An analysis of program co-ordinator, principal and teacher perceptions of an instructional supervisory process reflecting the characteristics of clinical supervision

Clarke, A. R. Bruce (1988) An analysis of program co-ordinator, principal and teacher perceptions of an instructional supervisory process reflecting the characteristics of clinical supervision. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Modern day demands for educational accountability have placed increasing emphasis on the need for instructional improvement and in so doing have posited a renewed responsibility on those individuals charged with effecting such improvement, namely, instructional supervisors. Yet there is ample evidence in the literature to suggest that negative perceptions abound relative to current supervisory efforts. The purpose of this study was to measure the perceptions held by program co-ordinators, principals, and teachers in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador toward characteristics of a comprehensive instructional supervisory process known as clinical supervision, and to determine what differences, if any, might exist among perceptions held by these groups. -- A questionnaire, developed by the investigator from a comprehensive search of the literature, was distributed to 100 program co-ordinators, 100 principals and 100 teachers chosen through a simple random sampling process. Respondents were asked to indicate the extent of their agreement with each statement on a six-point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. -- The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Frequency distributions were obtained and mean scores were computed for each group on each item. One-way analysis of variance was used to measure differences in means and the Scheffe procedure utilized to establish more precisely where such differences lay. -- The major finding of the study was that on the average all three groups of respondents--program co-ordinators, principals and teachers --agreed with clinical supervision, with an overall mean rating of "agree moderately". Of the 33 questionnaire items dealing with various aspect of clinical supervision, co-ordinators agreed with 32, principals with 30 and teachers with 31. -- A noteworthy anomaly, however, appeared in the data, in that, contrary to the precepts of clinical supervision, teachers, principals and to a lesser extent co-ordinators agreed that supervision includes teacher evaluation. Respondents agreed with the concept seemingly antithetical to clinical supervision that the primary objective of a supervisory program should be to evaluate a teacher's competencies as they relate to his/her instructional program. Moreover, principals and teachers did not agree with a statement that supervision is more likely to be effective when performed by educational personnel who are not directly responsible for teacher evaluation. -- Recommendations for action centered around the adoption of clinical supervision by school districts, and the need for extensive inservice training for all potential participants prior to initiation of the clinical supervisory process. Further research was suggested into the relationship between supervision and teacher evaluation, the acceptability of clinical supervision compared to other types of supervision, the school administrator's role within the clinical process and the effect of clinical supervision on student performance.

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