SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS ON IMPROVING COMMUNITY SERVICE THROUGH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Adedoyin Elizabeth Adebolarinwa, Oluwaseyi Olubunmi Sodiya

Abstract


This study was aimed at exploring teachers’ and school principals' perceptions of the school as an institutional instrument that strengthens community service, through the lens of two junior private secondary schools. This study got its data through a qualitative data collection approach that reflected school leaders' and teachers’ experiences and perceptions of what community service is and how the school can be an instrument to strengthen community service. During this study, a teacher’s instructional strategy is found to be a vital tool in creating community service consciousness in the students. The engagement of the students in community service activities in their early school years helps them to be better community-conscious and socially responsible in their adult years, as the principals and teachers highlighted the value and significance of the pupils' participation in community service, such as giving back to society and making it a better place, enhancing their 21st-century skills, and relating academic content to real-life contexts. Awareness of community service, sensitization, and re-orientation of students and parents were stressed by almost all the participants, and the findings also revealed that the majority of the respondents clamoured for school collaborations with the parents, the government, and other schools as a way of strengthening community service. In conclusion, this study has indications for teachers, school leaders, and stakeholders in education to identify how their work contributes to strengthening community service participation and how school roles contribute to the increase in social responsibility awareness and willingness of students.

 

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Keywords


community service, social responsibility, perceptions, instructional method, school-roles, teaching, leadership

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v11i5.5317

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