Functions and styles of supervision as perceived by Newfoundland and Labrador school board supervisors

Gedge, Joseph L. (1972) Functions and styles of supervision as perceived by Newfoundland and Labrador school board supervisors. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (4MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

This study was undertaken in response to the need for a general theory of supervision which is applicable to the educational system in Newfoundland and Labrador. It investigated the perceptions of the major functions and styles of supervision held by generalist supervisors in this province. Data collected from these respondents served to answer five major questions: (1) What are the perceptions of the major functions of supervision held by Newfoundland and Labrador generalist supervisors? (2) What are the perceptions of the major functions of supervision when such perceptions are assessed according to six independent variables: district size, total years of professional experience, the predominance of experience according to length of service at the elementary or high school levels of organization, predominance of experience according to length of service in teaching or school administration, the level of professional preparation, and the denomination of the school district? (3) What are the perceptions of the styles of supervision held by Newfoundland and Labrador generalist supervisors? (4) What are the perceptions of the styles of supervision when such perceptions are assessed according to the same six variables listed in question two? (5) What is the relationship between expressed perceptions, styles and functions? -- The perceptions of these two dimensions of supervision were obtained from a two-dimensional instrument administered to all board supervisors in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Responses were subjected to analysis of variance and Newman-Keuls procedures to determine the general pattern of perceptions relative to functions and styles. Product moment correlations were used to determine the relationships between perceptions of functions and styles and the selected independent variables. Multiple regression analyses were applied to determine the best predictors of the dependent variables. -- The findings revealed that generalist supervisors are strongly committed to the democratic philosophy of supervision. It was also revealed that supervisors perceive their role to be the provision of leadership and consultation in curriculum development. When the independent variables were considered, the following findings were revealed: (1) supervisors in large school districts expressed less commitment to authoritarian supervision and were less inclined to agree with the teacher evaluation function than were supervisors in small districts; (2) supervisors with predominant teaching experience expressed greater agreement with the leadership function than did supervisors with predominant administrative experience; (3) supervisors possessing the master's degree expressed stronger agreement with program evaluation and less commitment to authoritarian supervision than did supervisors who lacked the master's degree; and (4) supervisors in Roman Catholic districts were more in agreement with teacher evaluation than were supervisors in integrated districts. Supervisors in the integrated school districts showed stronger commitment to laissez-faire supervision than did supervisors in Roman Catholic districts. -- It was concluded that a supervisory program in this province should be based on democratic principles and thus the position of the supervisor should be a staff assignment providing leadership and consultation in curriculum development.

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