Formal Communication Practices among Students, Teachers and Administrators in Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the state of formal communication practices in Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School. The convergent parallel mixed method design was employed in the study. Questionnaire (structured) and interview guide (semi-structured) were used to collect the data and were administered personally by the researcher. In all, 352 respondents participated in the study. 351 students and teachers were stratified and then randomly selected. The head of the school was purposively selected. The study revealed that downward channel of communication was the most prevalent in the school. Staff meetings served as the main platform through which teachers received and communicated with administration while on the part of students, it was general assembly and SRC meetings. Additionally, formal communication in the school was found to be impeded by the following: failure on the part of committees to submit reports to the administration regularly; teachers‟ and students‟ distrust for the school administrators for any information given, and failure on the part of administrators to give prompt feedback to teachers‟ and students‟ needs or reports. These hindrances have made both teachers and students feel reluctant in reporting their grievances to the administration hence causing the communication process in the school to become a oneway process instead of a two-way process which is a recipe for agitations. It is recommended that the upward, diagonal and horizontal channels of formal communication should be encouraged in the school. Also, the use of other modes of communication such as letters, memos and the use of notice boards should be encouraged in the school.