The Effectiveness of Self-Directed Supervision on Improving Quality of Teaching

Abstract

This article examines effectiveness of the self-directed supervision strategy as a tool for improving teaching quality. Special reference was made to the implementation of the South African Integrated Quality Management system (IQMS). A mixed method approach characterised by the explanatory sequential design addressed the research questions. 301 out of 350 randomly selected participants in 15 districts of the Gauteng Province responded to the quantitative phase in the form of questionnaires. Three conveniently selected focus group interviews each comprising often (10) purposefully selected school-based managers and educators gave in-depth exploration of the quantitative results. Self-directed supervision was found to comply with the Total Quality Management principle of continuous improvement which was perceived to have a positive influence on improving teaching quality. In contrast, the IQMS self-evaluation was perceived to lack compliance to continuous improvement for professional development due to characteristics related to traditional inspection approaches.