School Environment Questionnaire (CFSEQ) with 14 items was designed to collect information on child-friendly school environment. The instruments were validated by three experts; two from the Department of Educational Management and one expert from Measurement and Evaluation all in Michael Okpara University of agriculture, Umudike. The reliability of the instrument was established using test-retest method and a reliability of 0.78 was obtained. Data were analyzed using Pearson Moment Product Correlation to answer the research questions and to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that: there was a positive low relationship between communication of primary school head teachers and child-friendly school environment, there was a positive low relationship between communication of primary school head teachers and child-friendly school environment, there was a negative low relationship between provision of teaching facilities by primary school head teachers and child-friendly school environment. Some of the recommendations made based on the findings include that; the head teachers should ensure that a good environment is created for good interpersonal relationship between them, their fellow teachers, parents and the students. This can be achieved by creating periods for PTA meetings, home visits by school heads and teachers, the head teachers should also ensure that students are taught their mother tongue as well as accommodate students’ mother tongue, as this would enable students to open up to learning and their environment.