Search

(Purpose) The purpose of this study is to examine the existing perceptions and preferences of teachers toward instructional supervision, more specifically on the actual and ideal use of selected instructional supervisory approaches (such as clinical supervision, peer coaching, cognitive coaching, mentoring, reflective coaching, teaching portfolios, and professional growth plans) in secondary schools of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It also seeks to explore if there are differences between beginning and experienced teachers in their attitudes toward and satisfaction with supervisory practices and (possible) relationships with perceived professional development. (Methodology) The study employed a descriptive survey method. The study was carried out in randomly selected 20 (government and private) secondary schools of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The sample included a total of 200 teachers (100 beginner and 100 experienced). Questionnaire was the main instrument of data collection with an overall high Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.87. (Results) The results reveal that except for peer coaching and portfolios, the selected supervisory approaches were less frequently practiced and beginner teachers prefer the use of mentoring and portfolios more than experienced teachers. No significant differences were found between beginner and experienced teachers in their attitudes and satisfaction toward supervisory processes practiced at their schools. Moreover, significant weak to moderate positive relationships were found of the actual and ideal supervisory approaches, teachers' attitudes and satisfaction with professional development. However, regression analysis showed that teachers' attitudes and teachers' satisfaction are the most important contributors to professional development. (Conclusions) No significant differences were found between beginners and experienced teachers in perception of the actual use of selected supervisory practices, namely clinical supervision, peer coaching, cognitive coaching, mentoring, and professional growth plans. However, it was found that beginner teachers prefer the use of mentoring and portfolios more than experienced teachers. Furthermore, there is no difference between beginner and experienced teachers in their attitudes toward and satisfaction with supervisory processes practiced at their schools. (Recommendations) First, instructional supervision needs to be a priority in schools and given enough time so that improvement in instruction can occur. Second, supervisory practices should be clearly outlined in the school policies, providing (beginner and experienced) teachers with the options of choosing among different types. Third, further research is required to find out the impact of actual supervisory approaches, teachers' attitude and satisfaction on professional development. Appended to this document are the following: (1) Teachers' Survey Form; (2) Respondents According to Gender, Years of Experience and Type of School; (3) Respondents' Perceptions of the Frequency with Which They are Supervised and Evaluated; (4) Individuals Most Frequently Identified as Supervisors and Evaluators; (5) Respondents' Perceptions of the School Policies on Supervision (6) Respondents' Perceptions of the Importance of Supervision (N = 200); (7) Frequency of Supervision for Beginning Teachers and those Experiencing Difficulty; (8) Respondents' Perceptions of the Time a Supervisor Should Spend in the Classroom; (9) Teachers' Perception on the Frequency of Real Supervisory Approaches; (10) Teachers' Perception on the Frequency of Ideal Supervisory Approaches; (11) ANOVA of Teachers' Perceptions of Real Frequency of Supervisory Practices in terms of Teaching Experience; (12) Beginner and Experienced Teachers' Perceptions of the Ideal Use Supervisory Practices; (13) ANOVA of Teachers' Perceptions of Ideal Frequency of Supervisory Practices in terms of Teaching Experience; (14) Scheffe Multiple Comparison Test for Ideal Frequency of Mentoring in Terms of Years of Experience; (15) Male and Female Teachers' Perceptions of the Ideal Use of Selected Supervisory Practices; (16) Government and Private School Respondents' Perceptions of the Ideal Use of Selected Supervisory Practices; (17) Correlation of Real and Ideal Supervisory Approaches with Attitude Scale; (18) Correlation of Real and Ideal Supervisory Approaches with Satisfaction Scale; (19) Respondents' Perceptions of the Relationship between Supervision and Professional Development (N = 200); (20) Correlations between Perceived Professional Development and Each Actual Supervisory Approaches (N = 200); (21) Regression Model of Predicting Professional Development Using Four Predictors while Controlling for Teacher and School Covariates; and (22) Respondents' Suggestions for Improvement of Instructional Supervision. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)