Principals' Strategic Management and Students' Learning Outcome in Secondary Schools in Ondo State, Nigeria

The study examined the level of principals' and teachers' involvement in strategic management and determined the level of students' academic performance and constraints to strategic management in secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria. Four research questions and three hypotheses were formulated. Descriptive survey and ex-post facto research designs were adopted. 60 principals and 1200 teachers were sampled from 60 secondary schools using a multi-stage sampling technique. Participants completed instruments titled "Strategic Management Questionnaire" (SMQ) and "Students' Academic Performance Proforma" (SAPP). Data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient at an alpha level of 0.05. Results showed significant relationship between principals' and teachers' involvement in strategic management (r-cal=0.912, p<=0.000), significant relationship between principals’ strategic management and students’ academic performance (r-cal=0.780, p<=0.000), and significant relationship between teachers’ strategic management and students’ academic performance (r-cal=0.593, p<=0.000). Major constraints included teachers' excess workload (58.3%), shortage of instructional materials (65%), lack of instructional technology (56.7%), inadequate capacity development (56.7%), lack of students' textbooks (56.6%), congested class size (56.7%) and lack of motivation (60%). It was concluded that the state government in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders in education sector should employ an adequate number of qualified teachers, provide adequate learning facilities and materials, and organize capacity building workshops to improve principals' and teachers' skills in strategic management for sustainable improvement in students' academic performance in secondary schools