Barriers to school principals’ effective instructional supervision practices: evidence from a centralised educational context

ABSTRACT

Although improving instructional supervision has already been featured in theoretical debates and even advocated for in the policy frameworks of many nations – including the USA, UK, and countries across Europe – little is known beyond the Western world about the potential difficulties faced by school principals seeking to implement instructional supervision practices to promote teaching and learning in their schools. This study investigated barriers to school principals’ effective instructional supervision practices. The participants of this qualitative study included a total of 57 principals and teachers working in secondary schools. Data were collected through interviews and analysed through qualitative content analysis. Bringing evidence from a centralised educational context, we identified four major barriers to the effective instructional supervision process: (i) lack of supervisory skills and content knowledge, (ii) negative attitudes to supervision, (iii) maintaining a family-like school atmosphere, and (iv) lack of time and heavy workload. Based on the findings, we provide several implications for policy and practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Instructional supervision
• teacher supervision
• school principals
• secondary schools

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ramazan Cansoy

Ramazan Cansoy is currently working as an associate profesor of educational administration in the Faculty of Letters, Department of Educational Sciences, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey

Ali Çağatay Kılınç

Ali Çağatay Kılınç is currently working as a professor of educational administration in the Faculty of Letters, Department of Educational Sciences, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey. His research focuses are school leadership, school improvement, and teacher professional learning.

Muhammet Emin Türkoğlu

Muhammet Emin Türkoğlu works as an assistant professor of educational administration at Afyon Kocatepe University. His study topics are mainly on educational leadership. He worked as a teacher 16 years in high schools.