Rethinking Education: Aligning School Leadership and Curriculum Design for Student Development in Osun State

Abstract

This study investigated how school leaders and curriculum design can work together for well-rounded students in Osun state, Nigeria. The research employed a correlational survey design involving 7800 participants as the population of the study while 420 respondents comprise the sample of the study using stratified random sampling techniques across public secondary schools in the state. Three research hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and independent sample t-test. A self-designed questionnaire tagged: “Curriculum Leadership and Student Development Inventory’. (CLSDI) was used to collect the data for the study. Expert screened the tool to ensure its validity. The tests-retest approach was used to assess the instrument's reliability. Thirty teachers who weren't in the study region received the instrument twice over the course of two weeks. The Pearson's Products Moment Correlation was used to analyze the data that was collected. The obtained reliability coefficient of 0.84 was deemed sufficient to establish the instrument's reliability. Every hypothesis was examined at the significance level of 0.05. Findings reveal significant positive relationships between curriculum alignment and leadership practices, as well as between leadership strategies and students’ holistic development. The study concludes that effective curriculum-leadership alignment is a key driver of student success across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. Recommendations include policy reforms, leadership training, and collaborative curriculum development initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between planning and execution.