Study of the Relationship Between Instructional Leadership and Curriculum Implementation in Public Secondary Schools in Katsina State

Instructional leadership at the school principal level is theorised as a key driver of curriculum implementation quality, and exploring this relationship in Katsina State secondary schools provides empirical grounding for principal professional development programming in the North West zone. This study examined the relationship between instructional leadership behaviours of school principals and curriculum implementation quality in public secondary schools in Katsina and Jibia Local Government Areas, Katsina State, North West Nigeria. A correlational survey design was adopted, with questionnaires administered to 200 teachers from 20 schools. Teacher-rated instructional leadership was assessed using a validated scale covering goal-setting, teacher supervision, professional development support, and resource provision. Curriculum implementation quality was assessed through teacher self-report and document review. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were applied. Results showed a significant positive correlation between overall instructional leadership score and curriculum implementation quality (r = 0.61, p < 0.001). Principal supervision of teaching (beta = 0.44, p < 0.001) and resource provision (beta = 0.38, p < 0.01) were the strongest individual predictors. Schools with principals rated highly on instructional leadership had curriculum implementation scores 34.2 percent higher than schools with low-rated principals. The study recommends structured instructional leadership training for secondary school principals in Katsina State and the inclusion of curriculum implementation metrics in annual principal performance appraisal. Keywords: instructional leadership, curriculum implementation, school principal, Katsina State, educational management