How do Teachers Describe Their Experiences with School-Based Supervision Applications with Metaphorical Expressions?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ experiences about school-based supervision practices through metaphorical expressions. In the study, a descriptive case study approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. In sample selection, the maximum diversity sampling technique, a purposive sampling method, used and 38 teachers working in primary school (N=19) and secondary school (N=19) were participated in the study. “Scenario drafts” representing 4 supervision styles based on “School-Based Supervision Approaches Scale” developed by İş and Summak (2021) were used as a data collection tool in the study. The main purpose of the scenarios is to express the atmosphere of the supervision that takes place in the classroom through the eyes of an “outsider storyteller”. The data was obtained through the scenario forms including expressions “The supervisory approach of the principal in the scenario is like…. Because: …”. Descriptive analysis and content analysis techniques were used in the analysis of the data. The findings showed that the metaphors used by the participants regarding the supervisory approaches of the school principals were grouped under different categories in terms of their common characteristics. The results revealed that teachers’ perceptions of supervisory approaches used by principals were generally negative. Based on the data patterns obtained from the “School-Based Supervision Approaches Scale”, the participants used 130 metaphors using the “scenario drafts” representing the four supervision styles. It was found that 77% of the metaphors had negative and 23% positive meanings. The perception that school principals did not have the competency to make professional and objective evaluations in the supervision process and that they were inadequate in terms of communication and content knowledge were highlighted by the participants. As a result, it was concluded that when school principals have competencies to make a professional and objective evaluation, teachers will be eager to be supervised and have a positive perception to the school principals having a supervisor role.