Competencies of Educational Supervisors as a Support System to Improve Student Well-being Based Educational Program

Abstract

Introduction: The well-being of students has become one of the main concerns in the Indonesian educational system nowadays. In order to apply such kind of concept in an educational program at schools, the role of an educational supervisor is critical as the supervisor performs as a facilitator as well as a controller of the program. Methods: This study investigates the competencies required by educational supervisors, especially concerning the government’s efforts to apply the concept of students’ well-being in an educational program. Since the program focuses on a particular concept, certain competencies may be needed differently from the existing educational policy. FGDs and in-depth interviews were used to analyze the influence of in-group interaction of participants in answering some questions during the discussion. These interviews were conducted with 24 educational supervisors from several cities in West Java. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: The study identified advanced thinking, working attitudes, social skills, and managerial abilities as four main competencies, followed by 11 sub-categories that are considered important for educational supervisors to be acquired in order to support the students' well-being program. The results also highlighted that out of these four competencies, social skills are perceived as the most primary competency needed for educational supervisors, as they are agents who have to perform plentiful interactions with many parties for the implementation of the program. Conclusion: The primary competence needed for educational supervisors is social skills.