ABSTRACT

This study investigated the communication process and communication effectiveness in public and private secondary schools in Onitsha South Local Government Area, Anambra State. It is a descriptive research. Twenty-three secondary schools were randomly selected from Onitsha South Local Government Area. A research instrument titled: “Communication Process and Communication Effectiveness in Secondary Schools Questionnaire” (CPCESSQ) was developed to collect necessary data from the teachers and principals of the selected schools. CPCESSQ was validated and tested for reliability. The reliability coefficient was 0.85. The data obtained were analyzed, using frequency counts, mean and percentage to determine the communication process and communication effectiveness in the sampled schools.

Communication process and communication effectiveness were found to be highly related in both public and private secondary schools in Onitsha South Local Government Area. Some suggestions made on how to improve communication process and channels in order to enhance effective communication within the school system include: teachers in private secondary schools should overcome the fear of criticism from colleagues and school administrator, so as not to hinder them from sharing their innovative ideas; school administrators in public secondary schools should make use of rumors about activities going on in the school with understanding, so as to improve the effectiveness of the school system.