Effectiveness of the Clinical Supervision Strategy as a Tool for Improving Teaching Quality: Perceptions of South African School-Based Managers and Educators

Abstract

Research was undertaken to find ways of resolving implementation challenges of supervision and evaluation systems by examining the perceptions of South African school-based managers and educators regarding the effectiveness of the clinical supervision strategy as a tool for improving the quality of teaching in compliance with the total quality management (TQM) principle of empowerment as related to the integrated quality management system (IQMS). The article reports on part of the findings of a formal study designed to investigate the effectiveness of the developmental supervision model as a tool for improving the quality of teaching in Gauteng, South Africa The findings from using a mixed method approach, comprising a quantitative phase in the form of questionnaires and a qualitative phase in the form of three focus group interviews, indicated that the clinical supervision strategy complied with the TQM principle of empowerment, which was perceived to have a positive influence on the quality of teaching. In contrast, the IQMS evaluation process was perceived to lack compliance with empowerment due to characteristics related to the traditional inspection approaches to professional development.

Keywords:

• clinical supervision
• developmental supervision
• evaluation
• quality
• total quality management
• empowerment
• integrated quality management system