| Summary: | This study was concerned with the lack of information regarding school- based instructional supervision practices in Saudi Arabian public secondary schools, with specific attention paid to the perceptions of instructional supervision held by teachers. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to examine what secondary teachers perceive as effective instructional supervision and to examine the current state of school-based instructional supervisory practices and procedures in Saudi Arabian public secondary schools from the perceptions of headteachers, teachers, and district education officers. Specific research questions focused on the respondents' perceptions of and preferences for the focuses and practices of school-based instructional supervision, supervisory personnel, staff development programmes relevant to instructional supervision, and desired changes for improvement supervision practices. A survey design was utilised for this study. Data for the study were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires were completed by 272 teachers and in-depth interviews were conducted with 33 participants (18 teachers, 10 headteachers, and 5 district education officers), thus yielding a total of 305 participants. The findings reveal supervision practices were marred by questionable practices associated with victimisation, intimidation, inconsistency, confusion, and biases. The supervisors lacked the necessary supervisory skills, were not serious about their supervisory roles, and, consequently, they were not taken seriously by teachers. In addition, the findings of this study indicate that instructional supervision are characterised by conflicting role expectations that cause stress and mistrust for teachers and instructional supervisors and that the development of clearly written policies on instructional supervision is an area needing the greatest attention. Among the proposed changes for the improvement of supervision practices, based on the findings of the study, were (a) encouraging supervisors to be objective and teacher-friendly; (b) encouraging headteachers to take the leading role in school-based supervision by developing interest in supervision, allowing themselves to be supervised by other members of the teaching staff, and getting involved in classroom teaching to become acquainted with ongoing classroom events; (c) providing appropriate rewards and incentives to teachers who receive good supervisory reports or take initiatives to facilitate their professional learning; and (d) fostering collaboration and teamwork among teachers and instructional supervisors.
|
|---|
