The study focuses on principals’ supervisory strategies and school discipline in public secondary schools in South-South Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria. Principals’ supervisory strategies play a crucial role in maintaining school discipline. Effective school discipline is critical for fostering a safe, orderly and conducive learning environment. Four research questions were raised while four null hypotheses were formulated. The study was a qualitative and quantitative survey employing the ex-post-facto design. The target population of the study was 33,968 principals and teachers in the public secondary schools in the South-South Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria which was made up of Akwa- Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross–River, Delta, Edo and River States. The sample for the study consisted of one thousand, one hundred and eighty-five (1185) principals and teachers in three (3) states of South Geopolitical Zone. The instrument that was employed for collection of data was a questionnaire titled “Principals’ Supervisory Strategies and School Discipline Questionnaire” (PSSSDQ). The validated and its reliability equally determined via a pilot study using test re-test reliability technique with a coefficient index of 0.76 was used. Mean scores, standard deviation and coefficient of determination using 2.50 as benchmark to provide answers to the research questions. Pearson Product Moment Statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. From the findings it was concluded that in public secondary schools in South-South Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria, principals employ classroom visitation, clinical supervision, monitoring strategies in ensuring school discipline.
Keywords: Discipline, Nigeria, School, Supervisory Strategies
