Improving Lesson Observation to Enhance Secondary School Teachers’ Instructional Performance in Taita Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate how lesson observation be improved to enhance secondary school teachers’ instructional performance in Taita Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya. This study was anchored on Instructional Supervision Theory evolved by Morris Cogan (1973). This study used a mixed methods research design, specifically a convergent parallel design. The study targeted 21 public secondary schools, 21 principals and 330 teachers and sampled 21 principals from 21 public secondary schools and 130 teachers from 21 secondary schools. The study employed census sampling technique for 21 principals and 21 public secondary schools and cluster sampling for 130 teachers from 21 secondary schools. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides were used for qualitative data. Reliability of the data from quantitative instruments was determined before the instruments are used widely. For qualitative data, member checking, triangulation and peer review were used. The reliability of the questionnaires was ensured by using the Cronbach’s Alpha technique, with a reliability coefficient of 0.85 as the threshold. The quantitative data for this study was analysed using SPSS (version 26), and presented in frequencies, percentages and tables. Qualitative data was analysed using a thematic approach and presented in form of narratives and direct quotations. The study considered research ethics. The study found that collaborative and varied observation approaches, combined with timely, constructive feedback, enhance instructional improvement. The study recommends regular, developmental lesson observations supported by trained observers, timely constructive feedback, collaborative peer approaches, ICT integration, and supportive school policies to enhance instructional performance and reduce teacher anxiety. Key words: Improve, Influence, Lesson Observation, Observer, Teacher Instructional Performance